BCEW Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Cup final 2022!
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Happy Birthday to You; Two Catches and an LBW
Metro vs Sussex Sharks – Sun 4 Sept
When you are in your twenties, what better way is there to celebrate your birthday, especially when the effort is in a winning cause for your team. Congratulations to Metro’s birthday boy and total man of the match – Amit, as well as partial man of the match Nick who scored 90, including the only six of the day.
Other individual performances of note were Mo’s 4 for 11 and a fantastic 42 from just over 60 balls from the Sussex youngster Callum who was looking set to score a cup final 50 before the spoiler of the day as he was dismissed by a Mankad – without even the courtesy of a warning.
Hosting the cup for the third time and the second year in a row was Northamptonshire County Cricket Club – both sides travelled from London to Northants on the same train and, despite some travel delay, were both ready to start play just before the official one o’clock start time.
Dan Field had won the toss, and Metro were batting; without regular opener Matt, who had a broken hand. Damion, who had scored 90 last year finally stepped into the gap but sadly mirrored Matt’s dismissal of 2021. After scoring a boundary through wide mid-off from his fourth ball, he went for a single off the last ball of the over to be run out by sharp fielding from Marcus.
First blood to Sussex as Andy Law joined Nick in the middle. Marcus followed up his run out with a tight over that yielded just two to Andy through third man. Andy faced the whole of the next over and added another two with a great stop by Dan Field at square leg, denying him a boundary.
Phil and Marcus kept the pressure through all their opening six overs, restricting Metro to just 27. Dave Daniels came on first change and continued to keep it tight, conceding just two while clean bowling Andy – this brought Prem out to join Nick with 28 0n the board.
Perhaps the match momentum started to swing away from Sussex a little in the next over as Metro scored 11 with Nick picking up his second boundary. Sussex bowled all nine of their totally blind bowlers’ overs in a block up to the drinks break, at which point Nick and Prem had added 72 with Nick approaching his 50. T
The pendulum swung back towards Sussex after drinks as just 20 were added to the score in the next five overs, but Metro then started to accelerate the scoring with Nick plundering 15 of the 18 runs scored in the twenty-second over.
He was finally out for 90 to a sharp catch from Tiny to end a 135 partnership, to be replaced by Mo. Mo was keen to score quickly from the start and added 23, being given a life when bowled off a no ball, as wickets tumbled around him – Prem was caught by Dave Daniels and bowled Phil Daniels, a father and son combination, and then both Sam Hoskin and Rory run out. Metro had 203- the seventh 200 plus cup final score.
The start of the Sharks innings was in stark contrast to Metros, and they faced two total bowlers in Amit and Sam for the first two overs, with Si Ledwith piling into Sam, especially with four boundaries in the second over. Perhaps this resulted in the change as Rory replaced Amit and had Dave caught second ball, with Damion taking a good catch at point.
Metro then bowled Gareth and Mo before Gareth got the first two over spell and struck the second ball with Amit catching Dan and setting off on a huge celebratory run. Sussex kept the run rate healthy as Callum opened his account with a three, and Simon ended the sixth over with another boundary.
Metro did then put the brakes on with a maiden from Mo and then Alan Turnbull, at silly point, somehow clinging on to a fearsomely hit shot from Simon to leave Sussex on 46 for three.
When Amit took his second catch, along with a bloody nose, to dismiss Phil Daniels, most of the Sharks hopes rested on Callum. He did not disappoint, doggedly ensuring the scoring rate stayed around six an over as first Mark Oliphant was bowled by Chris Blake in his first over, and the Chris Bailey was trapped LBW by Mo. At that point, Sussex were 100 for six from 18.2 overs.
Marcus joined Callum, and at 21 overs, the Sharks total was just three shy of Metro’s at the same stage and Metro still had to bowl two overs from their totals. Three tight overs from Chris and Rory followed, and the gap opened up to twenty-one.
In the next over, the Mankad dismissal of Calum rather knocked the sails out of the Shark’s effort. Mo returned in the next over and dismissed Marcus, caught and bowled, and Matt bowled just three balls later before being given the half-out LBW that Amit was able to exploit to end the innings in the next over with Sussex on 150.
The photo above, thanks to @DamionCorrigan Metro team photo with Trophy at the BCEW Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Cup final 2022
This ends Metro’s season, and the Devils have also finished for 2022 – with an agreed draw at Gloucestershire, to take second place in the Regional League.
Match report by Paul Toplis
Metro Devils – The Development Team
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