Duncan Allen puts Etonians to the sword

OCCC 245 for 5 (Allen 129, Crump M 52, Merry 25) beat Eton Ramblers 243 (Kennedy 99, Broughton 4-85) by five wickets
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Duncan Allen thumps a six into the scoreboard
on his way to his hundred

The cricket week, now in its 93rd year, started with a convincing win over Eton Ramblers thanks to a belligerent hundred from Duncan Allen which contained some of the biggest back-foot sixes seen for many a year. His second-wicket stand of 161 with Matt Crump took only 81 minutes and ensured the game was done and dusted with more than 12 overs remaining.

Karthik Suresh, one of this year’s leavers, took two early wickets as Eton chose to bat, but then Langton (86) and Kennedy (99) moved largely untroubled through the session until Bruno Broughton, bowling his slow left-arm with much more accuracy than he had against the School three days earlier, struck twice as Eton lunched on 156 for 4. They key wicket, that of Langton, was mired in controversy as most bystanders, impartial and otherwise, thought Jonny Gates had taken the catch on the bounce. But the ball remaining in Gatesy’s hands is are enough for him to claim anything, and he remained unmoved.

After the break Kennedy held the innings together as the sinewy Eds Copleston rotated his attack with aplomb. Gates turned bowler to hold a stinging return, Broughton grabbed another two, and the innings ended as Kennedy failed to beat Karthik’s pinging return from the deep as he went for the run to bring up his hundred.

A target of 244 was made to look child’s play by Allen, previously of the Kenyan national side and now summering as a pro in Yorkshire. He attacked from the off, took chances and they came off, and only gave one chance when dropped in his sixties. His hundred came up in 89 minutes off 100 deliveries. Crump provided good support, enjoying a rare chance to bat up the order, before being stumped as he went walkabout.

Allen’s run-a-ball 129 ended when given lbw, a decision that owed more to the ugliness of the stroke than whether it would hit the stumps. Rob Merry, after starting as if unable to see the ball, hit some lovely drives before perishing to the day’s oddest dismissal. His loft over midwicket was lost in the sun by the fielder in the deep who saw nothing until struck by the ball in the chest. As he fell backwards the ball lodged on his thigh from where he retrieved it.

Copleston and Gates saw us home, but not before Gates had almost been lapped by Copleston as they ran three to the deep.