EMWCC 2’S v Oakley on Saturday 23rd July 2014

A year ago Easton arrived back at their club with their tails between their legs having been bowled out for 38 at Oakley and Oakley winning by 8 wickets.

So a determined Easton went back to Oakley to right this and the match started well when skip Foreman won the toss and elected to bat in very hot conditions and on a wicket that looked only reasonable from a batting perspective.

Young Will Wickham making his 2nd 11 debut for this season opened the batting with Adrian Lee and they took the score to 13 when Adrian was caught in the covers for 6. Veteran Martin Hall joined Will and the score progressed to 16 when Martin was bowled off his pads for 5 and John Sparks was also caught in the same over leaving Eastons tottering on the edge at 20 for 3 after 10 overs.
Will hit some elegant square drives before he was caught by the keeper for 16 including 1 four and Eastons were 43 for 4 off 15 overs-at least we were ahead of last year’s total!

Would history repeat itself?

16 year old Arthur Lee, nursing a sore knee, batted at 5 and he was joined by 15 year old Spencer Lee batting at 6. Spencer played with rapier like precision and yeoman Arthur with the proverbial broadsword and they compiled a record breaking partnership of 194 for the 5th wicket with Arthur smashing 8 sixes and 11 fours, mostly down the wicket, in an outstanding knock of 122 and Spencer an elegant 59 including 5 fours. This is probably the best partnership by two brothers in the history of the club which is celebrating its 70th Anniversary on Sunday 24th July.

Ed Wylde and Ben Stanbrough added late runs and Easton’s innings finished on 239 for 6, a massive recovery from 43 for 4!
Evergreen Trevor Yeates and returning university student Ed Wylde, making his season debut, opened the bowling with Ed taking the first two wickets to fall, both clean bowled, greatly helped by Will Wickham standing up bravely to Ed’s quick bowling. Will then pulled off a spectacular catch to remove opener Savage to give Spencer Lee his first wicket of the day and, in his next over , Spencer clean bowled Gray . All along Trevor Yeates was weaving his magic from the other end and his excellent bowling gave him figures of 9.4-1-45-6. Ed’s figures were 6-0-24-2 and Spencer’s 3-0-10-2. Oakley were bowled out for 89 with Easton winning by 150 runs.

Eastons picked up 24 points to Oakley’s 5, Arthur Lee the Pink Cap for the man of the match award (which has been in the Lee family for the past month!) and the team returned to their club with a smile on their faces!