Belvoir CC Legends XI 194-9 Belvoir Sunday XI 146-6
Older club members salivate at some of the names that abound in ancient scorebooks. Well, last Sunday those names were gathered together by the club chair to celebrate a visit by club legend David Storer from his home in Australia. Appropriately the opposition was provided by a young side selected from Sunday regulars. Winning the toss they asked the Legends to bat.
David(?) Goodson (40) and Richard Clayfield (20) got the day going at 8 runs-per-over in an opening partnership of 62. Goodson thumped the ball to all parts without favour at a strike rate of 160 including a six that landed in the neighbouring postcode. Clayfield’s innings was more sedate but included one sublime square cut to the boundary – muscle memory. Fittingly he was caught and bowled by son Olly. At the other end Fraser Fentem’s (2-18) pace and accuracy did for a couple of legends reducing them to 63-3 from 11 overs. All this achieved was the joining together of John Copley (30) and David Storer (28). Copley was his usual puckish self smiting four boundaries interspersed with hyperactive running between the wickets until he was stumped by an alert Chris Bealby off Joe De’Ath. Storer’s knock was less visually frenetic but still compiled at a strike rate of 122. Tony Wade (31 ret’d) stood and delivered like the buccaneer he is – his last 28 coming from only 12 balls including a straight trans-continental six through his favourite tree. James Clayfield (16) and Andy Dann (11) both retired to make sure that nearly everybody got a bat.
Andrew Mitchell (2-16) bowled with imaginative guile taking wickets with successive balls to have the Sunday XI 4-2. This brought Fraser Fentem (33) in to join Olly Clayfield (69) in a stand of 88 in 11 overs. The former’s boyish demeanour disguises a brutish streak that saw two blasted sixes off Andy Dann (2-26) in the over that saw Fentem’s demise well caught by Jason Hemstock. Olly Clayfield is normally an along-the-deck batsman but today, in keeping with the general mood, his knock was more aggressive and some of his 11 fours were not as elegant as usual. Ian De’Ath (24 not out) came to the wicket with 8.3 runs needed per over and offered steady support to Clayfield in a stand of 33. However the latter’s dismissal was quickly followed by two more – one to the deserving Danny Greengrass whose nagging length and line stifled the worst of any aggression. The Sunday XI’s chances were slipping away at 136-6 with only 27 balls left and 59 still to score. Despite the best efforts of Jamie Flear and the continuing defiance of De-Ath even some friendly bowling could get them no closer than 34 runs in the end.
A blazingly sunny day, family picnics on the grass, a pint and conversation on the veranda, the steadfast Vic Heppenstall on duty and Julie James coloured pens – England in essence.
