Diss A v Topcroft A (Norfolk Cricket Alliance Division 6) DATE: SATURDAY 12th JULY 2014 VENUE: RECTORY MEADOW, DISS 1ST INNS: DISS A 222-7 (46 OVERS) 2ND INNS: TOPCROFT A 80 (30.2 OVERS) DISS A WON BY 142 RUNS Diss A extended their unbeaten run to three games on Saturday after sweeping past Division 6 whipping boys Topcroft A on home soil by 142 runs, and collecting the maximum of 25 points on offer for the second time this season. In overcast conditions, visiting skipper Adcock grinned from ear to ear as he correctly called heads at the toss and had no hesitation in asking the hosts to bat first on a dodgy-looking wicket. Diss openers Tom Weal and Roger Buckenham started patiently, both unwilling to wave a bat at anything in the corridor of uncertainty. But when seamers Taylor or Howe dropped anything just a touch short, Buckenham in particular was quick to despatch it towards the boundary. Thanks to some excellent running coupled with inconsistent bowling, the pair made a steady start reaching 43-0 from the first 10 overs. The introduction of Hipper (3-29) into the Topcroft attack immediately paid dividends, although the unfortunate dismissal of Buckenham lbw for 30 was dubious. Despite the setback, Diss remained dominant and Andy Horobin wasted no time in going on the offensive as the opponents continually rotated the bowling in the hope of getting a foothold in the game. Weal departed in the 20th over for a gutsy 17 but had helped give Diss a platform to push on from and build a decent first innings total. This brought Mark Brawn to the crease, despite having been struck down with a virus for most of the week. Steadily the game began to drift out of Topcroft’s reach as the Diss pair got stuck in, plundering 56 runs in the next 10 overs as temperatures began to soar. Brawn was happy to play second fiddle and rotated the strike sensibly, whereas Horobin’s eyes lit up at anything remotely hittable. Sensing an opportunity for maximum batting bonus points, Brawn began to up the ante, the launching of Taylor over his head for 6 and into the bushes being a particular highlight. Horobin finally went for a masterful 66 containing 10 fours but Diss were firmly in the driving seat as the bowlers toiled in the tropical conditions. A mini collapse ensued, which saw the back of Alex Blakely and Tim Courridge, but George West (11) played a nice cameo to allow Brawn to pass 50 with nine consecutive singles, although still visibly struggling with illness under the helmet. Adcock’s wily off spin picked up a couple of late scalps to end with 2-35 but some judicious batting by Owen Blakely and John Rogers ensured Diss did not capitulate totally and they seemed to be laughing all the way to the bank at the halfway stage, having amassed 222-7. In reply, Adcock and Rhodes strode out to the crease intent on battling in the face of adversity. Diss openers Jody Sparrow and West started reasonably, but could not tempt either batsman to play at anything wide and risk snicking off. Sparrow made the unselfish decision of removing himself from the attack early on and it only took one look at Rogers’ first over to realise that slow bowling would be the order of the day. However, the decision to persist with the raw pace of West (2-22) from one end turned out to be a masterstroke as the dangerous Adcock was bowled retreating back into his crease for 18, before Bolderston skied one to Horobin in the slips. Rogers snared Howe lbw with an absolute dart before the introduction of Horobin brought a double-wicket maiden followed by a wicket maiden, including the demise of the bemused Rhodes, who was given his marching orders leg before attempting to sweep. In an instant 33-2 had become 39-6 as the Topcroft middle order abandoned any sense of application. The likes of Davey, Pope and Kingston all hit boundaries lower down the order but could only eventually succumb to the wizardry of the Diss spinners, who shared eight wickets. Rogers chipped away to end with 4-25, aided by a fantastic swooping catch in the deep by Alex Blakely, whereas Horobin teased and tantalised with the flight of his deliveries, inducing a least a couple of batsmen to give it the big heave-ho but end up bowled. Topcroft’s innings ended abruptly in the 31st over, 142 runs shy of the target. All in all another superb team performance, perhaps the most pleasing aspect being the intelligent running between wickets from all the Diss batting line up, which added 30 or 40 runs to the score and enabled maximum batting points. This coming Saturday is the start of a tough period for the team however, as they make the arduous trip to Bradenham.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 18:00:00 +0000
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