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Playing against GEM at Ulgham, Davo won the toss and elected his opening partner as Andy Robson whilst Niall Penfold completed the arrival process. It was a slow start against accurate bowling, apart from the first over which brought 10 runs. After 5 overs only 23 were on the board. Andy was smartly c&b by A Ali for 9 (1 four) to bring Niall to the crease. Davo was caught off Amna for 21 after 2 fours and 13 singles. Also in the seventh over Niall was caught off Amna (4-0-27-2) for a quicker 19 2 fours and a six). 50-3 off 8 was not looking so good. Time for the Roy and Ralph show perhaps? The bowling still proved tight and GEM were getting good bounce out of the wicket to make big shots difficult. However, Ralph opend up with a MoM winning 40 (4 fours and 2 lost ball sixes!) Roy took a lot in the mid drift before gloving one to the keeper after 6 singles. Craig 6* and Peter Wilson 3* saw out the 15th and 16th overs. The total of 116-5 was reckoned to be about 20 short of a good target and so it proved to be.
Richie opened up with superb aggression which saw good pressure catches to Niall and Roy, on the point boundary precisely where Davo had just placed him! This took out both openers Krishna and Kamran Mansoor. At the other end Andy was proving unplayable with high lifting balls just outside off, well handled by Ralph. After 3 overs of Andy on came Don to keep up the pressure. Richie bowled M Khan for 19 and Rowlands were well in the game. However, GEM have a long batting line up. Ian Pratt soon bowled K Khan for 9 after relieving Richie and then Don trapped Faizal Ahmed plumb back foot lbw for 10. Good work brought a run out and saw Amna and Haris together with 6 down with 46 needed off the last 4 overs. Don and Pratty were getting movement and chances were going mainly to spaces as Davo protected the boundary. Andy took a catch of Harris (18) on the mid off boundary off Don and then came on to bowl a tight 15th over. He has 9th man caught by Ralph at the wicket but the occasional boundaries meant that only 7 were required off Pratty's last over. An adjudged wide narrowed the margin and singles with a final boundary off the 5th ball saw GEM narrowly home with Amn on 25*. Bowling: Richie 4-0-21-3, Andy 4-0-26-1, Don 4-0-27-2, Ian 3.5-0-33-1. Rowlands string of league defeats is now six in a row but we are getting ever closer to a first win!
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