Edenbridge, Sunday 30 August 2009

 The Sunday 2's scraped to a 3-wicket win over Edenbridge, as John Blackburn just about managed to contribute more with the bat than he had given away with the ball in his first appearance for the team this season.

 John's afternoon did not get off to the best of starts: in his expensive new ball spell of 1 for 43 he bowled only one no-ball, but it proved to be the one that deprived him of a catch at short leg. Such inexperience showed he still has a thing or two to learn from experienced Sunday 2's opening bowler Nathan Heal, who once again put in a useful shift (1 for 12). A decent Chipstead performance in the field could have seen the youthful Edenbridge batting line-up skittled out for less than 100, but too many chances went down. Instead, the team relied on tight bowling from Bob Tyrell (2 for 24) and Graham Plater (2 for 31) to keep the score in check, as Edenbridge reached a declaration of 155 for 9.

 Skipper James Parmenter seemed to be a man in a hurry as he bludgeoned a quick 25 in reply, but after he fell, the Chipstead innings stood in the balance at 45 for 3. In a fourth wicket partnership of 73 which set up the win, John Blackburn (57) and Ben Dombrandt (19) entertained the crowds with some classy shots, as they pushed the score along with apparent ease. When both fell in quick succession, the Sunday 2's were wobbling once again, on 129 for 6, but Graham Plater (18 n.o.) stepped up with a typically solid knock to calm the nerves and see the team home with 9 overs to spare.