WNCC down Burghley
Another cracking game of cricket at Burghley Park.
WNCC batted first posting 276. Paul Richardson and Harry Kennedy, both opening on debut, launched WNCC off to a flyer with 11 from 10 overs, then let rip. HK, unlucky to play on, departed for 8. PR and Jonathan Kennedy quickly accelerated the scoring towards lunch. With an eye on the lunch hut JK fell, caught for 41. R Gurney (16) pushed the score along with PR 75, both well caught. D Humphreys came and went (LBW) on the stroke of lunch with the score on 165 for 5 from 35 overs.
Simon Wilson-Stephens and Andy Giddings resumed after lunch. Gidz lived up to his mighty billing with 67 not out, assisted a little less robustly by SWS 22 and J Stanton 14 taking the total at declaration to 276 for 6 off 48 overs.
Under a blackening sky Burghley Park came out fighting and took up the challenge only for the rain to fall. Despite losing half an hour of play, and needing close to 10 an over, Burghley Park gamely resumed the attack. Ben Stanton picked up a couple, as did Sam Kennedy following his promising debut earlier in the season (where was Hagen?). With 20 overs to go Burghley required 210 runs with 5 wickets in hand.
JK’s spell was greeted by two batsmen wielding a Mongoose. SWS also felt its teeth and their combined figures were 107 off 9 overs for just 1 wicket (although if the match manager could catch!!).
WNCC were in need of something special when Harry Kennedy took a stunning overhead, backward flipping, diving, one handed catch on the mid on boundary to despatch one of the Mongoose. The last ten overs needed 11 an over, with 4 wickets in hand. The last five needed 50 with 3 wickets to go. Step up to the mark Sam Kennedy and Ben Stanton. Ben claimed two (to make it five for 38 from 8), and next over the Ancient and Modern Kennedy team combined with JK taking the catch off SK’s bowling giving him figures of 3 for 43 off 8.2).
Good cricket, game opponents, lovely lunch in a perfect setting and a win by 38 runs. Enough said!
match report by J Stanton – Match manager
