The MRG XI completed a 2-1 victory in the annual cricket challenge series against BMRB by wrapping up the third and final game with an 11 run victory that was ultimately more comfortable than it might sound.
Satisfyingly both sides went into the deciding game with strong line-ups, and the scoring was notably lower than normal given that the standard of bowling was the best it had been throughout the series of matches over the last few years. Unusually there were only three individual scores over 30 in the match.
Batting second, BMRB must have fancied their chances of over-hauling MRG’s 133 in 20 overs, but the key moment of the game came at 38-1 in the sixth over when skipper Nurton was left hopelessly stranded when called for an unlikely third and was run out for just 11 (Nurton had posted fifties in each of his previous two innings).
Reeling from this setback, BMRB lost a further 3 wickets in 8 balls (two to Guppy’s first two balls – both clean bowled) and a promising 38-1 had become a beaten 41-5. May (31) and Charalmbous (23) staged a combative recovery, but victory was sealed by the third run out of the innings as BMRB reached 122-8.
Guppy finished with 3-11, and was ably supported by lively spells from Jones (A) and North, and steady bowling throughout the team.
When MRG had batted earlier in the day, Wicken quickly claimed the scalp of their skipper, Jones (D) caught off a poncy leg side chip, and a brilliant running boundary catch by May brought Guppy’s innings to an abrupt end for just 11. But Dromgoole was in confident form and raced to 38 before falling to another fine catch by Charalmbous, and when Weston and Jones (A) went in the same over to May who finished with 3-5, MRG were rocking at 78-5.
However Shirley played the key innings of the match (51 not out) and was well supported by Binnington who was just getting into his stride when run out for 14.
A final total of 133-6 was more than might have been anticipated a few overs earlier, and did not look enough, but tight bowling and solid fielding by MRG and kamikaze running by BMRB were to prove the deciding factors.
