Report by Matt Samson:
Remnants set the tone for a low-scoring and tense affair after electing to bowl first. Owen Senior took the new ball and duly tested the off stump. His probing line almost immediately payed dividends; earning an inside edge that ricocheted off keeper Samson's thigh - his reflexes too slow to even get a finger too it. Owen Senior then earned another snick the next over, which sailed over Samson's right shoulder and through the vacant first slip region. Armstrong opened from the other end. He was economical despite bowling predominantly to the more dangerous of the two openers, and able to set the stage of for his trademark variation: the hooping leg spinner, or HLS. HLS confounded the batsmen, causing a handful of leading edges and French cuts. But alas, it wasn't Armstrong's day. He finished with the tidy, if unflattering, figures of 0-23 from 4 overs.Kara replaced Owen from the Golden Wok Chinese Takeaway end and carried on his good rhythm from previous matches. By the latter part of his spell, the run rate had dipped well below six and the batsmen were thoroughly bogged. That set the stage for skipper Jordan, who skittled the dangerous opener with a deceptive slower ball. Jordan - channelling his namesake, professional fast bowler and possible distant relative Chris - got the other opener his next over when, for the second week running, Harmer was steady under the high ball at deep long off. This one was accompanied by the deadening thud of ball hitting rib cage, as Harmer opted for the textbook "chest-first" option. Jordan finished with a venerable 2/21 (off 3 overs). Both openers dismissed, the opposition wilted under the tidy off-spin of Owen Junior. Samson was again in the thick of it, snatching at and ultimately dropping regulation snicks from successive balls. Much to Samson's relief, his mediocrity was met with zen-like acceptance from Owen Junior. Owen Junior was finally rewarded in her fourth over, deceiving their No. 4 in the flight and holing out to Crozier at mid-on. Crozier later declared that that was the first pill he'd snaffled for the club, at only his Pietersen-esque tenth attempt. Owen Junior finished the pick of the bowlers with 1/12 (off 4 very economical overs). Harmer rounded out the innings from the other end; his flighted in-swingers keeping the batsmen to a run a ball from his three. After a tidy bowling performance, the opposition finished on 109/3.
Remnants' innings started at a relative canter, with Samson and Kennedy scoring at 7's for the first 5 overs. However, having seen off the openers, Kennedy departed in the sixth to an excellent seaming delivery from their first-change bowler, named "Nick" by the scorers. Nick, despite blue shorts, untucked shirt and developing beer gut, quickly revealed himself an able Saturday cricketer by going for only 2 in his 2nd and then skittling Crozier and Ames in his 3rd. Remnants - now reeling slightly at 54/3 off 10 overs - entered a period of consolidation. Samson, having already resigned himself to jug duty following his woeful 'keeping, buckled down; his next 14 scoring shots were all singles.
Meanwhile, the zen-like Owen Junior took her time to learn the deck, taking 14 balls of her own to get off the mark. In a feat rarely seen in T20 cricket, the pair managed just 11 runs from overs 10-14, sundries by far the biggest contributor. Heart-rates now elevated on the side line, Owen Junior finally got off the mark and played fluidly thereafter, hitting an especially delightful cut backward of point for four. The pair now rotating the strike comfortably, saw of the dangerous Nick's final over to set up a tense finale. Needing 5 to win, Samson, despite having batted the entire innings, summarily forget how to time the ball. He and Owen nervously squirted it around the infield for three successive singles. Scores were tied on the penultimate ball, as Samson, having backed up two-thirds of the way down the wicket, sprinted a kamikaze single as the ball thudded into the 'keeper's gloves. In perhaps the most ignominious final ball victory in Remnants history, Samson inside-edged a veritable half tracker to backward square and the pair scampered through. The partnership was an unbroken 56, with Samson (69* off 58 balls) and Owen Junior (16* off 35 balls) earning much-coveted red inks and relieved cuddles from skipper Jordan.
