Bedouins v SSP Halifax at Enville – Sunday, 9 August 2015
Bedouins lost by 14 runs
Our friends from up north, SSP, came down from Halifax for the 21st annual meeting with the Bedouins, at Enville, and returned up north with the Rasche Trophy safely gathered in for another year. It was a highly competitive match, but played in the right friendly spirit and resulted in a total of over 400 runs, with slightly more than half of them going to SSP.
The Enville outfield was lightning quick, and anything that got past the fielder went for four. Thus it was that SSP opener, Nathaniel Hyde, rattled up 52 retired, with 11 boundaries and one six meaning that he needed to run only two singles. On the whole the Beds would have preferred Dr Jekyll to have turned up instead of Mr Hyde, because later he contributed eight accurate overs and was as athletic as one or two others among the SSP fielders.
The other SSP opener John Dobson, a regular thorn in the Beds’ side over the years, also hit 50, but in somewhat more sedate fashion. His brother Tony also made 47 not out and later took three wickets.
The first SSP wicket fell in the 28th over with the score on 152. so the Bedouins bowlers did well in the later stages to restrict the total to 216 for 7 in 40 overs. That was largely thanks to Jon Stanier, who had the excellent figures of 4 for 23 in six overs. There were also two wickets for Spratters, and one for Adrian Susman.
In the Bedouins innings, the first six batsmen all made double figures, led by openers Paul Lippitt (53 not out, including nine boundaries), and Jon Stanier (53 retired, including 10 boundaries). Adrian Susman made 16, Jono Hill 24, John Howells 18 and skipper-for-the-day Lee Bywater, who had brought his own fan club with him, 22.
At one stage, it looked as if the home side might make the 217 needed for an unlikely win, but the SSP front-line bowlers were just too strong and managed to rein in the scoring rate just when it really mattered. The result was a 14-run defeat for the Beds, who had to content themselves with having put in an excellent all-round performance against a team that included some very capable cricketers.
The other highlight of the day was the Bedouettes’ catering. They served up pre-match sandwiches etc, between-innings tea and cakes, and post-match goodies that together made up a memorable package. Well done, thanks. A gold star for each of you!
SSP Halifax 216 for 7 (Stanier 4 for 23; Spratley 2 for 33; Susman 1 for 43)
Bedouins 202 for 8 (Lippitt 53 not out; Stanier 53 retired; Hill 24; Bywater 22; Howells 18; Susman 16)