Frustration for the visitors. A sharp unlikley slip chance evaded John Baglivi's fingertips off Ian Lay & the same batsman enjoyed a second life when he survived a confident stumping to the impressive Frank Baglivi - again off the unlucky Ian Lay. No further dismissals for the home side having reached a perilous 70-6 & the visitors sub standard 121 was surpassed in this inaugural fixture.
This certainly felt like a typical Pacific game of the 1990s. Firstly, the game was nearby to Oakhill Park, home between 1987 & 1997. The pitch was green tinged & liable to produce a daisy cutter or over the shoulder ball from the same spot at any time, there was a pronounced slope & the batting slumped while John Baglivi proved the main strike bowling threat. Indeed there was a reunion or sorts with 7 of the XI recalling those times, not to mention 2842 appearances between them. Experience therefore was not in short supply but it current club captain Jon Webley who's innings was the Islington side's fulcrum. An untimely soft dismissal saw the collapse take hold again having only received notable support from Nick Fuller & Captain Steve Lay.
After the interval, quick inroads from John Baglivi & Nick Fuller but the counter attacking strategy of the batters was paying off.
Aroon bowled superbly well & was unlucky to be taking off while John Baglivi could easily have been rested & brought back. As it was, Ian Lay & Aroon, aside, the rest of the change bowling brought little fruit & Dyer & Down saw their side home with overs to spare.
Dave Parker from N2 said "Yes it was a good game and could have gone either way.
Given the weather this weekend we were very lucky."
XI:- Nick Fuller, John Hill, Moses Hutchinson-Pascal, Aroon Korgaonkar, Steve Lay*, Peter Hollman, Jon Webley, Ian Lay, John Baglivi, Matt Patel, & Frank Baglivi.
