National Indoor Cricket: Regional match

 

Neyland again reach the last 16 as Murray
shines with the bat and gloves!

 

Neyland (79 all out) beat Cheltenham Civil Service (52 all out) by 27 runs

 
Venue: Cheltenham Leisure Centre
 
Umpires:  Jim Hyland & Prakash Timmaragu
Scorers: Ben Noden & Mike Turner
Scoreboard operator: Gavin Rowland (Neyland CC Hon Secretary)
 
Neyland produced a battling all-round performance to dispose of old rivals Cheltenham Civil Service to reach the last 16  of this competition which is played across the length and breadth of England and Wales, and Paul Murray was the undoubted star of their terrific victory as he scored half of their runs and pouched two cracking catches behind the wicket; one of them off the second ball of the opposition’s innings.

Close behind was Nick Koomen, who had made the short trip from his work at Hinckley Point and hit consecutive sixes at a vital time in his support knock and bowled his three-over stint with such accuracy that there were only five scoring shots alongside 13 ‘dot balls’!

Neyland had again to make a long trek across the Severn Bridge and set off to Cheltenham for this match with skipper Sean Hannon and keeper Paul Murray sharing the driving role before they were able to play cricket against the local Civil Service team who had the undoubted home advantage of playing in a hall where the dimensions were totally different, not at all like the Neyland Community Hub, so that scoring threes were far more difficult.
 

Murray makes sure Neyland bat their full quota of overs

Murray lost Ross Hardy (8) in the third over as he was caught at mid-off but Koomen joined the fray as they battled hard to keep out the hugely-swinging indoor ball, with only 35 runs on the board at the half way stage – but then Koomen hit two sixes in consecutive deliveries before being caught off a third attempt with a vital 21 to his name.

Murray retired on 25 with two fours included but Neyland batted cannily after skipper Hannon (5) had been run out backing up too far – and both Jack John and Brad McDermott-Jenkins sacrificed themselves so that Murray could run to action and he launched two more boundaries as he motored to a splendid 39 before getting run out off the last ball.

A final tally of 79 might seem less than average but Neyland knew the fact that they had faced 24 ‘dot balls’ was proof that run-making wasn’t easy as they compensated for only 5 threes in 12 overs by hitting Koomen’s sixes and Murray’s four fours – so that the Civil Servants knew they were facing a challenge.
 

Jack starts the rot as the Civil Servants were soon in trouble

 
And just how stern it was going to be was soon evident because after Leadbetter, who had scored lots of runs against Neyland in previous matches, hit a three off Jack John’s first ball the young fast bowler removed co-opener Robbie Baker for a ‘Golden Duck’ next ball as it swung wickedly and Murray, who was standing up to the stumps, somehow pouched the catch high and wide outside off stump.

Even worse was to follow for the home side  as quick thinking by Ross Hardy at square leg saw him and Brad McDermott-Jenkins effect a great move to run out George Leadbetter, who has been the Civil Service’s main run-gatherer for a number of years, and Bradley Attwood soon followed as another run out which left their team’s innings in tatters at 16 for 3.

Craig Baker looked in good nick at No 4 but at the other end Callum Wilson came and went before he fell to Koomen, who was  bowling so well that their score was only on 23 after six overs thanks to more miserly bowling by Sean Hannon, Brad McDermott-Jenkins and Ross Hardy.
 

Neyland worthy winners and progress to the last 16

 
No 6 batsman Steve Bridge became a victim for Hannon after Murray’s second superb catch and that left Baker on his own with a mountain to climb – and he failed to get anywhere near the summit as skipper Hannon cleverly put three fielders on the back wall to prevent any real chance of six hits – and it was BM-J who got him out on a well-constructed 32 as Koomen claimed the catch at mid-on, albeit after a bit of juggling and a one-handed grab saw Baker making the walk back to the changing room.

Neyland were rightly delighted, and none more so than club president John Laugharne, a former player of note and now into his 80s but still showing the enthusiasm of someone much, much younger.

Another long trip is now in prospect as Neyland will travel to Taunton as one of four teams in the area finals and in their semi-final they will take on Dorsetshire champions Ferndown Wayfarers, who beat Ventnor, from the Isle of Wight, to reach this stage.
 

SCORECARDS:

 
Neyland Batting:
Paul Murray run out 39
Ross Hardy ct George Leadbetter b Steve Bridge 8
Nick Koomen ct Craig Baker b George Leadbetter 21
Sean Hannon run out 5
Jack John run out 0
Brad McDermott-Jenkins ct & b George Leadbetter 0
Extras 6
Total (all out) 79
 
Cheltenham CS Bowling:
Steve Bridge 3-0-21-1; Callum Wilson 3-0-14-0; George Leadbetter 3-0-19-2; Craig Baker 3-0-25-0.
 
Cheltenham CS Batting:
George Leadbetter run out 6
Robbie Baker ct Paul Murray b Jack John 0
Bradley Attwood run out 6
Craig Baker ct Nick Koomen b Brad McDermott-Jenkins b 32
Callum Wilson b Nick Koomen 1
Steve Bridge ct Paul Murray b Sean Hannon 5
Extras 2
Total (all out) 52
 
Neyland Bowling:
Jack John 3-0-17-1; Nick Koomen 3-0-8-1; Sean Hannon 3-0-15-1; Brad McDermott-Jenkins 1.2-0- 7-1; Ross Hardy 1-0-5-0