Top of Regional Division 1, Sway 1st XI were on the road to take on second place Verwood in a table topping affair. Sway were asked to bowl on a very grassy and suspicious looking track. Dave Steadman and John Grasham were ever consistent restricting Verwood to 27 runs off 14 overs with Grasham picking up the wicket of Mitchell (0) and Dave Steadman finishing with tight figures of (7-17-0). Rob Steadman and Thistleton came in as change bowlers and carried on the good work. However when the big hitting Millward started to get hold of Steadman’s bowling, Nilantha Attapattu was introduced into the attack. Millward really accelerated the run rate for Verwood and was quickly giving more and more control back to the home team. A brilliant catch however from Rob Steadman in the deep saw Thisleton remove the dangerous Millward for 33. Thisleton (10-43-3) helped Sway rattle though the batting line up and keep the pressure on whilst Attapatu (10-44-2) played a vital roll. Grasham returned to wrap the innings up and finish with first-rate figures of (8.3-8-2). Sway were chasing a very defendable 159 on a chewed up and inconsistent wicket.

 

Skipper Adam Clark and Alex Hall took to the crease and set off with a good run rate. Hall (12) , however, was caught on the crease and bowled by Millward to put Verwood very much in the game. The returning Terry Steadman came in and batted intelligently with Clark, running hard and playing solidly. Steadman (21) was eventually removed by Mitchell to one that jagged in Warne-like. Attapattu was removed for (8) by the consistent Millward and this saw Jackson Rogers take the crease with Sway 105-3 off 30 over’s, still needing to go at 4.5 an over. Clark and Rogers took things on for Sway, Clark reaching his hard earned 50 and Rogers hitting some classy boundaries. Clark (61) was eventually caught at mid off, then Steve How went without troubling the scorers to put the the pressure right back on Sway with the run rate creeping up to 5 an over. Rogers and Grasham took to the challenge seeing out the good deliveries’ and punishing anything wide, short or over-pitched. Rogers (33*) and Grasham (14*) saw Sway home with 1.2 over’s to spare.

 

Yet again another great team effort from Sway first team who continue to compliment each other and work well as a unit. Sway take on Sarisbury this week another very important game which they will not take for granted as they strive for promotion.

Jackson Rogers (right) - key innings in his last game for Sway before touring Aussie-style