Andy Bell fulfilled many duties in tonight's game and then afterwards by penning this report:
Despite the Remnants' first taste of victory in over month yesterday, the team returned to their losing ways today in what sometimes felt like an internal match. The Accies' captain, Richard Rex, was able to call on his own family of talents as well as tonker-in-chief Julius Rix. The Accies also seemed to approach the game with a degree of professionalism that is rarely seen at Fitz. I mean, who's ever heard of the entire visiting team ready and practising catching by 5:45pm?
Their opening partnership of 29 in 5 (six-ball) overs included Julius's usual share of flying edges and nicks but no clear-cut chances, which didn't do anything for Jeff Beaumont's (0/20) and Naveen Chouksey's (0/13) figures. It was only when the ever reliable Faruk Kara (2/29) was brought on that the breakthroughs came, but at 46/2 off 7 overs the Accies had a good platform. Faruk could have had a couple more if he'd been able to hold onto a sharp caught and bowled chance and had other catches had been taken. Although Andy Owen (1/13) kept the run-rate down, and the pressure told to give 'keeper Rob Harvey a nice stumping, at 80/3 off 13 the Accies were poised for a good score. Unfortunately, the arrival of Olly Rex and the end of Andy's spell meant that good score became reality. Harvey Hughes (0/22) and Remnants captain Paul Jordan (1/29) toiled in the evening heat but didn't get much help from their fielders. The only way Paul was going to get a wicket was to disturb Olly's timbers, which he duly did in the last over. However, by then the damage was done and the Accies finished on a decent-looking 143/4.
Mihir Chandraker (12 off 18 balls) and Naveen Chouksey (25 off 22 balls) opened for Remnants, but struggled to regularly pierce the Accies' field on the low-bouncing pitch. By the time they were both back in the club house with the score on 45/2 off 9 overs, there was a bit of catching up to do. Andy Owen (5 off 5 balls) and Ewan Campbell (7 off 9 balls) didn't trouble the scorers for long, so it looked like the key partnership would be John Moore (26* off 20 balls) and Jeff Beaumont (10 off 4 balls). Unfortunately, Jeff played one too many big straight shots and put the ball down the throat of the strategically placed Olly. Despite John's and Rob Harvey's (18 off 22 balls) best efforts the run-rate never looked like getting close to the required target. Especially when Richard brought his own fizzing grenades back on, exemplified by his LBW appeal that pitched well outside leg, struck perfectly in line but would have missed off stump by several inches, and by the one that turned past the advancing Robbie which only just reached Ferdi in time to achieve his first ever stumping. At the end Matt Hughes's 2* runs off 7 balls suggested that he didn't believe the 34 runs to win off the last over from Julius was all that likely!
