Sporting Alfas Cricket Club Sporting Alfas 1st X1 169 for 7 beat Goose Green C C 168 for 10
Goose Green opted to bat on their first visit to the Woodbridge Oval, the first 6 overs from Abdul and Ahmad made the visitors rue the decision, Ahmad claiming his first with his first ball Taylor edging one that Laundon took comfortably. Abdul not to be out done had Glassey reaching to place the ball into the hands of Shenkman at point. 10 for two. from three. The next three overs put the match securely in the hands of SACC skipper Laundon who caught Lawton and Twiss for zero and Bispham for 4 leaving the visitors stumbling on 10-5 from 6 overs. A great start for SACC openers, Abdul 3 overs 2 for 10 and Ahmad with the days best figures of 3 overs 2 maidens 3 wickets for 4 runs.
New batsmen Ward and Wallace enjoyed the change bowlers and started to rebuild the Goose Green innings, reaching 67 when for some reason Ward decided to run out the extremely hard hitting and set batsman Wallace on 39 runs gifting K Roper a run out off his own bowling. A,Ward who up to this point had appeared uncomfortable at the crease had to dig deep joined by J Ward, took the score too 130 when 5th change P Harvey nipped one off the seam to give Laundon hit fifth catch and remove J Ward(17). When Faran Afsal removed Burke (14) and Atkinson(0). Ward decided to up the run rate which although giving him the highest score on the day 64 also meant taking chances and when he basically missed a full ball from Harvey which left Yates not out. 168 for 10 a good recovery by Goose Green Cricket Club.
A great tea was enjoyed by both teams sitting together under the trees at the fabulous venue that is SACC´s home in Av de la Musica L’Albir.
SACC openers went out to face what should be a relative easy chase but the GGCC bowlers had not read the script and G Evans lost his stumps to J Ward as did number 3 batsman T, Beety. Afsal at the other end had reached 14 by the time Alger joined him. The two Spanish international players went about the task set with relish taking the score to 108 when Faran Afsal gave Ward an easy catch when on 47 off the bowling of Burke on for his second spell.
Alger did the same thing in Burke´s next over this time though it was the other Ward who took a easy catch at point. 113 for 4 from 17 overs would SACC batsmen collapse in the same style as the GGCC. When Harvey fell for 9 Abdul for 0 and Ahmad for 0 a real threat of defeat loomed, but overseas student R; Shenkman took the home side to the win as he and K, Roper chased down the last 26 runs to give SACC the win with 3 wickets and 7 overs to spare.
Thanks go out to Goose Green CC who made the day a great one with suburb eagerness when the team could have capitulated, the supporters on both sides had a good and entertaining day followed by some light refreshments and a fair deal of gossip in the Cabin.
SPORTING ALFAS CRICKET CLUB
