MBCC Sunday XI v Fleet Street Strollers 22nd May 2016

M & B slipped to their third defeat in a row, as they were beaten by a competitive Fleet Street Strollers side by 28 runs on Sunday. Skipper Armstrong continued his record of not winning a toss this season(four games), and for the third time in a row M & B were asked to field. The margin of defeat can be broken down to the number of quick singles Strollers took, compared tothe minimal number M & B did. Sure The Strollers fielded better than M & B but there were certainly plenty of singles there for the taking. Obviously M & B haven't heard of running the first quickly or actually running at all, as well as running for your partner's runs as well as your own.

Callum Phillips and Edward Stark opened the bowling for M & B. Phillips bowled his best spell of the season so far, bowling a fuller length with fewer full tosses. New player Stark bowled a good line but pitched too short too many times, albeit this was his first game for a year. Stark picked up the first wicket as opener Selby top edged a sweep and keeper took the skyer well. Other opener McDougall underpinned the Strollers innings, good in defence and quick to punish the bad ball. new Sunday player Faisal Aziz impressed with his quickish offspin, to record figures of 8/1/25/1, bowling a full and tight line. He doesn't know how lucky he was as his wicket was caught by Yusuf Qureshi, who managed to catch a ball at mid-on without tumbling about on the floor, for artistic impression. Tin man Atif Amin picked up two wickets with his stiff medium pace, although he strayed down leg side too often, he recorded respectable figures of 6/0/28/2 at the death. Sunday regular Thomas Allen, relegated to second change spinner, after his long bowl the previous day, also picked up two wickets in his spell of 6/0/42/2, as he finished proceedings from the River End. Allen terminated the innings of McDougall, who was dismissed for a well compiled 70. In the end skipper, Armstrong, thought 214 was an attainable score, even though, as per every game this season, M & B were light on batsmen.

Armstrong didn't factor in the quality of some of The Strollers bowlers, as opener Osborne proved to be the quickest bowler seen on Sunday so far this season, as well as any game Armstong had played in so far this season. Although he was the quickest, he went wicket less, as his balls were either too good or when they were edged they were too hot to catch ! Opener Brian Dixon continued with his aggressive approach, in the first over he faced he tried to force the opening bowler off the back foot, only to give the bowler a catch, which was spilled. The bowler was quickly penalised as two pitched up balls were driven back over his head into the net for six, and his first over went for 14! Other opener Josh Wallace was happy to play second fiddle to Dixon and was content to turn over strike. Both openers, in particular Dixon, took a liking to opening bowler Hodgson, to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Dixon again planted him into the net for a six. In Osborne's last over of his opening spell Wallace played a lovely clip off his legs through mid wicket for four. Osborne was replaced by the canny Macaulay, who bowled teasing grenades to a well placed deep field turning the odd one. Dixon had enough time to play a reverse sweep for 4 to bring him his first Sunday 50, at last. Alas the flight of Macaulay reeled him in, in the next over as he was stumped for exactly 50, having put on 72 fro the first wicket.. Macaualay also accounted for Wallace for 23 in the 22nd over. Disappointingly for M & B he also accounted for the gun batsman Gumbarul, caught behind for only 4 to leave M & B at 112 for 3 after 25 overs. From now on it rested on the shoulders of Sunday player Yusuf Qureshi. He managed to put on 48 with Callum Phillips for the 4th wicket in 8 overs, but hereafter the inclusion of Oliver to the bowling crease and the return of Osborne for the final two overs from the Road End, scuppered M & B's victory plans. Although only off a couple of paces Oliver generated a fair pace and bowled a full inswinging yorker length, which did for Aziz, Amin and Stark. In the end it was left to Qureshi to bat through for 66 not out in 22 overs to leave M & B 28 runs shy.