2nd. XI v. Solihull Blossomfield
LOSE
Kenilworth seconds hosted Solihull Blossomfield seconds for their latest Warwickshire County Cricket League Division Eight fixture on Saturday 3rd August, in a match that Mark Stranks scored a century but the side lost out when the heavens opened that gave the visitors victory on the Duckworth Lewis method
The visitors won the toss and asked Kenilworth to bat first. Openers Mark Stranks and Peter Huxford put on 18 together when Huxford was lbw to Reck-Smith for 3. Skipper Dan Horner then fell for 2, bowled by Long, Kenilworth 25 for 2. Nathan Chant then joined the experienced Stranks, the pair went on to add a solid 44 together for the 3rd wicket , with the score on 69, Chant was caught off Karup for 18, but Stranks was in solid form, moving into the forty’s. His next partner was Darius Potten-Ravenshad, Stranks eased past fifty, the pair took the score past a hundred, the pair added 44, when Potten-Ravenshad was lbw to Singh for 10, Kenilworth 113 for 4. There was a good stand next between Stranks and Charles Lamprecht, both men got the scoreboard moving at a fast pace, Lamprecht and Stranks were finding the boundary on regular occasions, putting on fifty together, they were to put on 83 together in just 11 overs, Lamprecht fell for a solid 45, Kenilworth 196 for 5, Ben Maney joined Stranks, and Stranks was moving through the gears, the home side passing 200, Stranks then bought up a fantastic century, before being bowled by Long for 101, his innings containing 11 fours, Kenilworth 220 for 6, Maney was then bowled by Long for 4, the home side well placed on 226 for 7. Danny Boneham for 10 and Sam Leach 2, were both bowled by the impressive Long, with Tom Skinner run out off the last ball for 2, Kenilworth ended their fifty overs on 237 for 9. For Blossomfield, Long taking a fine 5 for 54 off ten overs.
The visitors started their reply with Clarke and Jones at the crease, they made a steady start for their side, the Kenilworth bowlers were keeping things tidy without success, in the 15th over Clarke was caught by Jonathan Mortlock off the bowling of Sam Leach for 8, Jones though was looking solid, Ramachandran was in at three, he added 18 with Jones, with the score on 66, Ramachandran was caught and bowled by Tom Skinner for 14 in the 19th over.
With the score on 93 for 2 after 23.4 overs, the players were forced off, as the heavens opened, for fifteen minutes the rain was intense, when the rain stopped, the ground deemed fit to play again, the revised target after overs were lost for Blossomfield was 170 off 35 overs on the Duckworth Lewis method. So the visitors needed 77 to win off 11.2 overs with 8 wickets in hand.
The visitors soon lost their third wicket on 96 in the 25th over, Jones bowled by Darius Potten-Ravenshad for exactly 50, but Gopalalin and Law started to bat with urgency, going at the rate required, both men plundered the home sides bowling, Gopalalin was to fall for an aggressive 48 in the 34th over, caught by Darius Potten-Ravenshad off Danny Boneham, the visitors still needed 10 to win, Law and Sady were the men for Blossomfield who had to see their side home, and Sady hit a six with the second ball of the last over, Law with 23 not out, as Blossomfield finished on 172 for 4, to win by 6 Wickets, as the visitors had profited from the rain delay and Duckworth Lewis. For Kenilworth, wickets shared between four bowlers, Sam Leach 1 for 29 off eight overs, Potten- Ravenshad with 1 for 30 from 5.2 overs, Tom Skinner 1 for 38 off six overs and 1 for 41 from seven overs.
Kenilworth taking 5 points, on a day when rain ruined a brilliant hundred from Mark Stranks.
Kenilworth 237-10 (49.2 overs) (Mark Stranks 101) (5 points) lost to Solihull Blossomfield 170-4 (34.2 overs) (20 points) on the Duckworth Lewis method.
