WINNING RUN ENDS
16/05/04: The OLCC came within one wicket of a fifth straight win as they claimed a well-earned draw at Waltham St Lawrence.
On a hot sunny afternoon, the OLs were bowled out for 149 after skipper Jonny Shingles won the toss and opted to bat first, John Acland-Hood top-scoring with 27.
Shingles then claimed three wickets and Ed Carter two as the 10-man hosts ended up on 114-8.
Acland-Hood and Andrew Moss had got the OLCC innings off to a solid start, putting on 44 for the first wicket in 15 overs before the former became the first of nine OL batsmen to be clean bowled.
His departure signalled a mini-collapse to 59 for three as first Dayalan Doraisamy (4) then Moss (27) fell in similar fashion to opposition skipper Philp, but Shingles and Jason Thomas counter-attacked well, the latter in particular hitting cleanly into the gaps in the outfield.
It did not last however, as first Shingles (8) was deceived by Philp then Thomas, after making a quickfire 16 from just 13 balls, went for one big heave too many and was bowled by Emmett to leave the visitors on 81 for five.
But a stubborn sixth-wicket stand of 14 followed between Neale Jackson (2) and Peter Straw (9) to push the OLs towards the 100-run mark although both players were sent back to the pavilion by Emmett with the total having reached figures, Straw for his highest score for the club.
A precarious 100 for seven became a decidedly dodgy 108 for eight when Graham Carter departed to Anneka for six, leaving the OLs in danger of being shot out for less than 120 with still 40 minutes to go until tea.
But Ed Carter and Richard Newell Price, the pair who saw the OLCC to a two-wicket victory at Woodhouse Eaves, again came to the rescue with a fighting stand of 34 that ended when Carter chased a wide-ish delivery from Anneka and was superbly caught at slip by Railton for 19.
Newell Price (19*) and Geoff Samuels managed to nudge the total up to 149 before the latter became Anneka's third victim, bringing the innings to a close some seven minutes shy of the allotted time.
After an excellent tea, the OLCC went about the task of defending that score and got off to a flying start, Ed Carter clean bowling Emmett with a superb full-length delivery off the fifth ball of the Waltham St Lawrence innings.
And the hosts suffered a second blow in the fourth over as Burridge followed Emmett back to the pavilion having fallen victim to a gem of a delivery from Geoff Samuels that swung and cut back to hit the stumps and make the score 10 for two.
But Gearing and Woolford then consolidated with a stand of 44 that forced Shingles into a double change of bowling, Carter and Samuels making way for Newell Price and the OLCC skipper himself.
It was a change that reaped an instant dividend, Newell Price inducing Gearing to sky one to the captain at midwicket, then Shingles himself removed youngster Sharpe to reduce the home side to 62 for four.
But Woolford remained a threat and, having a found an ally in Pickering, started to find the gaps in the outfield. However just as Waltham St Lawrence were getting on top, Ed Carter pulled off a stunning catch on the long-on boundary to dismiss Woolford and give Shingles his second wicket.
Pickering continued to counter-attack, collecting ones and twos to keep the hosts firmly in the chase but when he became Shingles' third victim, lofting up a return catch that the bowler took back-pedalling, it left the hosts on 105 for six and needing a further 45 runs to win from just five overs.
The scramble for runs produced two more wickets in quick succession as first Anneka was run out going for a very risky single, Ed Carter's throw giving Doraisamy the simple job of taking the bails off with time to spare, then Railton followed second ball as Carter, reintroduced into the attack, summoned up a superb yorker.
With one man short, it left the home side with just one wicket left to fall, but neither Carter or the returning Samuels could find an edge or creep through the defences of Philp or Arif, so the game ended with honours even, and the players retired to the pavilion bar for a jovial post-match session.
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