Petanque side spring surprise
Bath players among team hitting success on big stage
BATH produced a near-perfect performance to win the ECB National Club Championship for the first time in their fourth final. And in doing so, they took belated revenge on Sandiacre Town, who had beaten them in their first appearance in the final in 2003.
Bath had also lost in 1998 and 2001, but there was no stopping the class of 2021. A superb 78 from 21-year-old Sam Young was the cornerstone of their success as they set a challenging 220-8 from their 40 overs in the glorious surroundings of the Wormsley cricket ground in Buckinghamshire.
That was matched by tenacious bowling and tight fielding as Bath strangled the response of twotimes winners Sandiacre, who were bowled out a long way short on 139.
For only the first half an hour of the contest, it looked like Bath might be out of luck again. Sam Mount won the toss and batted, which on the face of it was not a bad decision since it was already dry and sunny and less likely to help the bowlers.
However, after four overs, Bath were 9-2. Dan Wheeldon found Tim Rouse’s edge in the third over and Ryan Mcfadyean produced a beauty to bowl Ashur Morrison for a duck in the next over. Bath had to rebuild and did so, as opener Bradley Porteous and the more aggressophie sive Young added 71 for the third wicket.
It was the ninth over before they scored their first boundary but they saw off Wheeldon’s first spell of 1-15 from six overs. Young was determined to break the shackles and hit John Jordison for a sumptuous off-driven four. He then hit Mcfadyean off his legs and through point for fours before lifting Jordison for a straight six.
Spinner Connor Marshall, who is on Derbyshire’s books, reined Bath in with a tidy spell and trapped Porteous in front for 34. His first three overs cost only five but Bath could afford to take care against him as long as the runs were coming at the other end.
Young, mixing solid defence with aggression, hit Jordison for another six and moved to 50 from 52 balls with a glance for two to third man off Matt Newbold, who he hit for his third six. At 123-3 in the 25th over, Bath now had a platform and Paul Muchall began to look dangerous until he mis-hit Newbold to Wheeldon after he and Young had added 62.
Now Bath wobbled, as Mount, caught at long off, came and went quickly. Young edged Newbold for four at the start of the 33rd over but a brilliant innings ended disappointingly with a rather unnecessary swing and miss at the next ball. In 83 balls, he had hit six fours and three sixes. It had been an ideal mix of defence and aggression from the Bath man.
Kyle Hopper was out in the same over but wicket-keeper Jack Scrivens ensured Bath passed 200 with an enterprising knock of 34 not out from 25 balls. James Arney chipped in ten more as the pair added 39 for the ninth wicket before Arney was run out taking a run to the keeper from a wide.
The score looked competitive without necessarily being out of sight – but George Axtell, Muchall and Arney soon made it look formidable with excellent spells.
Sandiacre opener James Chapman was fresh from a century in the league the previous day and timed a nice four through midwicket off Axtell in the first over, before edging him from the last ball of the over, Morrison taking a sharp catch at slip.
Luke Thomas cover drove Muchall up the slope towards the pavilion for four and Scott Mcneill likewise with a more lavish drive but they mustered only 22-1 from the first six overs before Thomas flashed at one from Axtell and was caught behind in the seventh.
Chris Mcilroy lived a brief charmed life, gloving an attempted pull high to point off Axtell and seeing a simple chance go down. But he had made only eight when Arney, charging in with intent, bowled him. Mcneill, the only Sandiacre batsman to look assured as this stage, survived a big lbw shout against Porteous, then pulled him for four and six in the 13th over.
Jake Needham also survived a
loud leg before appeal against Arney but edged the next ball to Scrivens for a duck to make Sandiacre 57-4. Mcneill had a life, dropped low down at slip by Morrison off Arney but was going along at a run a ball and needed someone to stay with him.
It began to look as if Marshall might do so until the batsman hesitated briefly before taking on Young’s arm for a tight second run to mid-wicket. Young’s arm won, beating Marshall’s dive, and the wicket brought the halfway drinks break four balls early at 76-5.
Mcneill and Bill Anderson spent a time, until the end of Arney’s superb spell of 2-22, unable to do more than push a few singles, before Mcneill reached 50 from 58 balls. Victory was in sight for Bath as the required rate climbed towards ten and Anderson was
caught behind off Muchall for seven.
Wheeldon has reputation for later-order six-hitting but the ground at Wormsley is perhaps bigger than many club grounds and his only achievement was to become the second Sandiacre batsman in double figures before Rouse bowled him.
The end came quickly after that. Muchall, completing a spell of 2-32, had Jordison caught behind, a fourth catch for Scrivens, Mcfadyean was leg before to Rouse and Porteous bowled Newbold. Mcneil was left stranded on 75 not out, from 84 balls, much the same job as Young had done for Bath but without the support.
Sandiacre had been thoroughly outplayed and the Bath celebrations were deservedly long and loud.