Today we won the toss and elected to bowl.

This decision was based on the fact that we were short on openers and we wanted to know what we were chasing. In the first over Garret O'Brien started his return to ckicket iwth a third ball duck. (he also broke him finger in his first over keeping, not the best return to cricket). Unfortunately on a flat pitch we bowled terribly for the first 20 overs and they were 140 for 2 off 2 off overs.

Not good.

From there we regrouped and bowled more accurately, Tim Corson bowled his second four overs more economically and Michael Woodrow bowled his 8 straight through to return 8 overs 3 for 33. james Vallois again shone with 5 overs 3 for 30 and I returned 3 overs 1 for 15, taking Corey Bisson...though not until he had scored 109!

At half time were were looking at 253 to win...but at least we knew what we had to do. In many ways it was the kick up the backside we needed, someone commented in the changing room, we'll never chase that down....rubbish. There was only one way we could play though if we were going to do it.

With a positive start from Jobbie, and then woody we rattled through the first ten overs before losing woody to be 77 for 4. Enter Michael Renouf. Monty and Mickey Johnson batted positively and put on 39 before mickey lost the plot and missed a straight half tracker that didn't bounce. The irony was that a better ball would have gone for four. So at 116 for 5 Peter Osmont and Michael Renouf came together. They showed exactly what was missing in every other game we've played this season....positive attitude and solid defence. They milked the runs and cruised at 7 an over until we got to 33 overs needing about 70 to in. Once Michael Renouf brought up his fifty he opened up a little and played some of the most exquisit straight drives for four. inchies wideof the stumps at the bowler's end, great to watch.

In the end we wrapped up the victory with an over and a ball to go, meaning that Monty and Peter finished on 67 and 52 not out respectively. Peter's innings was a much more mature one than I've seen him play before, the highlight being when he stepped a good six inches outside his off stump and smashed Charlie Payne for four behind square on the leg side.

Partnership of 137 guys. brilliant.

We've got out work cut out if we're going to win the league from here, having lost six, but if we can keep batting like we did today then anything's possible.

No game next sunday but I'd like to get as many people down the nets at fb, we need to sort out the wides issue.

Thanks to everyone for a big effort today, and the positive attitude.

W.G.