OLs HELD AT KINGSCLERE
29/07/04: Will Denselow became the second youngest player to represent the OLCC in the club's draw away to Kingsclere.
Richard Newell Price writes: Kingsclere won the toss and choose to bat first on a hard, awkward pitch. Geoff Samuels and debutant Tom Aylward opened the bowling. They bowled steadily while Kingsclere made a cautious start.
When RNP took over from Aylward he was soon greeted by a six over his head, but soon afterwards Frith was bowled trying to repeat the shot. Charles Allan soon took his place in an OLCC bowling attack for the 1st time in a number of years, and trapped the other Kingsclere opener, Pound lbw.
Nigel Gundry was now at the crease and threatening to take the game away from the OLs, until he nicked a cut to Denselow off one than Shackel got to bounce a bit.
With Gundry gone, parity was restored. Paul Gundry was trapped in front by RNP, and brother Nigel raised the finger.
Shackel had J.Green caught in the deep by Aylward and then he caught and bowled to set up a hat-trick oppurtunity at the beginning of his next over. The ball was skied to mid-off, Geoff Samuels ran in but couldn't cling on for what would have been the second hat-trick by an OLCC player this season.
It was left to Julian Fitter to finish things off with a spell two runs for two wickets off three balls: a catch for Allan at point and a stumping for Denselow. Kingsclere finished on 185.
The OLs had a lively start to their innings with Andrew Moss regularly carving the ball to the backward point boundary. Fitter and Moss had put on 40 when Julian skied the ball to short square leg.
Three balls later, Nick Wood chipped the ball back to J.Green and collected a duck. The OLs were up against a stiff run rate off what would end up being 31 overs.
Aylward struck a few elegant blows before reverting to cow corner and holing out for a promising 17. Charles Allan hit a typical 20 before chasing a very wide one and spooning it to square leg.
We were now 89 for 6 and not looking like getting close. John Crosfield hit a couple of nice square drives. In the end, Geoff Samuels and RNP were unbeaten. And only Shackel hadn't batted.
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