| MALLORCA SELECT XI VICTORS IN HELP FOR HEROES CHARITY MATCH |
Posted by: wendypeters, on 06/03/2010, in category "Match Reports"
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The weather may not have been kind, but everyone who supported the Help for Heroes Charity Cricket match on Wednesday afternoon certainly was; the final amount raised is 1,500 euros.
Under clearing skies Mallorca’s Select X1 won the toss and elected to bat in the Twenty/20 match. The Ex Servicemen took to the field with undisguised enthusiasm; some of these ‘boys’ had been in training for the past four weeks and were eager to prove themselves. Skipper and ex World Champion boxer Nigel Benn hadn’t attended net practice and it was rumoured that he had never played cricket before, but when he came on to bowl from the mountain end he looked impressive, claiming a couple of scalps to boot.
Brian Salter and Wes Walker opened the innings for the homeside; the pair sprayed the boundary liberally before retiring on 24 and 23 respectively. Dave Borrie bowled a respectable couple of overs conceding just nine before he was given a rest. Neil Cook hit a swift 29 before retiring. The first wicket fell with 97 on the board when Terry Mott was given out lbw for 4. Bowler Steve Hunt’s determined appeal gave umpire Tom Leeming no option but to raise his finger…Hunt is the landlord of The Ship in Portals which happens to be Tom’s local!
British Consul Paul Abrey sportingly retired on 7, to give the rest of the team a bat. There was jubilation when Pete Laveney took a brilliant catch off Nigel Benn to dismiss Simon Burnett for 3. There was a run out when The Majorca Daily Bulletin’s Deputy Editor and vigilant keeper Humphrey Carter threw down the stumps to send Rob Hughes back to the dressing room on unlucky 13. Carter continued to triumph running out Muckleberg for 9 then taking a catch to dismiss Eric George off Benn for 6. The final tally: 143-9.
You would have been bold to bet on the visitors achieving their target, most were non-cricketers, but they certainly entertained with their resolve and camaraderie. Dave Borrie and Nigel Benn opened the innings; Borrie hit a boundary on his way to 8 before Rob Hughes bowled him for 7 with just 8 scored. Benn’s lucrative foray in the middle included a couple of boundaries before third change Leggett bowled him for 13 with the board showing 25. When Pete Laveney fell to a catch by Hughes off Leggett for 4 and Ged Scott was out for nought, caught Muckleberg off Burnett the Ex Servicemen’s plight was not a happy one. However, With 4 wickets down and a mere 32 scored the remaining batting line up had something to prove and Jamie Squibb was the man to do it holding his side together as the rest of the team, despite their valiant efforts, failed to make double figures . Paul Melville, resplendent in Newcastle United hat, showed his mettle in a fifteen minute stint at the crease before succumbing to Wes Walker for 4. Squibb finished unbeaten having covered himself in glory retired with 29 to his credit. Humphrey Carter made his entrance at No. 11, but it was too late; he played a couple of stylish shots before the overs ran out; he and Jordan Kirby finished unbeaten, with the visitors falling well short of their target on 74.
The result, everyone felt, was irrelevant because the match and the fundraising had been hugely enjoyable; discussions to make this an annual event are already in progress.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this splendid afternoon
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