All Stars Triple Spin Threat Stranglafies West Ham 30/01/10

The All Stars have generally bludgeoned opposition teams to death with the bat this season, allowing them to set decent totals and then chasing them down with a health mix of stroke-play and batting violence.

This weekend marked a pleasant change of pace in more ways than one.

West Ham won the toss and decided to bat - which suited us. We were keen to get fielding over and done with in hot conditions.

We had a bit of a makeshift lineup, on a long (Parachute) weekend but still felt confident we could keep our streak in-tact.

Dave G opened up and looked to have left the radar in the car, with a bunch of wides first up.

But Dave K steadied the ship with a great opening spell on his way to 4 overs 0/11 (0/5 after 3).

After 8 overs West Hamilton were 1/31 and it was time to turn the screws a bit more. Yap and Duncan teamed up to put West Ham in a choker hold. The batsman seem mesmerised by anything slow, and seemed content to play Yap out. This was fine by us and as Yap finished with 7 overs 1/19, Rakesh picked up with his offspin - and prospered! With the overs running out West Ham needed to push it - but they did this without success and Rakesh came away with 4/19 off 5.

At the other end Duncan had finished a tidy spell 2/15 off 6, and Jared had come on to attack with his box-of-tricks legspin. He picked up a wicket in his first over - with Yap rolling back the decades to pull in a good catch running back from Mid-on. Tricky bowled a few gimmes, but in between had the batsmen waving at thin air.

West Ham gradually slipped into unconsciousness all out for 122 in 32 overs.

In reply we seemed intent on breathing life into the West Ham corpse. Jimmy was bowled for bugger all, and prodgical son Jeff East went west rapidly, being adjudged adjacent first ball.

Surely order would be restored with Dan Hennebry striding to the crease. This proved not to be the case as Dan ran out the red hot Duncan on a very tight single (sometimes it doesn't matter how good your form is).

This brought old mates Dan and Dave G together at the crease (No Duncan, I don't think it was on purpose.), and they calmly righted the ship - and then put the foot down.

Dave looked especially good, with good timing being a feature of his innings of 70 n.o. There were shots to all parts of midwicket, he overcame his dodgy knees to run well. It truly was an excellent innings for someone of his ability.

We raced to 124/3 in 17 overs and that was that.

A solid win made all the better by the emergence of some new talent in the bowling department....

Next week it's back to Steele Park to do battle with Fraser Tech.

POD Points

Rakesh 3

Dave 2