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17-07-2010 - Away - TVL - Aldershot vs Finch
Aldershot end Finch win-fest
Aldershot end Finch win-fest
Finch proved yet again an inability to score highly on a dodgy track on an under-prepared Aldershot main-ground pitch.
Having lost the toss (again – a malaise not confined to the IV’s I see) Cap’n Bob was inserted and decided to partner the in-form Matt Lay first-up. As the afternoon unfolded, it became clear exactly why Aldershot chose to field first – this was a track which initially seamed extravagantly and bounced erratically but improved as it dried.
With an ex-1st team seam bowler at one end and a canny and wickedly tight medium-pacer at the other, batting was neither pleasant nor productive. With Cap’n Bob out to a hard-fought 2 and Matt “The Machine” Lay surprisingly caught for only 12, veteran Blogg held up one end whilst the strangulation continued. Ben Fisher, unlucky adjudged LBW of the face of the bat (he tells me, didn’t hear a thing myself), Jones perishing to an astonishing gulley catch for 9 and Rose aerially for not much (actually, it was zero much to the dismay of those who hurriedly transferred him in to their FL teams), Finch subsided to a paltry 32 for 5 off 22 overs. Blogg and Ramskir then put on 40, however it wasn’t until Tommy Hopkins got to the wicket that the innings took off as well as it was ever going to. Bloggy eventually fell for 19, having survived some 35+ overs, which meant an outrageous partnership between Dylan and Tom ensured. Suddenly making batting and the Aldershot bowling look laughably easy, they hit to all points round the ground. With Tom out for a fine 30 (I’ve never seen him slog-sweep before) Simmo (yes, at number 10) galloped (ort of) up and down whilst Dylan continued to an excellent 34 not out, closing the Finch innings on an unlikely 157.
An average tea did little damage to the collective Finch team spirit and with Dylan whistling out the Aldershot opener it looked an open game. With Fozzy bowling his mix of cutters and floaters as a foil to Dylan’s in-cutters the wickets did start falling – Fozzy picking up 4 good ones. However, as the pitch improved, so did the chances of the Aldershot batters finding the boundary with the various heaves and slashes. Cap’n Bob, without talisman Kanki to call on, brought on the aspiring all-rounder Tommy Hopkins to partner I Rose who was mixing half-trackers with full-length cutters. Tommy proved to be the fastest bowler of the day, a veritable “nasty-fastie”, in fact. Having directed his first victim (well caught by Keeper Lay off a wide one) back to the pavilion, the pressure was suddenly one. Dylan replaced the unlucky Rose to partner TH, who made a critical breakthrough by bowling their well-set number 8 for 34. Having then pinned the new batter on the back leg, on the full, in line (how much more did it need going for it ?) a confident appeal was turned down by umpire Arthur. This effectively sealed the game, with Aldershot confidence now soaring, they accelerated to victory in 36 overs.
Overall, a disappointing result on a disappointing wicket – it is arguable that we should want or expect Finch batters to play effectively on such tracks, however if winning is everything then these tracks and homer-bowlers must be mastered.
Plus points were the great team spirit, the fielding was generally good and the bowling could not be faulted. Tom Hopkins showed real potential as the all-rounder he is working to be and Dylan again proved to be the all-rounder he already is. Whilst this is not the end of our title hopes, this is a big setback – only wins will do from now on and will be the test of this team’s ability, assuming availability and selection remain stable.
Statistics
| Finchampstead won the toss and elected to bat | |
| Result | Lost |
|---|---|
| Umpires | Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrthur |
| Score | |
| Finchampstead CC Scored 157 for 9 in 52 | |
| Aldershot Scored 158 for 7 in 36 | |
Player Performance - Batsmen
| Player | How out | Runs | Catch | Stump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Osler | Caught | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Lay | Caught | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Malcom Blogg | Caught | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Alex Jones | Caught | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Michael Simmonite | Not Out | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Fisher | LBW | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Dylan Augustus | Not Out | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Ramskir | Caught+Bowled | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Ian Rose | Caught | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Hopkins | Bowled | 30 | 0 | 0 |
Player Performance - Bowlers
| Player | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Augustus | 9 | 4 | 19 | 1 |
| Tom Hopkins | 10 | 0 | 25 | 2 |
| Daniel Foster | 11 | 2 | 47 | 3 |
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