Big Scoring at Coombs Wood

A late start enabled the players to watch England demolish Panama, and Nomads were able to bat first on a scorching day in Halesowen. The late arrival of Gardner saw Adam Hughes open the batting with Ian Terry in a 35-over match. The opening bowlers restricted the scoring for a while but then our openers started to up the pace which was aided by a double bowling change which saw the run-rate getting up to 5 per over. In particular Hughes started to take control and was only 11 short of his century when his partner found the heat too much for him and retired allowing Gardner to come in to bat. Unfortunately Gardner was run out for only 1. Weir saw Hughes reach his maiden Nomad's century before he was bowled. Brannigan scored 13 quick runs and then Stanley had a brief 'red-inker' for 4 by which time Hughes had reached 137 not out.
Nomads were happy with their total and were hoping for victory.
Hutton bowled really well, dismissing both openers early on and Ian Hughes also bowled really tidily. Unfortunately the two early wickets let in the two best batters for the opposition, Baker and Whyte, who started to dispatch the ball to the boundary with monotonous frequency. Brannigan got a chance to bowl and took 3 wickets but still could not get his rhythm back bowling a couple of beamers and two which pitched just in front of him and rolled along the ground to the batsman. New man East also bowled but could not slow the rate and Adam Hughes, recovered from his mammoth innings, came on for his customary couple of overs near the end. However Coombs Wood had paced their innings well and reached the required total with an over to spare.
Nomads needed to get one or both of the wickets of Baker and Whyte, in which case, unless Coombs Wood had another top batter in their line-up, victory could have been achieved.
Nomads MVP - A. Hughes

Date: 24th June
Start time: 3:00pm
Venue: Coombs Wood
Competition: 35 overs Friendly
Result: Coombs Wood won by 4 wkts
Toss: Lichfield Nomads won the toss and elected to bat.
Scorer: J. Hoddy
Umpires:
Weather: Sunshine, very hot.