Big Bad Quicks won the toss and elected to field, but it's a sunny day and an absolute belter; Fighting Mongooses would have batted anyway.
The runs started to flow, but so did the wickets. After 6 overs, they were 3/40 and after 10 overs, 4/72, all wickets falling to the seamer Gary Laker.
However, Dodge dug in with a belligerent Sephake who produced a stunning 67 ball century. Before long, he too was out to Laker, who finished with the unusual figures of 5/80.
The score was 5/205 in 30 overs. Reality suggests that a team in this position can score close to 400. However, Battrick history says that teams in this position don't often bat out their overs.
Dodge got to 50 in 68 balls, but as he tired, he was unable to keep up the pace, facing 66 balls for his last 34. Saunders however struggled to get going at all, scoring 18 from 42 balls before finding some boundaries to get to a lacklustre 38 not out from his 52. Strangely, they batted out the match, but the partnership only produced 75 from the last 20 overs, with only 5 boundaries. Had they fumbled a victorious position?
Fighting Mongooses 5/280 (50.0)
Sephake 103
Dodge 89*
Laker 5/80
Wharrad and Townley found nothing much in search of early wickets, conceding 59 from the first 10. It could have gone worse however and promptly it did; after 16 overs the score was 109, with Bullock charging to 50 in 42 balls.
With the run rate at 6.81, something bizarre happened: 4 consecutive maidens. Saunders bowled the first, in which he had Curle caught by Wharrad for 45. Gross, operating in a new role off the new ball, then got the danger-man Bullock to pick out Saunders for 62. When the pair finished their spells, the run rate had dropped to 5.17. With Nico and Moloto struggling, Moloto was run out, but Dodge spilled a chance to get Nico for 17.
After 30 overs, Big Bad Quicks were 3/139, the run rate down to 4.63. Wharrad produced an off stump thunderbolt to dismiss Farr for just 1 run, but thereafter, the batsmen worked to regain respectability.
They had advanced the score to 4/188 by the 40th over. The run rate had bounced back to 4.7, but Gross and Townley had returned to the attack to bowl out. Gross dismissed Nico for 49, then Austin first ball. It was Townley who got to exact revenge on Laker, while Gross wrapped it up with the last 3 wickets.
Big Bad Quicks 206 (44.5)
Bullock 62
Nico 49
Curle 45
Gross 6/15 (7.5)
I feel like I'm getting a handle on the way the engine is treating defensiveness. It seems to have much more impact. Defensive bowling and batting results in a totally neutral final ten, but weaker batsmen seem to have a better chance of getting through the innings. I know I would have been more disappointed with 250 all out compared to 5/280. At the same time, aggressive bowling seems to be more expensive for less chance of a wicket. All in all, there seems to be more variation of outcomes, which is possibly good for the game.
I could be cauing a real upset if my bowlers keep this up. It's a tough batting pitch though and his bowling is one of the best going around, so we'll have to see......
