Casuals beaten in tight opener (From Cotswold Journal)

Casuals beaten in tight opener

8:30am Sunday 20th January 2013 in Sport

THE 2013 Worcestershire Cricket Board indoor season began with two fascinating matches at Prince Henry’s Sports Hall in Evesham.

Evesham Casuals (95 all out) lost to Boxmen (96-4) who held their nerve to win by two wickets with two balls remaining after needing nine runs from the final over.

Batting first, Casuals lost Will Lloyd in the first over to Tim Cull (1-22) but Peter Cross (30) scored at a good rate initially with Richard Steed (6) and James Wood (31).

Cross and Wood retired which heralded two run-outs and they both perished the same way on their return, leaving them all out in the 10th over.

In reply, veteran John Lawrence was bowled by league debutant Anthony Pratley (1-19) in the first over. Aran Batchelor (22) and Ollie May (24) began the recovery at the required runrate.

Batchelor was out with the score on 44 but Andy Styman (14) continued to score freely with May.

But run-outs accounted for both, leaving Mike Banks (16 not out) and Cull (3no) to score the remaining 25 runs from the last four overs.

Two new teams in the competition served up an exciting encounter with Redditch (123-4) beating Bredon (122-3) by one run.

Redditch’s loss of Tom Phelan (7) and Perry Derrick (0) to Lee Diamond (3-25) in the fourth over was also a setback.

Greg Chinn (54), Jack Roberson (14) and James Bevan (24) guided Redditch to a high score despite 1-28 from Martin Hill who claimed a wicket with his first ball. In their reply, needing just over 10 runs per over, Bredon cruised along at the required rate.

Jamie Munro (25), Hill (26) and Clive Fenny (25) all reached retirement without being in any trouble and after six overs the score was 70-0.

Although Diamond was run out cheaply, Ali Munro (19) continued to score freely, supported by Stuart Riches (6no).

With one over left, five runs were needed but Ali Munro was run out from the first ball which allowed his brother to return.

From the fourth ball, Riches scored three, leaving two runs required for a Bredon win.

But the fifth was a dot ball and, from the last, Bevan (1-11) bowled Jamie Munro to give Redditch a narrow victory.