U15B v Oundle

Result: Match drawn
Review: Review: an instructive and entertaining match: Felsted reduced Oundle to 109-9 with some good bowling especially by Latham, Scott-Bowden W. and Knudsen in particular and some sharp fielding. They then lost concentration and the plot, allowing Oundle’s last pair to put on 50 unbeaten with some inexplicably bad bowling and slack fielding. 159-9 after 30 overs at tea.

Early wickets fell and the cause looked lost. Lucas and Abbas steadied things, but when Lucas and Latham had gone it was 64-5, which soon became 69-7. Williams O. then batted very responsibly with Lucas, but the latter was eighth out at 104. Piper then came in and though his contact with the ball was erratic, he and Williams put on 49 for the ninth wicket. With two balls to go and seven required, Knudsen arrived, to face  - after a very unwise but all too common error by the Oundle captain – a medium-pacer instead of the slow left-armer, who would have been much more risky for tail-enders to get away. All take note! Knudsen missed the fifth ball but the sixth, a friendly long-hop, he deposited in the car-park to tie the scores.

What a pity cricket is “so boring”. It is difficult to imagine a more exciting finish. The boys were jubilant and a difficult day of late arrivals, ferrying of equipment, delays and frustrations became highly memorable.