Tour
9th July 2006

On a day filled with hangovers, and more hangovers, the men of the plough found themselves at Cirencester for the second time in three days.  Could the Sunday team win back some pride for the club following the Friday team's demise?  With the amount of booze consumed the night before, it was going to be a difficult ask!

Skipper Ridgway N won the toss and elected to bowl, thinking that PCC (with hangovers) would be better placed to chase down a score rather than set one.  Williams and Ridgway M opened the bowling, and it wasn't long before Williams had the first wicket - Barnes, bowled for 0.  However, this early breakthrough was not to reap further rewards for PCC despite Ridgway M and Williams bowling well in tandem, as Cirencester got over their early set back and began to hit their straps with runs beginning to flow. 

In an attempt to forge a breakthrough Britto replaced Ridgway M, who had bowled tightly for 5 overs with no reward and Wilkinson replaced Williams.  Britto, like Ridgway M was unlucky in his initial 6 over spell, and all the while runs for Cirencester kept on flowing.  In the end it was Wilkinson who got the breakthrough - Denyer, LBW for 28, with the score on 77, however this did not stop the incessant run scoring as the Cirencester opener, Burgess had begun to hit the ball to all parts.  Ridgway N soon brought himself into the attack to replace Wilkinson, whilst Reed replaced Britto at the other end.  This bowling change resulted in three fairly quick wickets - Gilchrist for 13, caught well at slip by Britto of Ridgway N, Hillier, bowled by Reed for 5 and Burgess, bowled Ridgway N for 102.  The score was now 169 for 5, and with the dangerous Burgess back in the pavilion, perhaps PCC could finish off the Cirencester innings quickly, and limit some of the damage caused by Burgess?

Unfortunately, however, runs kept on flowing with clever singles taken as a result of a widespread field.  Wilkinson and Ridgway M came back into the attack to with Wilkinson picking up the wickets of Rowe for 35 and Putney for 11.  Williams then replaced Ridgway M to finish off the 40 overs and in the process picking up PCC's eighth and final wicket.  Final score 271 for 8 off 40 overs.

After another delightful Cirencester tea (thank God Laney wasn't there to eat all the scones with jam and cream!), PCC set about their reply.  Hargreaves and Gledhill opened and knocked the ball about for singles punctuated with the odd boundary by Hargreaves.  Both had gone out with instructions to score from every opportunity to get PCC off to a solid start.  Hargreaves was the first to fall - bowled by Sheikh, who by all accounts was getting some tricky away swing with the score on 30.  Soon after Sheikh was replaced by Putney, so the openers had done their job.  Ridgway N joined Gledhill and picked up a few boundaries of his own to keep the scoreboard ticking along before being caught on the long off boundary for 35.   Score now 80 for 2, and with Gledhill following Ridgway N a run later, PCC found themselves up against it somewhat, especially as O'Hara fell with the score on 89.  A quick fire 19 from Reed got the scoreboard ticking again, but was unfortunately run out with the score on 116.  Britto followed Reed without PCC adding a run, and at this point PCC had too much to do and despite at quick 24 from Ridgway M, PCC were bowled out for 149, 121 runs short of their target.

Overall, it was a good game, played in the right spirit.  Everyone contributed along the way, with some great ground fielding from Nicholls, two good catches from Britto and Ridgway M, some decent bowling from Williams and Wilkinson and some clean hitting from Ridgway M and Reed. 

Until next year…!

NR