Lichfield Nomads Cricket Club : Match Reports 2005

Team performance fires Nomads to victory
A battling performance with the bat, on the Barton grass, saw the Nomads post 162 with Pete Gardner scoring 72. Church Eaton were always under pressure to keep up with the rate as wickets fell regularly. Despite completing the full 40 overs they fell short of their target and the Nomads won by 16 runs.

Pete Gardner after a slow start held the innings together superbly to pick up the MVP award. Heslington was out early on for a duck to a blinding catch at point. Caygill dominated the bowling and looked good before he too perished, bowled by Hogarth for 15. Pinfield (2) and Fearon (11) were both caught. The fifth wicket stand with Forster was the most fruitful adding 69 before Gardner was bowled by Ashton for 72. Forster was run out refusing a second run with Hoddy for a vital 20 runs. The innings fizzled out at the end with a meagre 3 scored off the last two overs.

Fearon and Forster opened the bowling for the Nomads and kept the openers quiet before Milner hit 3 fours off Forster's 6th over. Blackburn kept the faith and it was repaid handsomely as Forster removed both openers in his next over, including a vital stumping by Gardner. The openers bowled their allotted 16 overs straight through. Fearon was wicketless for a miserly 15 runs off his 8 overs and Forster finished with 2 for 25.
Heslington and Hoddy made inroads into the middle order with Heslington taking 2 for 30 and Hoddy taking 3 for 27. Both bowlers bowled their overs right through and the asking rate continued to increase to more than a run a ball. Once again Nomads improved catching prowess came to the fore as chances were snapped up by Coleman, Pinfield, Caygill, Fearon and Blackburn in the slips. In gloomy conditions, Graham Coleman and Pete Blackburn shared the final 8 overs and a spirited stand between McKenzie and Hogarth (I) kept Church Eaton's faint hopes alive. The final nail came when McKenzie was bowled in fading light by Coleman. After some debate as to what had happened the square leg umpire confirmed the ball had hit the stumps and McKenzie made his way back to the pavilion. With 24 needed off the final over and the Nomads fielders spread round the boundary it was inevitable that the Nomads would win and so it proved, the victory margin just 13 runs.