PRICE IS RIGHT AS STRAW DOGS BATH

13/07/03: Career-best performances by Richard Newell Price and Chris Straw gave the OLs victory over Bath University Old Boys.

Newell Price took six for 23 — the third best bowling figures in the history of the OLCC — as the visitors were bowled out for 163 inside 36 overs.

Straw then scored 56 not out — his first half-century in nearly six years — to carry the OLs to a three-wicket win with a little over four overs to spare.

A player shortage had resulted in four OLCC players (James Craig, Nick Torry, Ed Ball and John Crosfield) being asked to play for the opposition, who took first use of a fairly decent-looking Leighton Park strip in a game reduced to 10 players per side.

The OLs took the field including among their number two LP players in Peter Straw and debutant Ed Sugden, while there was a welcome return for James Shingles, back in the side for the first time since 1996.

Indeed it was the junior Shingles who got in the action straight away, having Webster caught behind for five to give skipper Newell Price his first wicket, and a second followed within two overs as Shardlow followed his fellow opener back to the pavilion, lbw for three.

Ball was next to go when, after a composed start to his innings, he played over the top of a straight delivery and handed Newell Price his third scalp with only 17 runs on the board.

A brief Bath rally followed but it was the OL skipper once again who made the breakthrough, having Edwards (14) caught down the leg side by the impressive Shingles, who would not concede a single bye in the entire innings.

Brother Jonny, who had just been brought into the attack to replace the luckless Matt McNaughton, then bowled Leonard for 24 to reduce the visitors to 53 for five and bring Torry to the crease.

The slump resulted in a change of bowling tactics but the result was almost the same as Peter Straw, on to bowl for the first time in OLCC colours, induced a false shot from Downes and was unlucky to see Sugden put down the chance at mid-on.

However the next wicket was not long in coming and Shingles senior ended Torry's brief innings, leaving Bath in some trouble at 70 for six. But Craig then came out to join Downes and proceeded to bat the visitors up to a respectable total.

Downes himself went with the score on 103, becoming Shingles' third victim, but Craig continued undaunted and built a fine knock of 39 before being pinned lbw by Newell Price in the second over of his second spell and he left the field having hauled Bath up to 155 for eight.

Eight more runs were added before Newell Price wrapped up the innings by bowling Crosfield off both bat and pad to claim his sixth victim and register the best bowling figures for the OLCC since 1984.

After a tea break that saw President Graham Carter present Jonny Shingles with a gift to mark his imminent marriage, the skipper opted for an opening partnership of Nick Wood and Straw senior, and the pair made a decent start before the former fell lbw to a full-pitched ball from Leonard for six.

Tom Gillmor then gave a brief glimpse of his hitting ability but he too went for six as another pacy Leonard delivery got through his defences as he aimed to play to leg, leaving the hosts on 25 for two.

Straw senior and Shingles senior then put on a brisk stand of 26 in just 16 minutes but that partnership was also ended by Leonard, who had Shingles (10) caught behind when he tried to cut a ball that was a little too straight.

The wicket brought the junior Shingles out to the middle and he was soon showing the same sort of eye for the boundary as his brother, carving out a fine 15 before succumbing to the wiles of Crosfield as he holed out to deep midwicket to make the score 75 for four and bring club President Carter to the crease.

If the innings was still in the balance then Carter and Straw went a long way to setting up the eventual victory, adding 33 crucial runs in 22 minutes before the former was unfortunate to get his bat jammed behind his pad when defending a straight delivery from Watts and ended up being bowled for nine.

Carter's demise heralded a first-ever OLCC innings for Sugden, and he quickly made his mark with two booming on-drives off Webster as he moved swiftly to 11 from just seven balls. But a hasty call for a quick single resulted in him being run out after being sent back to the non-striker's end by Straw and the game was still finely poised at 123 for six.

But with captain Newell Price now keeping him company, Straw began to close in on his second ever half-century and with the 86th ball of his innings scrambled two off Craig, who had bowled well throughout, to reach the landmark score and take the OLCC to within touching distance of victory.

Newell Price it was though who completed the job, a fine four stroked through the covers taking him to 26 not out and sealing a three-wicket triumph in glorious evening sunshine.

Links: