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Cricket: Holmesfield avenge earlier defeat

Holmesfield CC left the Rock with some of their pride restored as they won their second game against local selections at Europa on Thursday. The game was a forty overs one but was played under unusual conditions, one side batting twenty overs before conceding the crease to the opposition, then continuing their innings after which the opposition completed their forty overs. Highlights of the game were a fine match-winning century from Rick Turner and a whirlwind half century from Oliver Rossington for the visitors, and good innings for the GCA XI from Kieron Ferrary (74) and David Young (50).

The locals batted first and were given an excellent start by Ferrary and Richard Buzaglo who put on 91 runs for the opening wicket, before the latter was caught by Christian Rocca (guesting for the visitors) off the bowling of James Bruce for 36 in the fifteenth over. Ross Harkins fell in the 20th. over, at the end of which the GCA total had reached 120/2.

Holmesfield CC then occupied the crease and they, too, were given a good start by Turner and Neil Pearson who put on 60 before the entry of Bob Brooks into the attack accounted for the latter, caught by Buzaglo behind the stumps. That was to be GCA’s last success for some time and at the twenty overs stage the total had moved to 105/1, so that at the half-way stage the game was evenly poised.

It was then the turn of the GCAXI to resume their innings and they lost three wickets cheaply, including that of Ferrary before Gareth Balban (30) and David Young (50) swung the pendulum their side’s way with a bright sixth wicket partnership of 72. Both then went in rapid succession and the tail had little to offer as the final total progressed to 237/8. For Holmesfield, Rossington took 3/44, Peter Westwood 2/28 and James Bruce 2/49.

The men from Sheffield then resumed their innings requiring 133 runs in their remaining twenty overs, a rate of 6.65 runs an over. Turner and Rossington got them well on the way as their second wicket stand blossomed, eventually yielding 92 runs. The 25th. over proved a dramatic one as Kabir Mirpuri first had Rossington caught for 51 and with his very next ball accounted for Rocca, caught at slip by Rudi Phillips (much to the mirth of the local players!). Jim Pearson then joined Turner and runs began to flow, the former striking 36 runs off just 24 balls and by the time he departed the game was as well as won, Turner remaining undefeated on 117 as GCA’s total was passed with 3.2 overs to spare. It had been a good contest, fought in the right spirit, and the visitors left happy to have avenged the heavy defeat they had suffered two days previously.

TJF.

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