Day OneCoromandel 9/269 (P. Magarey 69, Hanna 60, Langmaid 26, Eglinton 25, D. Magarey 23*)Day TwoThree consecutive First Innings Wins to commence season 2001/02. The first time the A Grade has achieved this feat since 1991/92. First Innings Win.
Coromandel 9/269 |
Eggy with another win on the board. That's 3 on the trot for the A Grade. 
The A Grade warming up before taking to the field. |
First Innings Loss.
Coromandel 123 (Jenkinson 64)
Westminster 6/212 dec. (Rosman 3/34)
Coromandel 2/57 (Jenkinson 38)
Scoreboard
First Innings Win.
Coromandel 9/195 dec.The one that got away.
Commencing the day at 5/69, achieving the 126 to avoid the follow-on was the first objective as the target of 226 seemed a distant dream.
However, from the first ball of the day, Adrian Rowles and Sam Cheek looked comfortable against the Westminster attack, amassing a partnership of 61 and giving Coromandel a chance of a first innings win. Adrian scored a sound 29, but most promising was the contribution by Sam, his confidence growing as the innings progressed. Standing at barely half the height of his opponents, Sam showed little respect for the bowlers, clearing the infield on numerous occasions while striking nine fours and a six. It took a great leg-side catch, by the opposing wicket-keeper, from an inside edge to remove him after he had compiled 45 runs from just 36 balls. Just before his dismissal, he had scored 14 runs from an over.
With a slight wag in the tail, Coromandel reached a total of 155, a first innings deficit of 70 runs.
With plenty of time remaining, the match was setup for a possible outright win to either side. Not surprisingly, the second innings of Westminster produced a "slog" and the ball cleared the boundary 12 times in only 14 overs as they reached a total of 7/141. Through the onslaught, the innings included another personal highlight for Sam Cheek, capturing his first wicket for Coromandel - but at a cost! Despite his impressive figures of 3/64, his short bowling stint produced some moments that Sam would probably prefer to forget. He bowled just four overs, twice conceding 22 runs from an over and on each occasion being hit for three consecutive sixes - Chris Garth reduced to climbing fences, carefully avoiding barbed wire fences to retrieve the ball from a neighbouring backyard. Sam's final wicket heralded a declaration by the home side, setting Coromandel a victory target of 212 from 30 overs.
In a positive move, captain Mark Lemmey promoted himself in the batting order to opener, however the chase was off to disastrous start. After a wayward delivery resulted in five wides from the first ball, Mark unleashed a big heave to a well pitched up ball only to see the furniture upset. The innings was statistically a golden duck, depending on whether a batsman is considered to have "survived" a wide ball.
With the loss of the early wicket, the stage was set for one of cricket's great performances.
Jarrad Sim, with little sleep the night before, strode to the wicket facing a king pair (two golden ducks in the same match). After surviving his first delivery, Jarrad put the final two balls of the over away with ease, completing 15 runs from the first over. He continued to take advantage of the small boundaries and fast outfield to race to a half-century from only 38 balls, and soon after the score reached 2/80 after 11 overs.
With wicket-keeper Rowles (21 runs from 26 balls) providing support from the other end, the batsmen kept the run-rate ticking along at just under seven runs an over. Shortly after Rowles was caught at deep mid-on, "Simmy" completed a brilliant century, taking just 70 deliveries. When he was finally out for 104, caught in the deep by the opposing captain, he had faced 75 balls and had pounded six huge sixes and 13 fours.
Simmy's dismissal left the side requiring 52 runs from seven overs with only three wickets in hand and subsequently the run chase was aborted to avoid risking outright defeat. However, there was still time for another promising innings from young Simon Hughes, exhibiting a sound technique in scoring 22 runs from 18 balls, dismissed only by a direct hit from the deep cover boundary.
First Innings Loss.
Westminster OS 225