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24-06-06
click here for match scorecard
Following their defeat to Exning, Stonham faced an away trip to
Walsham-le-Willows, the only unbeaten team in the league. Due to
injuries and holidays Stonham were missing several key players. Top
order regulars Simon Edgar, Rob Wrinch and Johnny Hails all missed the
game, along with John Humphreys who was still recovering from the
shoulder injury he sustained in the slips against Great Yeldham. David
Eade captained the side.
Walsham won the toss and elected to bat, leaving Stonham to field in
stiffling heat with no breeze. Tunstall started in typical aggressive
fashion, worrying the batsmen and stand-in 'keeper Roger Furlong alike.
Tom Lewis opened at the other end. Walsham started well before Tunstall
found an edge off Bryant and Furlong took the catch. Tom Prior followed
this up, soon after taking the wickets of Keswick and Miller. However,
Walsham accelerated the run rate, and Stonham were forced to be more
defensive and protect the boundaries. Campbell scored quickly despite
Jeff Lewis' tight spell, with runs coming more freely from the other
end. Following a short but impressive two over burst from Scott Eade,
Campbell was eventually stumped by Furlong after chasing the bowling of
Stephen Lewis. Walsham were not yet done, and Campbell was followed by
Lynn, Meyer and Bryant who all added decent contributions to the total.
With Walsham seemingly out-of-sight Stonham buckled down and restricted
the run rate to less than four an over in the last ten over, with more
tight bowling from Jeff Lewis in particular. Walsham finished on 273 for
the loss of 8 wickets.
Furlong and Ed Player opened the batting, looking to show some
resistance to a confident Walsham bowling attack. Furlong was the first
to fall after finding an edge and an impressive catch from the slip.
Player then looked in good touch, swatting a hat-trick of boundaries
before chipping loosely to midwicket while on 19. Stephen Lewis followed
after only adding three, clean bowled by a swinging slower ball. Jeff
Lewis was then dismissed in an unlikely fashion, run out from a direct
hit from the boundary, square of the wicket.
In need of at least a hundred runs to score a batting point Stonham were
struggling. In the afternoon heat Clements and Tunstall came and went,
swinging hard and adding six and 22 respectively. Then came Tom Prior,
skipper Dave Eade batting down the order, Tom Lewis and Scott Eade who
all struggled with the accurate Walsham bowling attack. Between them
they added eleven, leaving Scott Eade unbeaten on 1 not out. Stonham
failed to reach treble figures, leaving the game with only the four
batting points they earnt in the first innings.
Following this comfortable victory Walsham look almost certain to finish
in the top two of the division and gain promotion. However, after
viewing the standard of the players and the quality of the performance,
Stonham would fancy their chances of providing Walsham with a more
competitive game in the return fixture at the end of the season when
welcoming back the missing regulars.
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