THE MOOSE CRICKET CLUB

On Friday 9th August, the Moose CC and Bluemantle's CC assembled under gloriously sunny skies to contest the Bairamian Cup at the Nevill Ground.

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Having lost the toss and been sent out to field, it was the Moose who made early inroads on a firm and true pitch which had all the hallmarks of a class Nevill wicket. Hugo Williams - making his Moose debut - produced excellent shape and control from the bottom end and was rewarded by picking up the Bluemantle's opener and number 3 bat, the latter to a sharp grab at first slip by fellow debutant, James Beeny. At the other end, Fin Tomlinson bowled with aggression and extracted movement through the air and off the pitch to beat the bat on a number of occasions and picking up the Bluemantle's skipper with an excellent caught-and-bowled effort. 

The early efforts of Williams and Tomlinson reduced the Bluemantle's to 13 for 3, but Alex Collins and Ed Monnington negotiated the attacking leg-spin of Patrick Kearney and the controlled off-spin of James Howie (going for just 26 runs from his 7 overs) to steady the ship for the home side. Both batters amassed fine half-centuries and put on 101 together, parting ways when Alex Collins was stumped off the wiley off-spin of Tom Ogden, leaving the Bluemantle's at 114 for 3 after 21 overs. Some valuable counter-attacking runs from the Bluemantle's middle-order and regular wickets from the Moose kept the game largely in the balance, with the Bluemantle's scoring 190 from their 35 overs.

Pursuing the target of 191, the Moose chase began well, with debutant James Beeny getting off the mark in fine style by hitting his first ball for 4 through mid-on. Assisted by Tom Ogden at the top of the order, the Moose openers put on a breezy 36 for the first wicket before James Beeney fell to Charlie Hobden's busy off-spin. The Moose faltered slightly after the loss of the first wicket, with Adrian Kritzinger (6), Tom Ogden (23) and Alex McDonald (10) all falling in relatively short order to reduce the Moose to 75 for 4. However, the Bluemantle's advances were thwarted by a composed and stylish 45 not-out from debutant Jason Hong, ably supported by Moose stalwart Stuart Morten (38) and some late-order power-hitting from Fin Tomlinson (22 from 12 deliveries). The Moose reached the target of 191 in the 32nd over with 3 wickets in hand to regain the Bairamian Cup.