2013 Match Report: Concorde

Fernandes Fires 99

As Pyestock Flake Away

 

Concorde CC Vs Pyestock CC

Sunday 5th May 2013

Weather Conditions: Mild, Sunny.

Pitch Conditions: Wicket: Dry lively, Outfield: Green, fast.

Pyestock remained unbeaten for the 2013 season after a draw with Concorde this week, however were dealt a tough hand as they faced an impressive side.

Back amongst the picturesque surroundings of Sendholme, Pyestock looked to build on the opening victory at Bramley to increase their impressive run of only 1 defeat in 12 matches. Solid resistance was found immediately however as opening batsmen Edgar Fernandes and Nick Freeman took centre stage. Starting cautious but confidently as Neil Butler and Chris Heath struggled with the sharp rise up to the stumps, the pair avoided almost all early demons in the wicket to set up a gallant display of attacking prowess.

Billy Leader, returning for his first match of the season, replaced Neil in the 11^th over but looked rusty against the ever increasing pressure from the Concorde top two. In fact, despite a half hearted appeal for a caught behind from Chris on Fernandes, the home side turned their control of the match into dominance.

Neil replaced Billy with Jack Bromley in the attempt to clip the wings of the batting duo, whilst persevering with Chris at the far end of the ground. This failed to have the desired effect as Fernandes and Freeman continued to add runs to their teams tally.

Eventually just eight balls before the drinks break, Pyestock finally got the breakthrough that their perseverance deserved. A quicker ball from Chris surprised Freeman, who could only edge through to wicket keeper Glenn Taylor who took a wonderful one-handed catch away to his right.

Concorde arrived at the drinks break exactly 100 for 1 from the initial 21 overs of the match and really looked to push on after the interval. Fernandes markedly upped the tempo bringing up his half century with a crushing boundary from Jack while new batsmen Nick Wright started to provide able stability for his free flowing counterpart.

Pyestock looked out of ideas, both Chris and Jack were becoming expensive and a huge total looked on the cards. Neil and his Vice-Captain Chris McGovern tried to keep the spirits and tempo up with the visitor’s ranks and eventually it paid dividends. Fernandes, who had played a sublime shot off of Chris to move his score onto 99, was trapped LBW by a quicker delivery two balls later to end a brilliant innings in the most gut-wrenching fashion. Rightly applauded from the field of play, Fernandes had almost single-handedly moved the home side to 145 for 2.

Mick Reeve replaced the hero of the hour and moved quickly to keep the scoreboard ticking, whilst Wright now took a more positive outlook on the innings, before inexplicably skewing a full toss from new bowler Dan Heath into the grateful hands of Jon Ford, and in the very next over Jack picked up his first and ultimately only wicket of the afternoon as Reeve edged through to Glenn.

170 for 4 could have been seen as a mini collapse; however there was enough time and wickets in hand for Concorde to launch a full scale assault on the bowling, and this they did with new batsmen Rob Symondson and Jerry Wright looking for every available run. Symondson in particular proving a true handful as he dispatched 35 runs from only 29 balls before Dan forced him into an error gifting Colin Butler a catch in the covers.

This was pretty much the last action of the first innings as Concorde closed on a very daunting 227 for 5.

Facing a daunting run chase, the last thing Pyestock would have wanted was a flurry of early wickets. Unfortunately for Neil Butler’s side Jacob Nizzola had other ideas as an almost single handed assault on the visiting top order. The damage started in the third over when the bowlers rapid reactions ended Glenn Taylors innings with a superb catch from his own bowling, before 2 wickets in 3 balls ended Jon Ford’s and Jack Bromley’s afternoon.

Neil Butler and Dan Heath set about repairing a precarious 28 for 3 by batting aggressively and comfortably. Dan taking particular liking to George Howard’s gentle spin, whilst the captain dealt far better with Nizzola’s pace than his previous counterparts.

Howard was removed from the attack after 5 unsuccessful overs, but it was Nizzola’s replacement Nick Wright who dealt a huge triple blow to the run chase. Firstly a faint edge by Neil found wicket keeper Howard Smiths gloves and after a belting maximum by Billy Leader, the youngster soon fell the same way.

Wright made it 3 wickets in 3 overs as Taylor Newcombe lofted a shorter ball straight into the skies, to be claimed by the jubilant bowler.

At 109 for 6 Pyestock’s chances of victory were fading, but with Dan Heath at the crease, there was always a chance. He was however the next wicket to fall as Wright claimed his second catch to give returning opener Ian Cudworth his first wicket of the afternoon.

With the win now realistically out of the picture, pyestock shut up shop and clung onto the draw with Chris McGovern, Peter Harris and Chris Heath facing 93 balls between them, Pyestock salvaged a well fought draw.

It was an entertaining game, where perhaps Concorde deserved more than the result they obtained, they are as always though brilliant hosts, making the trip to Sendholme as pleasurable as ever.

 

Concorde CC 227 for 5 (E.Fernandes 99)

Pyestock CC 149 for 8

Match Drawn 

Pyestockcricketclub.co.uk Man of the Match: Chris Heath