Nomads cop the best of the conditions

Opting to bat first under cloudless blue skies was not a difficult decision. In so doing, Captain Loxley demonstrated one of the qualities that Napoleon valued amongst his generals: luck. The outfield gave full value for shots hit along the ground, unlike the ground the previous week. The wicket exhibited uneven bounce quite early on and seemed to deteriorate throughout the day. (This may, of course, have been due to supreme skill by the bowlers. See the standard disclaimer at the bottom of the page.)
Scoring was difficult at first. Only 6 runs came from the first 5 overs, with the loss of Stanley. Six 4s from Bastable, and some well placed singles from Gardner helped to push up the scoring rate. Debutantes Mirza (top scoring with 31) and Kareem (13) followed a typically short but productive innings from Mahmood. Loxley also reached double figures. Gibson demonstrated solidity with the bat but was unable to garner enough support from the tail to see out the overs. An innings that looked set to reach 200 finished on 169 in the 36th over. Would it be enough?
D2 used eight different bowlers. The pick of them was the left arm seam of J Hudson with figures of 6.5-2-9-2.

Mahmood and Singh opened the bowling for the Nomads. Both extracted late movement. The variable bounce further complicated the difficulties faced by the batsmen. The uneven bounce also inconvenienced keeper Loxley. After 10 overs, facing unchanged bowling, D2’s innings was in considerable disarray at 31 for 6. Four wickets to Mahmood and two to Singh, all bowled.
Gibson quickly joined the party with a wicket in his first over. He was to finish with figures of 4-3-3-3, taking the last two wickets to fall in consecutive balls. In between, J Hudson demonstrated his prowess with the bat being the only one to reach double figures. Lacking adequate support, D2’s innings closed on 62 at the end of the 18th over.
Players and spectators alike took advantage of the sunshine and early finish to enjoy a quiet drink (or two, or three).


[Disclaimer: Any offence caused by this article is unintentional, any praise is well deserved]

Date: 19 May 2024
Start time: 1:30pm
Venue: Wishaw
Competition: 40 overs friendly
Scores: Lichfield Nomads 169 for 9 v D2 (Sutton Police) 62 all out
Result: Lichfield Nomads won by 107 runs
Toss: Lichfield Nomads won the toss and elected to bat.
Scorer: Gibson, Gardner
Umpires: Loxley, Stanley, Mahmood
Report: K. Stanley
Weather: Warm, sunny

21 May 2024