Heavier rain arrived 15 overs after tea on Saturday to terminate the narrative arc of a match which had been shaping nicely. Chasing Pacific’s 163 on a tacky surface, South Bank were 50-odd for 3 after 15 overs, almost exactly on par with Pacific’s innings. Max’s internal win predictor had the match 60-40 in Pacific’s favour so the abandonment when it was this poised was really frustrating.
The two Marks, Woodland and Mehta, opened up for Pacific and the former looked in good order, stroking a sweet two into the covers before chipping to cover off South Bank’s most threatening bowler Banerjee. Colin Pollard of Wapping applied his obvious cricketing knowhow in adept fashion for a 21 in tricky conditions where a stodgy pitch and slow outfield made boundaries hard to come by. BB crunched four through a wide mid off region before perishing to the rangy Charlton, who claimed a four-fer and had the happy knack of getting the ball to pop up on a length.
MM, who before Saturday’s match had scored 304 runs for the season at a stellar and symmetrical 43.43, continued his form with another well constructed knock (33). He was joined by a returning Mullens (42). Mark had got off to a flier but there were also fallow periods, reflective of a track in which it was hard to get into flow. During the last of these he walked across his stumps to hit a ball through square leg and was bowled by Millstein.
Kieran was now joined at six by South Bank’s septuagenarian loanee for the day Simon James. He made the first big contribution of the day against his home club with a fleet-footed 26. After a watchful start Kieran found his footing in a period which included two fours and only his fourth six in cricket (this includes garden cricket Test matches). After the first rains came the track greased up and spikes-less Mullens then lost his footing, literally, and found it harder to generate power from a solid base. Nonetheless, a 50+ partnership edged Pacific up to a competitive total, which was gilded by a Mortiboys boundary and an Arup six off the last ball of the innings.
After a tea in which it was established that a cheese roll option was categorically a better choice on the day than ham, the South Bank innings got under way, the known batting threat of Thornton looming large like the grey clouds which were soon to blanket SE21 skies.
Mortiboys cruised in from the top end, all smooth action, class and pace and passed the bat repeatedly into the secure hands of gloveman Woodland, but without luck. Sen dog learned that less was more on this surface, held the ball back a touch and was rewarded twice. The first was the prized Thornton who steered a late cut into the hands of one South Bank man, the bandana-wearing Tom Wragg, who pouched a fine catch. Then the garrulous wicketkeeper ? clothed a ball which popped up to none other than that man Simon James again at square leg. Captain Korgaonkar, selflessly holding himself back, brought on Rafiq. Enlivened by his entry into the game at last, our offspinner, liberated and freed, bowled some lovely stuff, jigging and dancing as if invoking the rain gods as he implored an umpire to give an LBW. Moments later he got his man ? to, you guessed it James. Then the rain came. And this match remains an unfinished piece.
