GARGOYLES DIG DEEP FOR VICTORY

Alstonefield Cricket Club recorded another impressive win on Sunday against a young and energetic Wootton side, winning by an emphatic 55 runs.

Asked to bat first on a damp, slow pitch and an even slower outfield, batsmen would have to treat each ball on merit and watch it all the way to the bat. This is exactly what Harry Jones did, as he reinforced his position as the reliable and effective run scorer at the top of the order. His 45 was a lesson in shot selection. With Neil Shotton going cheaply, Simon Smith at number 3 played his best innings to date, riding his luck, but showing sufficient aggression to knock the

Wootton attack off line and length. By the time he retired on 53 not out, Phil Bagshaw had hit a quick 24 and the Gargoyles finished on 162 for 3 wickets from their 35 overs. With the wet and lush outfield probably saving 30 more runs, 162 felt like a competitive total.

Tea in the village hall was a wondrous affair, with a phalanx of 1940s cross dressers and land army girls serving delicious refreshments and reminding the majority of the Gargoyles of their childhood.

Back on the field, Terry White delivered the goods in the form of a giant bag of sawdust and the Gargoyles’ bowlers simply didn’t let the Wootton batsmen have any easy pickings. Man of the match Mikey Allen set the example and produced his best ever bowling performance, completely dominating the Wootton opening batsmen with 7 overs for only 12 runs. Uncle Richard followed suit and all the bowlers kept it tight and built pressure, none more so than Phil Bagshaw, who, off his short run took 3 for 9 from his 7 overs. The fielding was sharp, with new boy Marcus Grover distinguishing himself with boundary saving slides and catches were taken. Harry Jones kept wicket superbly, conceding only 2 byes and once again, every member of the team had made a contribution to the win. At the end of their 35 overs, a talented Wootton batting line up could only muster 107 runs for 7 wickets. Gargoyles won by 55 runs.