Westminster

Thursday July 2 at Barn Elms

Strollers won by 17 runs

Strollers 163-2
(20 overs; Northcott 35no, Patterson 28no, Thornley 27no, Boyes 26no, Oliver 12no)
Westminster 146-5
(20 overs; McCroddan 1-9, Thornley 1-11, Low 1-15, Boyes 1-35)

As one of the more senior members of this team (this will be my third game for the midweek Strollers) it has fallen to me the pleasure of writing this report.

The team assembled sort of on time, well nine of us anyway. Very much a fill-in effort of regulars and gratefully received irregulars via the Hector Millar recruitment agency; thanks chap. We welcomed Oli Thornley, Andy Boyes, Stan Northcott and Conrad McGroddan. Thank you for your service, sirs.

We knew a sharp batting effort would be required and that was delivered in spades, four getting to 25+ to retire. And that's one of the superb things about midweek T20 cricket. Even though we lost only two wickets, with a retirement limit of 25 pretty much the whole team but one had a go.

Oli and Andy got us off to a great star – 52 after five overs – before both retired. Things slowed down a little when Kevin Patterson came in, then Northcott powered us away. In the last few overs there was a late charge including three consecutive fours by Glen Oliver to take us to 163-2.

In response it was a more case of the Strollers’ tight bowling restricting the opposition than taking wickets with them closing out at 147-4 (47 extras!) on what had become a tricky, hard to middle it, track. A 15-run win!

Plenty of opportunities were spilled in standard Strollers fashion; we have a reputation to preserve after all.

Thanks to some great encouragement in the field by skipper Oliver, we kept things on the up. What a great team effort, in what was our first midweek win.

Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt and match report: Kevin Patterson.

Match fees: Richard Keightley.