2nd XI Match Report - 22/5/22

See the match report of the 2nd XI fixture at Cutnall Green on Saturday

Belbroughton took a stronger side to the recently promoted Cutnall Green than previous weeks. Taking on a first eleven that fielded no youth and has benefitted in the winter from a number of players joining them from the folded Evesham and had won their last 4 games.

Winning his fourth toss from five, Hansford elected to field backing his team to chase down anything. That decision looked spot on, as the consistent Stevens and Heilbronn delivered yet another tidy opening partnership, reducing Cutnall Green to 27-4 from the first 12 overs. First change Langdon got into the game and Cutnall Green were 33-5 and on the ropes.   

Also first change, Wrigley bowled 9 overs straight through and on a turning pitch was unlucky to have nothing to show from 9 overs going for only 28. The depth of the Cutnall Green first eleven showed, and their experienced 6 and 7 batters rebuilt sensibly and well, seeing off the good balls and taking advantage of the bad ball. They put themselves into a strong position, both notching half centuries in a stand of 110 before Charlie Stanley made the breakthrough and at 144-6 it looked like we’d keep them to a below par score (of which the groundsman said was 160-170).

Unfortunately another strong batter came in at 8 and with some big hitting took Cutnall Green past 200. Disastrously in the process of trying to stop another big 6 Wrigley sustained a broken finger in the deep and had to leave the field for the last 5 overs. Despite fielding with 10 and in the face of an onslaught the Belbroughton team, fielding 4 players 18 or under put in one of their better fielding displays but had let Green off the hook.

Discussions over tea led to Wrigley bravely offering to open the batting before getting to hospital. Wrigley and Thomas put on 31 before Thomas was bowled trying to pull a ball that kept low and nipped in. The pitch starting to show considerable variable bounce by this point. Wrigley bravely batted through growing pain, taking the score to 62 off the 15th over before he was bowled for 29. A brave effort before he left early to get to hospital.

Cutnall Green’s mystery spinners turned the screw at this point and with a defensive field made scoring difficult. MacKenzie going for 13 trying to force the pace and Heilbronn for 8, leaving Belbroughton 99-4 off 30. Hansford came in but was not able to form any meaningful partnership losing Dunn (17) and Stanley (9) quickly and saw Belbroughton teetering at 120-6 in the 37th. Hansford and A. Burrows came together, by this point the pitch was playing up and the returning opening bowlers getting vicious bounce from a length alongside pea rollers, they weathered the storm and secured the batting bonus point at 135 making the highest partnership of the innings (42) too late as Belbroughton closed on 162-6.

A case of what could have been and a really annoying result. Credit to the Cutnall Green batters who put on the match winning partnership from a desperate position and took the game away from us. Losing Wrigley for up to 6 weeks rubbing salt into the wounds. A lesson that this league is stronger than many think and our first 5 games have seen us play only 5 players under 18 (two of which ex Belbroughton). A great lesson for all of us that the games are never won until the end and to keep going no matter what the situation. We go again against Bromyard at home on Saturday.

Cutnall Green CC – 218/6 (45 overs)

Belbroughton CC – 163/6 (45 overs)

MVP – B Hansford (51 points)