PINATAR PIRATES V TORREVIEJA (LEAGUE)

Pinatar Pirates started this season’s league campaign with a  strong performance and impressive victory over Torrevieja CC.

Batting first the hosts put on 172 for the first wicket thanks to a fantastic opening partnership from Akash Panchal and Paul Hennessy. Panchal finally fell on 55 but Hennessy continue to bat with confidence and completed a double century before the Pirates innings came to a close.

The Pinatar total at the end was a massive 357 for 5. Credit to the Torrevieja who continued to try throughout the innings and five of their six bowlers were awarded with a wicket each.

In reply, Torrevieja struggled against the Pirates bowling attack from the first ball and they were finally skittled out just five shy of three figures. Harmit Phull was the pick of the bowlers, bagging three wickets for just fourteen runs.

The 262 run victory for the home team gave them maximum points from the game whilst Torrevieja took three points from the contest.

Pinatar Pirates Article on the match… 

It was an explosive start to the 2017 cricket season for the Pinatar Pirates Cricket Club, kicking of in March with a fantastic tour to Cartama in Malaga, followed by a superb victory in April winning the Pinatar Arena T20  super cup and later in the same month finishing an amazing runners up in the European Last Man Stand tournament held at the La Manga resort. 

But since then it all went frustratingly quiet, mainly due to maintenance work being completed on their pitches. However, with all work completed, cricket at the arena was back on and on Sunday 11^th June its neighbours Torrevieja CC came to Pinatar to play a league fixture.  

In sizzling heat PPCC won the toss and did not think twice about batting first on a wicket that looked like it was going to offer little to the fielding side. 

Paul Hennessy, better known as Widget Hennessingh,  the stand in captain opened the batting with Akash Panchal and the keenness to do well on this pitch was almost his down fall when he offered a straight forward catch to the opposition, Young Angus McDowall unlucky not have the captain back on his way without troubling the scorer. Being a batsman is not easy, as is often is the case, one mistake, and its all over, so when you get some luck, you need to, as the saying goes, make it count!!. And sure enough, with chances going down and the captain having almost as many lives as the stray cat that lives across the road from me, he did just as the saying goes and went all the way to 50, 100, 150, and finally to 200, eventually out on an extraordinary 211,  out LBW to the pick of the Torry bowlers, the young and impressive Conner Wood. Yes there were chances that went down, but it takes something special to reach 200, it was a marvellous attacking knock, a milestone which we don’t see being reached too many times at this level, well done that man. 

Spare a thought for his batting partner, Akash who with Widget put on 172 for the first wicket before he was out to the one and only chance he gave, well caught by Connor on the boundary on 55. Its a funny game!! 

Torrevieja CC never gave up and rotated its bowlers well and if they were supported by the fielders, it could have been a very different story. They picked up 3 further wickets in their 40 overs, but at the end of it, Pinatar had set a massive score, 357 for 5 wickets. 

The away team lost their first wicket for 9 runs, and after that, despite some solid rear-guard defensive action from Graham Shelton (finally undone by the spin of all rounder Akash Panchal for 6) they lost wickets at regular intervals and when the pick of the Pinatar bowlers, Harmit Phull came back on to bowl with 8 overs to go, he picked up the two wickets in three balls (4.3 overs 3 wickets for 14 runs) to end Torrevieja’s gritty resilience.  

Pinatar pirates would like to thank Torrevieja CC for their great sportsmanship and the sprit in which they played the game and wish them all the best for the rest of the season. 

Thanks also to the two umpires that stood out in that heat for 80 overs, Bill Gaynor and Vincent O’Riley for doing an outstanding job, and Colin Griffiths for scoring the entire game, much appreciated guys.  

Article written by the Twelfth man