Bedouins v Enville Over 40s at Enville – Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Bedouins won by 6 runs
Every time the Bedouins play the Enville Over 40s, the opposition appears to get younger. Is that just a product of the Beds getting older – or, perish the thought, could it be that Enville are introducing the odd “under-40” and the odd “proper” player?
Whatever the truth of that conundrum, the fact is that the Bedouins had to work hard to overcome the Over 40s at Enville. Batting first on a perfect summer evening, when the ground looked as if it was ripe for heavy scoring, the Beds could muster only 92 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Opening the batting with the beloved skipper, Pankaj Mishra looked in fine form with three early boundaries. But he was then unluckily run out for 14 and, with Paul Lippitt finding it difficult to get the “Lippitt dab” working as he top-scored with 24, the later batsmen also found runs hard to come by. Double-figure scores came from John Howells, Lee Bywater and Austin Gregory, but 92 for 7 looked somewhat below par.
For Enville Over 40s, opener Tonks lived up to his name, as he made a quick-fire 17 before being caught by Bywater for 17 off the accurate bowling of Austin Gregory (2 for 13 in 4 overs). There was a wicket apiece for Spratters and Bywater, but it looked as if the “oldies” would prevail when the final two overs arrived with just 11 runs needed.
“Mr Mackay” gave away just two runs and took 1 wicket in the 19th over, but it was that man Pankaj Mishra who finally swung it the Beds’ way, taking two catches off his own bowling in the last over for two runs, leaving the Beds triumphant by 6 runs.
Bedouins 92 for 7 (Lippitt 24, Mishra 14, Howells 14)
Enville Over 40s 86 for 7 (Gregory 2 for 13; Mishra 2 for 2; Bywater 1 for 12; Spratley 1 for 17)