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Mon 26th July 2010. On form 1st XI blast past Nomansland Nomansland 188-7, Sway 192-3. Sway won by 7 wickets
Sway maintained their title
hopes with an excellent win against a potentially useful but
undeniably friendly Nomansland side. The home side won the toss and elected to
bat on the picturesque and unique ground. With strike bowler
Jack Walton out for the rest of the season with a broken
leg, Sway called up 18 year old Robert Steadman to open the
bowling alongside Steve Thistleton. Steadman, in only his
second outing for the first team produced a superb spell of
quick and accurate bowling; and in his first over induced an
edge to have Matt Sharman caught behind by Adam Clark for a
duck. Steadman and Thistleton kept up the pressure and by
the end of the 14th at the end of their initial spells,
Nomansland were struggling for runs at just 36-1. If
Nomansland were working on the assumption that things were
going to get easier with the change bowlers, they were
mistaken - skipper Jon Grasham, tired from mid-week cricket
and mindful of his forthcoming appearance at Lords for the
Royal Navy had decided not to open the bowling and instead
brought himself on to partner Nilantha Atapattu's tricky
spin.
With Nomansland finding it tricky to get Atapattu away at one end, Grasham's hostility at the other end proved too much for number 3 Gary Loveless who was bowled for 27. Atapattu also claimed a well-deserved wicket towards the end of his spell with a caught & bowled. Steve Thistleton replaced Grasham and continued to hold Nomansland in check, bowling Rich White for 8 and trapping Kev Hayward for 0 to finish up with 10-1-40-2. Nomansland looked in danger of collapse, but ironically their innings was held together by Chris Walton who batted superbly; steadily at first and then later on playing so fine strokes to ensure that Normansland could at least post a defendable score. Walton ensured that the final few overs were expensive for Sway and by the time the returning Robert Steadman (10-1-33-2) finally had him flashing one to Dave Marshall at gully for 79, he had lifted Nomansland to 188-7 after 42 overs.
The Sway reply did not start
well when Adam Clark inexplicably flat-batted a poor ball
straight to mid-off. Then in a potentially game changing
moment, Atapattu was put down at gully - the Nomansland
supporters seemd in little doubt that this would prove to be
an expesnive mistake. The runs were coming quickly, but in
the 8th over opener Alex Hall ticked one down the leg to the
keeper off the impressive Darren Grayer to bring in Grasham
to join Atapattu. The pair proceeded to score freely and
Nomansland's cause was not helped when Atapattu hit a fierce
straight drive catching the unfortunate bowler Jason Franks
squarely on the shin and preventing him from bowling any
further overs. With Nomansland already possibly a bowler
short, the skipper was left scratching his head to work out
his bowling options. No option seemed to have any success in
taking wickets or slowing the run rate and by the time
Atapattu holed out in the 26th over the game was already up
for Nomansland. Grasham, now partnered by Ross Clark,
continued to play a chanceless innings and when he hit the
winning runs in just the 31st over, he was unbeaten on 76.
With league Leaders Portsmouth & Southsea losing, Sway are
now just a single point behind with 5 games remaining.
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