Charlton Down Cricket Club

Friendly versus Wimborne (away)

Sunday July 29th 2007

After last week’s game against Wimborne, Charlton Down sought to over come their opponents the second time around. With the captain losing the toss (yet again!) Wimborne thought it ideal to get some batting practice after what they had seen the week before, little did they know that Skipper Homewood’s plan was to lull Wimborne in to a false sense of security the previous week.

The youth of Towndrow and Lowther Jnr. was used to open the bowling and an admiral job they did too, Wimborne caged in like hippies in a squat for the first ten overs, the score? A paltry 33 for the loss of one wicket. JB and the captain Homewood then set about drying up the runs (like a Worcestershire CCC groundsman drying the pitch at New Road) on the Wimborne batsmen. The captains two wickets in an over reducing Wimborne to 54-3 off 18 overs. Adcock and Coates-Dale then took up the mantle and bowled in tandem for 16 overs snaffling up 6 wickets for 64 runs between them in their allotted 8 over spells, leaving the home side precarious placed on 123-9 after 36 overs. Wimborne finally all out for 129.

A fantastic team effort with the fielding a particular highlight of Charlton down’s play. No catches were dropped, despite Bradshaw trying to kick one away!! Bradshaw was indeed on fire behind the stumps picking up 2 catches with his keeping as tight as a Scotsman heaping praise on the English football team.

After the previous weeks batting display against Wimborne a few in the crowd may well have been hesitant on placing their bets on the CDCC’s batsmen to overhaul the Wimborne total. Bradshaw, Lowther Snr. and Coast-Snail did their part in giving the Wimborne bowlers continued hope that the innings would be wrapped up quickly, but not so! Up step Kevin Joy and Simon Dunford to do the hard graft and see off the remainder of the opening bowlers spells, setting it up nicely for the glory boys to come in and finish the job! Dunford finished up with a career best 27 that had incorporated patience, skill and a few belligerent shots. At the post-match interview he did actually admit that his top score was actually 32 (played in his back garden against his sister the previous week!). However, after his fine knock Andy Cossens and Jon Bludgeonworth came in to capture the glory from all those before them, Bludgeonworth hitting 47, three sixes and a passing cyclist in a matter of 24 balls.

A great result for Homewood and his team. A final word to congratulate the captain as he continues to strike the difficult balance of getting everyone involved in the game and churning out respectable results!