Crusaders complete CUCC double against The Free Foresters
Tuesday 22 June 2010
The FF were up against a Crusaders side heading towards the pinnacle of an already successful season who were using this game as their final match before the 3 day Varsity clash. Ratledge stood in for the injured Cleobury and won the toss. Cambridge were inserted on a flattish looking Pembroke College pitch that looked good to chase on.
Candidate and undergrad David Mildowski opened up with the wind behind him, and a chilly one it was too. Rumours that he had split the grille of Tom Askew with a bouncer in the winter nets was clearly in the batsmen's minds. They were reticent against his bounce, movement and pace and in 2 spells punctuated by lunch he returned well deserved figures of 20-3-77-4.
At the other end Ratledge was equally miserly but decidedly less hostile (10-0-38-0) and gave way to the inswinging bananas of Tom Yeomans (14-1-33-2). Evan Flowers (11-2-58-2) and local hero Ed Dodson (6-1-17-0) also bowled creditably and the declaration at 238-9 off 60 overs represented a tidy FF performance and an eminently gettable target.
The star innings from Cambridge came from Pearson (already an FF). His well-timed and unbeaten 100 was well deserved and interspersed with some lovely driving.
So the FF anticipated about 45 overs to chase down 238 - just over 5 an over. After the early loss of Flowers, Mawson (54) and Ratledge (66) took charge but after Mawson edged the leg spinner's first ball to slip there was a mini middle order collapse until the late/middle order wagged. Towards the end the never say die attitude of the FF, chasing 7 an over latterly, was best represented by the elegance and occasional beligerance of Dodson (25) and Yeomans (14).
The FF fell 13 short ultimately and fought to the death. Ratledge summed up the wicket fairly: after hitting the seam and beating Pearson's outside edge the batsman began to tap down where it had pitched. "There's nothing wrong with the pitch" said the skipper with a wry grin. And he was quickly proved right as Pearson blasted the next ball through extra cover for four!
