Rain robs OCs of second win

Old Wykehamists 218 (Clarence-Smith 5-41) drew with Old Cranleighans 107 for 0 (B Scriven 62*)

The onset of an immoveable drizzle shortly before tea robbed the OCs of their second victory of the season. It would be fair to say that the rain was very much more welcome for the OWs who, having watched Brad Scriven take them apart in the hour before tea, probably didn't fancy retrieving much more leather. With one of the more potent top sixes that the OC's have fielded for some time, we would have been confident of knocking off the remainder efficiently but as the well known adage goes (when talking about football), 'it's a funny old game innit'.

The OW captain, James Irvine-Fortescue, won the toss and batted and upon his shoulders squarely lay the burden of posting a decent score. He deposited Paddy Harman's first ball over the rope in front of Clare's Oak and followed this up with a glorious extra cover drive for six of Ed Henderson. At the other end was a little South African who poked around for twenty odd from as many overs but, nevertheless they both kept out Henderson and Harman for 17 overs and were going nicely at 57 for 0. Enter Charlie Clarence-Smith, a bowler who showed at Esher that he is a wicket taker. Jogging in delicately from a short run he generated pace and bounce which took the batsmen by surprise. He changed the course of the game with a spell of four wickets in five overs before lunch with his successes coming from both good balls and rancid treats.

Even more pressure lay on Irvine-Fortescue after lunch and he played circumspectly against the nagging accuracy of Mike Chetwode but was a little riled by two consecutive bouncers from Michael Burgess which he couldn't get hold of. Clarence-Smith was the man to make the breakthrough again when he bowled I-F for 98. This didn't open the floodgates quite as the OCs may have hoped but within an hour the tail had been mopped up by Harman (2 for 42) and Henderson (3 for 57).

Scriven hadn't been able to run all day thanks to a groin strain so he was very much in boundary mode. He played some high quality shots as did Seren Waters (40*) who was dropped at slip in the first over. The OW's will have had horrible flashbacks to their fielding display the previous year but fortunately for them Scriven tended to hit the ball over them rather than at them.

Rain started falling gently before tea and more persistently during it. At 5pm the captains shook hands on an honourable draw under leaden skies.