Salfords’ triumph over Sutton last time out was arguably the surprise result of the season thus far. Whilst it improved Hill’s status as title challengers, it was essential that they did not rest on their laurels, as the match would not be settled on league positions alone! Another warm week meant that the pitch wouldn’t have looked out of place in the sub-continent; possibly influenced by this, the visiting skipper elected to bat after winning the toss.
The Jones’ boys reprised their role as opening duo and sent down a barrage of deliveries in the early stages to the blend of youth and experience at the crease. Skywalker prevailed over Daff Vader in the early contest as Jones Jnr rattled the stumps (bowling at them is overrated, apparently) at the start of the 7th over. The tall paceman had a second wicket after bouncing back from a rare attacking shot off his bowling. He lured the batsman into an expansive drive and the towering McLean stepped a few paces to the side to hold the catch. Runs had been at a premium in the early stages as Salford elected for a survival based approach that would have even made Bear Grylls balk.
Jacobs replaced Jones Snr and was unfortunate not to pick up a wicket as he enjoyed some sideways movement with the new ball. The next breakthrough came courtesy of Ransom, who was deployed at the other end, as he bamboozled his man and bowled him through the gate, reducing the visitors to 42-3 from the opening 20 overs. The innings continued to meander along without incident as Chipperton and Ransom bowled in tandem and the visitors struggled to accelerate the run rate. McLean held onto another catch at mid-off from the captain to leave them 53-4. The youthful visiting side were asking a lot of their middle order colts, a point Ransom was quick to make to the remaining opener who remained stoic in his defence and in no rush to accelerate. Perhaps unnerved by some choice comments, he then danced past a ball from Chipperton and Stupples completed the stumping, having scored 20 from 79 deliveries.
The final 4 wickets fell for a total of 10 runs as Hill moved in for the kill. Ransom managed to get another one through the gate to claim his second scalp. The next wicket came as a shock to everyone as, perhaps unable to move out of the way in time, a daydreaming Jones Jnr took a sharp catch at square leg off the bowling of the captain. The rangy bowler had dropped a catch off Ransom earlier in the afternoon, the only one in what was otherwise an impeccable fielding display from the home side. The next catch came from Newcomen, who came steaming in from deep point to hold onto a looping catch from Chipperton. With the visitors only able to field 10 men, the last wicket presented a chance for the captain to claim 5 wickets. Fully cognisant of this, Ransom deliberately let the ball go through him at slip, before enticing the batsmen into taking a risky single with his best matador impression. He then completed the run out and succeeded in his mission.
Vithalani and Stupples were given the nod to open the batting and hopefully make light work of the modest total. The former certainly looked to waste no time in getting the game over and done with, leading to rumours of a date or other pressing matter to attend to! Such was the alacrity with which Vithalani operated at, he careened the second ball of the innings into the hands of extra cover. Fortunately for him, this took everyone including the fielder by surprise and the catch went down. Unperturbed, he continued to take on the new ball and regularly found the boundary as he raced to 35 from 27 deliveries. At the other end and largely content with a watching berth, Stupples kept the score ticking over and contributed 17 from 21 deliveries. A smattering of extras allowed Hill to chase down the modest total inside 8 overs and claim another 30 points. Debutants McLean and Foong were not required at 3 and 4 in what proved to be an emphatic 10 wicket victory. With 5 league fixtures remaining, it looks set to go down to the wire!
Player of the match – Sponsored by Nicholls Residential = Will Chipperton
Park Hill Cricket Club 