Sat 14th May 2011

2nd XI extend their winning run to 645 days!

Suttoners 122ao   Sway 201-6.  Sway won by 79 runs

Sway II travelled to Suttoners temporary home at Meyrick Park and whilst the local worms were no doubt in full on party mode, both sides were left somewhat bemused that the council had chosen to water the wicket the evening before!

The pitch was therefore as damp as a wet weekend in Skegness and it was no surprise that on winning the toss the Suttoner's skipper inserted Sway into bat. With the ball keeping extremely low and holding up, it was no surprise that openers Ed Golding and Kev Glass got off to a relatively slow start which was not helped when Golding was bowled by a low one in the 4th over. Glass was joined by Rick How and by the end of the 12th over Sway had moved on to 31 and it seemed that  a score of 150 would be a half decent one. How Snr was bowled for 17 and was replaced by How Jnr who looked in good nick but failed to build on a start and was bowled for 10. Sway were now 58 for 3 off 19 overs and the innings very much hung in the balance. Experienced opener Glass was however unflustered by the situation and having gotten his eye in began to play more expansively on the drying pitch. Glass was now partnered by Chris Hammond for what turned out to be a crucial partnership of 125 for the 4th wicket. Hammond hit 10 fours and 2 sixes on his way to a fine 78 whilst Glass batted superbly for is 63. Suddenly 200 runs and maximum batting points seemed a possibility as the pair piled the runs on. Whilst the pair eventually perished in the final few overs chase along with Dan Stevenson who sacrificed himself for the greater good in a run-out mix up, it was left to Dave Marshall in the final over to hit the necessary boundary and to leave Sway on 201-6.

Suttoners were not phased by the total and were very quick out of the traps as the Sway bowlers Terry Patch and Sam Nailor struggled to get any life out of a pitch that had clearly shuffled off its mortal coil some 24 hours earlier. Opener and skipper Wayne Murry and his partner Steve Warwick smashed their way to 46 off just 10 overs ruthlessly punishing anything wide and Sway nerves began to jangle. With Sway needing a wicket or at least to build a little pressure, skipper Pete Bennet looked to take the pace off the ball and turned to the spin on Steve How and the swing of Dave Marshall. How was like the previous week positively presbyterian is his economy - his first 3 overs going for just 3 runs. Marshall at the other end was attempting to manufacture a wicket and in his second over took out Warwick's off stump for a much needed wicket. The flow of runs now slowed at both ends and the pressure built on Suttoners as the run rate escalated. The pressure became too much when How trapped the number three LBW and then Marshall (10-1-21-3) claimed 2 wickets in 2 balls with a bowled and a rather sporting stumping - Bennet whipping off the bails in what looked like a clear dismissal, but not initially upheld by the square leg umpire. In a very generous gesture his fellow batsman at the other end suggested that it was clearly out, so a wicket it was! With Murry (56) at the crease Suttoners were still in with a shout  - so when How caught him playing across the line and appealed for LBW there was a tense and seemingly enduring pregnant pause before the umpires finger finally went up. 

Sway now looked to close out the game. Marshall's claw made its first appearance of the season to give How 4 wickets, and How then bowled the number 9 for a duck to give him superb 5 wicket haul and figures of 10-2-26-5. Matt Bramwell (5-2-18-0) and Sam Nailor (9-0-22-2) then returned to the action both giving the batsmen little to work with Bramwell bowling two maidens in a row and Nailor picking up 2 wickets to secure maximum points as Suttons wound up 122ao.

Steve How 5-26