Sunday XI v. Wellesbourne
DRAW
On Sunday 21st. July, the Club’s Sunday XI hosted Wellesbourne in their Division 3 match in the Arden Sunday Cricket League at our Warwick Road Ground with the match ending in a draw as the side could not reach the Wellesbourne score.
Visitors Wellesbourne won the toss and elected to bat first M. Istead and Hopwood opened up for the visitors, and were in a very positive mode, Istead in particular was finding runs easy to come by, the pair raced to a fifty run stand in only nine overs, soon after Istead bought up his personal fifty, the partnership continued, the Kenilworth bowling unable to break the stand, past a hundred they went, Istead was now into the 90’s, on 95 he bought up his century with a six, but was bowled soon after by Charlie Stranks for 101, a really fine innings from the visiting opener, Wellesbourne 136 for 1 in the 25th over. Hopwood was joined by Boyle, the pair took the score past 150, but in the 30th over, Geoff Edmunds bowled Hopwood for 41, Wellesbourne 156 for 2, Edmunds then bowled next man in Ross without score in the same over, 156 for 3. Christian Russ removed Boyle for 14, thanks to a catch from Adie Sellar, 167 for 4. Joey Poole returned to have O. Istead caught by Chris Prophet for 8, 172 for 5 in the 35th over. In the 38th over, Charlie Stranks bowled Blakemore for 14, the visitors slowed down on 188 for 6. Smith and Blake took the visitors to 198 for 6 from their forty overs. Wicket takers for Kenilworth, Geoff Edmunds with 2 for 24 from 6 overs, Charlie Stranks with 2 for 45 from eight overs, Joey Poole with 1 for 29 from eight and Christian Russ 1 for 34 from six overs. As the players headed off for tea.
Kenilworth started their reply with openers Chris Prophet and Jo Atkinson, the pair began brightly, going along nicely, they started to build a solid partnership together, seeing off the opening bowlers, when in the tenth over, Atkinson was unluckily bowled by Blakemore for 21, the ball rolling back off the bat after hitting his pad, Kenilworth 46 for 1. Keeper George Baines joined Prophet, but Prophet was next to fall, bowled by Evans for 38, now 64 for 2 in the 14th over. Two more quick wickets fell in the 18th over, first Baines was caught and bowled for 5 off the spin of Hopwood, then a disaster for Charlie Stranks, run out for 1, the home side wobbling on 70 for 4. Kenilworth now had young Louis Smitheson and Joey Poole at the crease, both batsmen looked comfortable at the wicket, as they started to build a steady partnership together, batting for twelve overs, putting on 28, until Poole was caught behind off Hopwood, Poole making 17, Kenilworth now 98 for 5 in the 30th over. Smitheson fell soon after, bowled by Smith for a gritty 12, 100 for 6 in 33rd over. With two youngsters, Shyan Imam and Kieran Umashanka together now, the pair just needed to be sensible, bat out the remaining overs, to ensure their side took the draw, but after a steady start Umashanka was run out for 4, now 113 for 7, but overs running out for Wellesbourne to force the win, as Christian Russ and Imam saw their side to the losing draw, Kenilworth ended their forty overs on 126 for 7, Russ not out 7 and Imam not out 4.
Hopwood was the pick of the Wellesbourne bowling, taking a fine 2 for 5 off seven tight overs. Wellesbourne take 16 points and Kenilworth 6 points for the losing draw but it still continues to be a good season for the Sunday side.
