Recap

BURES CC v Old Grumblers (home)

A warm summer’s afternoon welcomed Old Grumblers, a regular touring visitor, to Bures. The Bures players were rather alarmed when arriving, to find the opposition there early and in the outfield going through bowling and fielding drills! Needless to say, after standing there and watching them for a minute or two, we ventured inside for a beer and a chat.

Stu, captain for the day, won the toss and decided to bat first. Will Fisher & Charlie Tozer went out to open, and were met with a very impressive and accurate display from the Grumblers opening bowlers, with the ball moving about off the pitch. Charlie bowled by an unplayable delivery for 4. James E joined Will at the crease and took the game back to the opposition for a period before both falling for a well made 32 (Will) & 38 (James). The bowlers were keeping it tight and runs were hard to come by, Steve T made a well played 31 but with no other batsman scoring more than 17. We were bowled out for a below par 165.

The pressure was on to defend a low score, and with the seamers economical up front but ultimately not taking any wickets, the captain turned to his spinners for some inspiration. Immediately, the ball started to grip and turn significantly and was causing the batsman a lot of problems. It was obvious Bures best way to get a result, was to bowl the spinners through, all bowling 7 overs each and taking two wickets apiece for Stu (2-26), Mark (2-34) & James E (2-32) A fantastic spell with what felt like a genuine LBW appeal every other ball as the batsman were struggling to pick the deliveries. We managed to take the chase to the very last over, with a thick edge running through the slip cordon to the boundary to secure the victory for the Grumblers.

Unfortunately due to the on-going train strikes and the fact most of the opposition had to drive from various parts of the country, they needed to head off after the game so it was just the Bures side who retreated to the pub for a debrief. We really appreciate the efforts made by the Grumblers to ensure this game went ahead and we look forward to them returning next year.

A mention to our two debutants , Guy who was fantastic behind the stumps and Ash who bowled a very impressive spell. Looking forward to seeing them both playing again soon.