Winterton 'A' v Drayton 'A' 6th May 2006

Winterton 'A' 198-6 Drayton 'A' 131 After the excitement of last week's opening game, the A team came back to earth. While tea in the wonderful, wood-panelled Fisherman's Return was the usual feast, Winterton's A team had a new look. The home club had recruited six new players over the winter, three of whom featured in their first team. As result, Winterton A were much stronger unit than in previous seasons.

Batting first, they got off to a flier, keeping safely above five runs per over for the first half of their innings. One feature of the entire game was the very high proportion of boundaries scored on what looked a lush outfield. Not that the grass featured much in the innings of Utting, who hit five sixes and two fours in his rapid 39. Only when James Kay got Nigel Massingham (12-1-45-1) and Will Herring (10-3-34-3 and achieving challenging turn and loop) in harness was control established. Jamie Scarff bowled some testing balls in his first appearance of the year and distinguished himself with some consistently committed fielding.

Drayton's reply started bizarrely: 13-1 at the end of Utting's opening over, with batsmen unable to lay a bat on the ball. Utting settled to a testing spell, the ball jagging around at a nippy pace. Truth to tell, all Winterton's bowlers seemed to get more response from the wicket - spinner, the ex Drayton player Scott Brindle (3-10) and seamer Snowling (3-15) achieving the best figures.

Despite a batting line up with apparent depth (Matt Bourne, fresh from a half century the previous Sunday at 10), only Richard Taylor (38 with nine fours) and Herring (22 with 5 fours) stayed long enough to gather runs.