BPCC v Army Sponsored by Police Mutual

The Army won the toss and elected to bat in this strangest of 50 over games – with the Army in almost T20 mode.

First blood went to the Police with Russ Bryan getting a nick off his 2nd ball and Will Evans taking a fine diving keepers catch in front of 1st slip 2-1. Graeme Moore then joined the party with an edge from Varley, also caught behind 13-2. The score then raced along at an average of 6 until Wiseman (36) was held in the deep thanks to a well- judged catch by Ted Roe off Mick Martin 74-3. There was no let- up in the Army rations as they sped along at a rapid rate. Dixon (25) chopped on from Nigel Fretwell 88-4. Richard Jackson then had Boynton (9) lbw 104-5. Next to go was Redfern (1) to another superb catch behind from Will Evans taking off to his left off of Nigel Fretwell 106-6. Without addition Richard Jackson bowled Robinson and then finished off the innings, bowling Simon (5) round his legs trapping Kyan Gungu (0) and his 5th disturbing Ollenshaw’s bails. Jacksons figures 3.4 overs, no maidens, 13 runs for 5 wickets putting him in a select BP list, so early in his BP career. The Army totalling just 116 all out in only 21 of the 50 designated overs!

BP had a disastrous start to their reply with Ted Roe (1) castled by the pacey Simon off his pads from the 1st ball of the 2nd over. Phil Gray was never at ease scoring 4 in 22 balls before edging to keeper Wiseman off Robinson with the total 3. Duncan Midgley (27) was out 2 runs later lbw for a typical extravagant cameo including 5x4’s. Another 2 runs and BP were in all sorts of trouble at 35-4 with Richard Jackson bowled round his legs by Prinsloo. Lunch was taken early due to the short first ‘dig’ after 18 overs at 2pm with BP 50-4. The middle order shudders continued with a 5th wicket going down on 51 with Will Evans (16) held at 2nd slip by Green off Simon. At the other end Mick Martin had dug himself in refusing to budge, at one stage playing 32 consecutive dots – ‘Dot Martin’. Ray Doyle went to the middle requiring 36 runs for a personal milestone of 1000 BP runs, he settled in before he typically tore into the attack with a 6 and 5x4’s which left him on 32 or 996! The 1000th run came courtesy of a boundary from a late cut wide of 3rd man off of Kyan Gungu. Mick Martin who had been at the crease for 51 balls, scoring just 5 runs, then weighed in with 3 boundaries in an over, leaving a Ray Doyle single to win the match in the 31st over. Martin 17 not out and Doyle 41 not out had seen BP through with an unbroken stand of 66.

BP got the result but were intent on putting themselves under pressure with the bat.

The MOM award was presented by Mike Farmer representing the Sponsors Police Mutual to BP’s Richard Jackson for setting up the win with his 5-13 – only the 15th such haul by a BP bowler.