Old Catton 'A' v Drayton 'A' 31st May 2008

Drayton 'A' 157-6 Old Catton 'A' 104 Losing the toss for the first time in six goes, skipper Daz Flatt was keen to see if Drayton were as good at setting a target as they had been chasing. The wicket was slow and green and Old Catton's bowlers clearly knew the right pace and length to bowl. For a long period in Drayton's innings, it was difficult to know what would be a challenging score. Richards and Colley bowled accurately and the pitch did a bit, chiefly stopping, so attacking shots seemed risky, as Richard Taylor and Nigel Massingham, both caught by the end of the twelfth over, proved. Mike Sutton settled to play a sheet anchor role, whilst Tony Gregory (15) was watchful in support.

The Drayton score moved slowly: it wasn't until the thirtieth over (65-2) that the run rate exceeded two an over. Sutton starting hitting out and, with the arrival of Flatt, the run-rate started creeping up, largely at first through some well-run singles. When Sutton eventually departed in the thirty-sixth over for a typically gritty 46, the flood gates opened. Seventy nine runs were added in the final nine overs: Flatt (17) and Mike Bown (39 not out) mixed cheeky singles with some big hits and Jamie Scarff (12 not out), promoted for a thrash, even managed an effortless four through extra cover. Bown edged ahead in the season's six-hitting stakes with two glorious straight drives.

157 seemed riches indeed at tea-time, but Harris and Cooke, opening for Old Catton got off to a rapid start and keeping up the required rate, Harris in particular using the pull and drive to score convincing boundaries. Eventually, Jason Trett got some lift and Cooke played on. While Massingham (3-30 from 12 overs) held up one end, Bown finally surprised Harris with one which moved from the off and hit the top of his off stump as he left the ball.

From this point, a generally sound fielding performance became the backdrop for some stirring performances. Neil Chamberlain made a splendid leg-side stumping off Massinghmam, then took a low catch off an inspired Trett, who tucked his trousers into his socks, found an extra yard of pace and came right back to form with 4-19 in his twelve overs. There was some resistance, though not fast scoring, from Old Catton's lower order, till Massingham, carefully placing Taylor in a spot where he couldn't fail to catch a top-edge, mopped up the tail.

After the game, Tony Gregory, who played his first game for Drayton almost exactly twenty-five years ago, was presented with a memento of this achievement. RT.