On what looked like a nice hot sunny day , OTs & Romsey didn’t get off to the best of starts by losing the toss and having to bowl first. With a limited attack against Purbrook it was important that all bowlers bowled well and to start with this looked the case with Dan Collins starting with a maiden and Steve Kay getting three quick wickets. This then brought Ben Skitten, Purbrook's New Zealand overseas player to the crease. To start with he looked very shaky and OTs thought they had their man on 20 but it wasn’t to be. Another couple of wickets which came from suicidal running from Purbrook put Romsey back in a positive position. The OTs bowlers didn’t live up to their usual high standards by bowling way too many extras. These extras and Skitten's sensible batting saw Purbrook through to 240 for 6 with the overseas player eventually making 117.
Even though Romsey's bowling performance wasn’t great they were still confident that 240 wasn’t enough as they had scored over six hundred runs over the last two weeks with Shane Vidler (42) big hitting at the beginning of the innings. Elliott Mitchell-Lee (29) batting sensibly gave OTsthe good start they needed. But once both were dismissed after the first drinks break a downward trend started with Romsey batsmen going into bat looking good and getting out cheaply: Paul Longland (26) who was caught out at long off, Nic Desefano (21) being bowled playing across the line, Iain Woodhall (17) getting caught out flashing at a wide ball and with Colin Morris (0) still looking jet lagged from a couple of weeks ago. With all these wickets falling the requied run rate went from a respectable five, six an over to around nine, ten an over. Mike Trodd (17) gave it his best shot to get the required run rate down but once he was caught at third man all looked lost for Romsey and it was left to the duo of Dan Collins (18*) and Matt Bampton (16) to try and get some batting points for the travelling side, which they managed to do. In the last over of the game Bampton was eventually caught and bowled leaving Romsey on 225 all out.
As other results went Romsey's way there is still is a chance of promotion but they can’t afford any more slip ups. OTs & Romsey II host New Milton II at the sports centre next week.
Even though Romsey's bowling performance wasn’t great they were still confident that 240 wasn’t enough as they had scored over six hundred runs over the last two weeks with Shane Vidler (42) big hitting at the beginning of the innings. Elliott Mitchell-Lee (29) batting sensibly gave OTsthe good start they needed. But once both were dismissed after the first drinks break a downward trend started with Romsey batsmen going into bat looking good and getting out cheaply: Paul Longland (26) who was caught out at long off, Nic Desefano (21) being bowled playing across the line, Iain Woodhall (17) getting caught out flashing at a wide ball and with Colin Morris (0) still looking jet lagged from a couple of weeks ago. With all these wickets falling the requied run rate went from a respectable five, six an over to around nine, ten an over. Mike Trodd (17) gave it his best shot to get the required run rate down but once he was caught at third man all looked lost for Romsey and it was left to the duo of Dan Collins (18*) and Matt Bampton (16) to try and get some batting points for the travelling side, which they managed to do. In the last over of the game Bampton was eventually caught and bowled leaving Romsey on 225 all out.
As other results went Romsey's way there is still is a chance of promotion but they can’t afford any more slip ups. OTs & Romsey II host New Milton II at the sports centre next week.
D Collins
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