Phoenix arrived 20 minutes after the scheduled start time, bringing with them the first rain for about a month. This delayed the start but did not deter the Phoenix skipper from deciding to bat on winning the toss. This was a decision questioned by the openers as paceman Craig Ottaway tore in and bowled a series of snorters that the batsmen couldn't get near (from where they were standing at square leg).
Ottaway's
opening partner was the more sedate McCarthy who showed his pedigree by inducing
an obvious edge to the keeper in his first over which to the fielder's amazement
was not given. The Phoenix openers rode their luck and built a solid platform
of 39 before Ottaway finally got one to edge a steepling delivery to Chris Jones
in the gully. After this, wickets fell at regular intervals, with canny skipper
Mortimer ignoring the Phoenix skipper's request of "Go easy, we haven't got any
more batting" and turning to the mystery bowling of Paul Green. However, the
real damage was done by Mark Curtis in only his second spell of the season.
Bowling a series of full tosses, long hops and straight balls, he blew the
Phoenix tail away with 4 for 28 in just 4 overs. He was however not good enough
to avoid being hit for 4 by a Phoenix tailender universally acknowledged
(admittedly without having the benefit of seeing the Hill's reply) as the worst
batsman of the season.
In
reply to the Phoenix total of 159, the Ley Hill upper order seemed to have only
one thing on its mind: suicide. Rothwell ladled a catch to square leg, Jumbo
Stewart popped up a dolly (lhcc.org would like to make it absolutely clear that
this is in no way a reference to his stag weekend) and Forrest played a series
of massive air shots before Jim Rainey (inevitably) put him out of his misery by
raising his finger in response to an LBW appeal. Standing bemused at the other
end was the in-form Chris Jones who had contributed almost all of the Hill total
of 32 with a series of violent shots.Retrenchment came in the form of Lee, who added 20 with Jones until the latter perished as he had lived - by the sword. This brought Curtis to the wicket and further 70 runs were calmly added until Lee was caught behind carving at a wide delivery. A flurry of wickets followed, with Rainey and McCarthy falling cheaply, and Mortimer run out as yet another one of Curtis' victims this year.
At 130 for 8, the game was in the balance, but a flurry of boundaries from the bats of Curtis and Ottaway emphatically settled the matter in the Hill's favour.
Phoenix Old Boys: 159 for 9 (Curtis 4 for 28, Green 2 for 46, Ottaway 2 for 52)
Ley Hill: 162 for 8 (Curtis 70 not out, Chris Jones 46)