SCORECARD

Flared groin scuppers Fitmen
Old Mo 181 for 5 (20 overs); Old Doms 182 for 7 (20 overs)
Doms win by 3 wickets.

A last ball victory usually means a tight and exciting game - this game was no different. It's just that it's getting a bit tedious against Old Doms!

It's not Old Doms that are tedious (lovely folk!) just that in consecutive matches the Fitmen have lost the toss, been inserted, knocked up a record score and .............lost!

The batting has been great - clearly. With two record scores in a row all 'we' needed to do was strangle the game, reduce the overs and increase the required rate. Easy...........well, not that easy.

That ground is jinxed for the Old Mo when we field! No slight on the skippers (Mid week or last Sunday) but a rock hard ground on a slope with a close boundary means that field placements just a metre out have expensive consequences.

The Fitmen took to the batting like men on a mission. The openers saw off the shine and then the middle order took control. Just like proper cricket!

Credit to Jack and Aid for 40s with high strike rates, but a particular slap on the back for Mark Tucker's maiden 50. All three batted exceptionally well and gifted the FitBowlers what would appear to be an outstanding opportunity.

In the response Ash, as always, bowled tightly. The fielders were industrious but hard slaps bouncing erratically off a parched outfield made any slight miscalculation into a boundary and there was the problem. Was there enough slack in the target to let the Fitmen get away with it.

We couldn't afford to lose any front line bowlers, but Aid's dodgy groin flared and rendered him impotent (as in he couldn't complete his 4 overs you understand). This may have changed the game in a similar manner to the Sunday match when we also lost a front line bowler to injury.

After going behind the rate early on, Old Doms had a purple patch mid response and threatened to finish early despite a 10 an over target. Mark Butcher pegged them back and left the result in doubt, but on that track (true and good) you had to back the side chasing - and so it proved.

................though it took Doms to the very last ball to secure victory.

A 2nd intensely close game against well matched teams. We look forward to having them back on our patch......and I'm sure they will be looking forward to it too!