Tag Archives: partially sighted Cricket

Metro Claim Record Breaking 18th Primary Club Cup Triumph!

September 5, 2022Article, NewsBCEW, Blind and Partially Sighted cricket, Blind Cricket, Cricket, Cup final 2022, Heindrich Swanepoel, metro cricket team, partially sighted Cricket, Primary Club, vi cricketSaul Wynne

BCEW Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Cup final 2022!

Match Commentary on Youtube | Download: Scorecard

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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Cricket: Batters Make Hay as Bowlers Toil in the Hot Sun!

August 8, 2022Article, NewsBlind and Partially Sighted cricket, Blind Cricket, Cricket, metro cricket team, partially sighted Cricket, somerset, vi cricketSaul Wynne

Metro vs Somerset 6 Aug!

Download: Scorecard

Saturday saw clear blue skies and hot sunshine all afternoon as Metro entertained Somerset, with both clubs still hoping to win the BCEW league title.

The pitch was hard and dry, and the outfield brown and yellow as the visitors looked to avenge their cup defeat earlier in the season. It was first blood to them, too, as they won the toss and asked Metro to bat on a day where drinks were to be taken every ten overs because of the heat.

Matt Dean had a new opening partner in the left-handed Asif – perhaps because Damion, who had travelled from Scotland for the game, arrived only just as the match started. Asif was trapped LBW by the visitor’s skipper Ed at the end of the third over to bring Andy Law to the crease.

Matt farmed the strike during their partnership which ended just before drinks, as Andy, who had seen several strong shots blocked by the close in Somerset fielders yet again, could only find a fielder with a well hit shot.

The ball struck David and looped up gently in the air to give Ed a simple catch at square leg with 96 runs scored, off the bowling of Jason.

This brought Damion and Matt together, and both hit the ball firmly to all parts of the ground; Damion hit six boundaries and a six, while Matt had eight boundaries and a brace of sixes in their partnership of 197. Damion’s contribution was 94 and Matt’s 87 when Rory declared after twenty-five overs to deny Damion a first century at Highgate and the pair to post a 200 partnership.

The declaration was essential as Metro had to try and win to give themselves a chance of winning the league title – Sussex having taken a strong lead after Northants had to concede their matched scheduled for the same day.

After a tea of pre-packed sandwiches, Somerset started the chase with Rob and their Matt.

The game was being played with the new, slightly larger and perhaps lighter ball, which was perhaps harder to grip. Ed had completely lost his grip at one point in the Metro innings and after an excellent opening over that went for just two runs, including a bye, Rory seemed to struggle in his next over as he bowled four wides, the first of many that Metro conceded as the match continued.

After his match-winning cup over, Asif opened the bowling with three tidy overs in the first eight taking the wicket of Graham LBW for 19 runs; that LBW had been set up by Andy. It was the second wicket to fall before drinks as Amit had earlier bowled Matt, and the visitors added another 23 to be on 88 at drinks, just eight behind the Metro score.

From that point, the game belonged mostly to the batters as Rob and Ed did get a partnership above 200, twenty-nine exactly when the match ended with a Matt Dean wide delivery in the thirty-first over of the chase.

There had been chances – Rory making a great effort in the deep, both Gareth and Amit chasing possible caught and bowled, and one that went towards Matt, who failed to see the ball in the awkward light.

Ed had scored 134 with sixteen boundaries and two sixes, while Rob’s contribution of 64 was part of his 91 as he joined Damion in just missing out on a century.

The sides meet again in Somerset next week if the logistics can be resolved with a rail strike planned, where another win would leave Somerset well placed to challenge for the league title in their final match of the season against Sussex the next day.

The Sharks will meet Metro in the Primary club cup final on the 3rd of September – now Metro’s only chance of a win this season.

Those partnerships? – Somerset’s second-highest behind the same two players who scored 263 in 2013 and Metro’s eighth highest – with only one higher by a pair that does not include Matt.

Match report by Paul Toplis