ACOB Break their Duck
ACOB Break their Duck
ACOB had their first win of the season with a comfortable victory over Nelson College in Round 6 of the TPL, while Wakatu keeps improving but were not quite able to get over the line against Stoke Nayland.
ACOB v Nelson College
Openers Thomas Zohrab and James Graham ensured the ACOB innings had a nice launching pad against Nelson College 1st XI at the Botanics. Graham was the aggressor in the 77-run opening stand and was obviously disappointed when he holed out to long off when he appeared to have the attack at his mercy. David Zohrab accepted the role of the aggressor with a powerful innings which included nine boundaries. After a scratchy start skipper Bens Gully added further misery to the schoolboys as he was joined by the hirsute Josh Simpson in a flamboyant attack that ensured a respectable total. Gangly opening bowler Jarrod McKay was a bit too full early on but pulled his length back in his second spell to finish the top wicket taker. Wily off spinner Mason Lund restricted the scoring in the middle and Damian Aiken applied the breaks to keep the target controllable.
In response College never really looked likely. Wickets fell too frequently, and the run rate got out of hand relatively quickly. Thomas Zohrab displayed his all-round wares to back up his half century with nine very tidy overs for three wickets and a meagre twelve runs. Simpson and Matt Eden also picked up a brace each to keep the foot on the throat of the run chase. While Fergus Hughes displayed his usual temerity, his innings did not last long enough to challenge the large total. Jarrod and Kaleb McKay both showed some clever touches later in the innings, but the score was always out of reach. ACOB claimed the Jo Graham Trophy for the first time and also picked up their first competition win of the season.
ACOB 245/8 David Zohrab 52, Ben Gully 50*, Thomas Zohrab 50,James Graham 34, Josh Simpson 28, Jarrod McKay 3/47, Mason Lund 2/39, Finn Raxworthy 2/40
Nelson College 112 Jarrod McKay 28, Kaleb McKay 22, Fergus Hughes 22, Thomas Zohrab 3/12, Matt Eden 2/17, Josh Simpson 2/23
ACOB won by 133 runs
Wakatu v Stoke/Nayland
While a very strong looking Stoke Nayland batting line up threatened Wakatu at Victory Square they never quite got going and were eventually dismissed with four overs unbowled. While five of the batsmen got starts of over 20, none went over the fifty-run milestone. Darius Skeaping is in terrific touch and he was unfortunate to be run out at the bowler’s end when a drive by Patrick Howes, his batting partner, was tipped onto the stumps by the bowler. Skipper Brendan Hodgson looked good, but even he was not able to push the visitors total over the two hundred mark.
The Wakatu bowlers stuck to their task well and while Ryan Hooper was most expensive, he was the most dangerous, snaring three wickets. The trio of Aaorn Dron, Chris Golding and Matt O’Sullivan were all parsimonious as they successfully endeavoured to keep their run chase manageable.
While wickets fell regularly in Wakatu’s reply an exquisite knock by Devon Serrurier kept the home team in the hunt. Although Ben Stark made early inroads and left arm spinner Howes claimed three in the middle and end, Serrurier’s innings was a stand out. Coming in at number five he controlled the tempo of the innings and had the scoring rate well in hand. When the last wicket fell there were still eight overs left, so if he had not run out of partners Serrurier would probably have led his team to victory. As it was however Wakatu only produced one partnership of real substance when Jared Exeter joined with him for a 51 run seventh wicket stand. On Exeter’s departure although Serrurier tried gallantly to lead his team home he ran out of partners twenty runs short of the ultimate goal.
Stoke/Nayland 194 Brendan Hodgson 43, Patrick Howes 27, Darius Skeaping 27, Chris Dittmer 27, Alex Coles 20, Ryan Hooper 3/50, Aaron Dron 2/27, Chris Golding 2/39
Wakatu 174 Devon Serrurier 78*, Ben Stark 4/38, Patrick Howes 3/36,
Stoke/Nayland won by 20 runs
BOOK-A-NET
