Adam Hindle gets rapped on the pads attempting to work the ball to leg at the College Field. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0589871)
WANDERERS maintained their impressive unbeaten run in the Carey Olsen Championship on Saturday in an almost comical game at times at the College Field.
The old adage of catches win matches was changed to whoever drops the fewer wins as chances went begging throughout both innings and batsmen cashed in.
Take Aussie Ben Taylor’s ultimately match-winning knock as an example. The newcomer did not seem interested in hanging around and constantly looked to take the attack to the bowlers.
When it came off, he hit the ball very hard and often very far on his way to an undefeated 72, which included some quality strokes. However, he was put down four times by Elizabeth College, all of which were good opportunities and the first coming when he had made only six.
Together with opener Spencer Noyon, he put on a third-wicket stand of 91 and with Wanderers chasing 168 for victory, it turned the tide in their favour.
The students also missed a couple of catches off Noyon and one wonders how different the game could have been.
Rather than being 151 for two, Wanderers could have easily been 70-odd for four.
But the batsmen should be credited for at least making the most of their lives.
Noyon made 56 from 61 balls including five fours and a six before eventually holing out to deep cover where Chris Whitworth showed a few of his teammates how it is done.
Taylor hammered four fours and five sixes in his 56-ball innings, the final one of his maximums being the match-winning hit after two of the earlier ones had required replacement balls as they had finished over the Scout hut.
The third-wicket pair had come together with Ben Driver having been, perhaps ironically, well caught low down at extra-cover by Jonny Clark while an unlucky Ross Kneller got a half-tracker from Matthew Renouf that kept very low and hit him plumb in front on the shin.
Earlier, Whitworth had been the star for College with the willow, although he also rode his luck and was put down four times.
The tall number three made 83, including 10 fours, while Clark and Adam Hindle chipped in with what proved to be valuable middle order contributions after both openers had been dismissed for a duck.
All the Wanderers bowlers finished with economical figures, with Taylor and Phil Challenger picking up two wickets apiece and there was one each for Pierre Moody and Driver.
Whitworth went near the death thanks to a direct-hit run out.
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