Knockers let off the hook

Knockers 181 beat Buccaneers 102 by 79 runs

The Buccs succumbed limply in their 2nd fixture at picturesque Bitchet Green having let The Knockers off the gigantic hook of 100-9.

With a blend of youth from Tonbridge School and experience from St Lawrence CC, Knockers skipper Stuart Seldon opted to bat on a decent-looking track.

However, the Buccs hit the ground running through incisive swing and seam bowling from captain Bob Palmer (3-27), Johnno Gordon (1-9), Choudhury (1-38) and Rege (2-42) as the Kent side slid to 60-6.

Amid a mild panic, the hosts requested a delay to give their Nos 10 & 11 time to arrive from a family barbeque.Good control from Simon Woolfries (2-26) and Richard Gwynn (1-23) kept Knockers on the rack as wickets continued to fall.

The Buccs felt pretty pleased with themselves when they thought they had taken the 10th wicket at 100 only for the umpire to call a no-ball for a full toss over
waist high.The youthful last pair proceeded to take full advantage of some loose bowling and the Buccs misplaced, if understandable, sense of complacency to turn the game on its head with an increasingly assured stand of 81.The Knockers had been let off the hook and were allowed to set a challenging, but scarcely impossible,target of 182 at 4.5 runs an over.

Apart from Paul Hobson’s typically upbeat and positive knock of 35, the Buccs batting never really got out of first gear after a judicious opening exploration by James Stringer (18) and Gordon (14).

Against testing seam and spin bowling supported by impressive fielding, the Buccs batsmen were unable to score with the fluency and urgency required to keep up with the required scoring rate.

Hobbo’s breezy innings aside, the batting was lackadaisical and fizzled out for a sickly 102. It was a disappointing performance and a salutary lesson to captains not to take the pressure off a batting side in trouble. However, a good turn-out at the nearby Padwell Arms sent us home in a happier spirit.

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