Lichfield Nomads Cricket Club : Match Reports 2009

Brannigan sandwich as extras do it again for Nomads

In the reverse fixture this season, extras won the day for Nomads scoring 90. Much the same again as WTP batsmen outscored Nomads by a clear 30 runs but too many wide balls cost them dear.

WTP arrived with a youthful side on a worn wicket. Hughes won the toss and inserted the WTP openers. Brannigan steaming in from the A38 end took the top of Goodwin’s off stump with his first ball. However the euphoria soon ended when, having bowled a first over maiden, Forster was struck for three successive boundaries in his second. Bristow and Phillips snr kept up a good rate taking the score to 34 in the seventh over before Brannigan repeated the medicine, removing Phillips. Forster had strained to reduce the damage bowling uphill into the breeze and was unlucky as Hughes; making good ground to a lofted ball got both hands to it, only to spill the chance (softer hands required, as Heidi might say?). Greaves replaced Forster and Heslington came on at the A38 end. The latter tempted a low drive from Bristow wide out to Forster’s left at short(ish) midwicket from his first ball. Unfortunately, although Forster appeared to clasp the ball cleanly, it was jolted free as the ground shook beneath him. Further catching problems ensued as Westwood dropped a fairly straightforward one off Greaves before Heslington tempted Johnson into giving a low catch, scooped up by Stanley at first slip. Dagganett joined Bristow; however Greaves’ flight and guile were troubling the WTP batsmen, resulting in Bristow playing several minutes early to a particularly looping ball. Moss, in the meantime, standing up to Heslington, was having a good time with the gloves, being tempted to take the ball in front of the stumps as Greaves repeatedly beat the bat. Pinfield now plucked a rising ball from above his head, almost leaving the ground in the process, to remove the dangerous looking Matthews, off Greaves. Westwood entered the fray from the brewery end, as Hughes replaced Heslington. A first ball no-ball from Westwood was despatched to the boundary, but he rallied well, getting Dagganett to loop a straightforward catch to Moss, and then forcing Gower, who had been particularly damaging to Hughes’ figures, to back away towards square leg and use his pads to knock the ball onto his stumps. Another drop by Westwood, followed by Moss spilling a faint edge off Hughes as the ball died before him, saw the return of Heslington and Forster. The latter turning to spin, extracted considerable turn to remove first Phillips M, stumped by Moss, then Waddington, bowled, before Heslington wrapped it up in the 37^th over, having Phillips D taken by Greaves at mid on.

A good tea, with chips balanced by fresh fruit left Nomads considering that the 182 run target would “take some getting” as a mixture of dropped catches and powerful hitting on a pitch with occasionally variable bounce had given WTP perhaps 30 more than they should have got.

Hughes and Moss opened for Nomads, the latter having difficulty timing the ball from the slow pitch. However Hughes was lofting powerful drives over the infield and was racing along. An opening stand of 71 by the 16^th over saw Nomads up with the rate. Hughes had promoted Forster from the depths of the order to number 3, as it might be “his sort of wicket” (whatever that means), however the captain’s confidence was repaid as Forster remained unbeaten at the end. Following his 50 in this fixture last year, Hughes had reached 55 before one swing too many saw him caught, bringing in Pinfield. With the WTP bowlers keeping to a good length, scoring from the bat was often difficult, as Nomads relied on extras, mainly wides, to keep them up with the rate. The batsmen were getting bogged down with Forster going 19 balls without a run, just after clipping three boundaries to the leg side (surprisingly), with one shot parried by Phillips M still carrying to the furthest boundary, almost breaking the fielder’s hand in the process. Finally, with the need to push on Pinfield tried hitting straight over mid on but the ball lifted and struck too high up the bat, leaving him caught by the bowler, Gower. Stanley arrived and took only 11 balls to get off the mark, however succumbed to an unusually straight ball from Gower. With 32 runs more required at a run-a-ball Brannigan arrived at the wicket and soon showed his intentions. Forster was happy to push a single from the first ball of an over a couple of times and sit back to let Brannigan get to work. Brannigan wasted three of the 13 balls bowled to him but wrapped up the match with a rapid 28.

A much needed win for Nomads against a keen WTP side, who’s bowling if a little straighter would have created major problems. The stats show, Moss’ innings of 13 taking 44 balls, Forster’s of 33 taking 51 balls, Pinfield 12 off 38 balls and Stanley 1 from 12. So Hughes’ 55 from 57 balls and Brannigan’s blast, coupled with the twelfth man, extras, were vital in this performance.