Cambridgeshire v Bedfordshire - Minor Counties Championship – Match Recap
Cambridgeshire overcame Bedfordshire by four wickets in a match of the Minor Counties Championship, at the Bedford School Ground, in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.
The visitors had to chase down 176 runs for victory, which they did in the end. The team had a few nervous moments during the run chase, as they lost six wickets in the process.
Earlier, the Bedfordshire captain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Oliver-James-Clayson-c80188, opted to bat first after winning the toss. His decision didn’t prove to be an ideal one, as the team was bundled-up for just 101 runs in their first outing.
There was some dampness in the pitch on the first day, which made life difficult for the batsmen. The ball did quite a few tricks off the seam and in the air, restricting the hosts to a lesser first innings total.
There were only four batsmen in the Bedfordshire’s first innings, who reached double figures. Opening batsman James Kettleborough was the top scorer of the innings with 31 runs.
Apart from the team’s opener, there was no other batsman who even managed to score in the twenties.
Cambridgeshire’s bowler, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajaz-Akhtar-c42451, made most of the bowling friendly conditions, picking up four wickets in the innings.
The pitch had eased out to some extent once the visitors came out to bat. They lost a couple of wickets early in the innings, but an 80-run stand between Peter Richer and Neil Ferraby guided the team into a very good position. Both players contributed 33
runs each to the total before being dismissed.
Middle-order player http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lewis-R-Bruce-c72840 also batted superbly, scoring half-centuries in their respective innings. They collected 58 and 65 runs, guiding the team’s total closer to 300.
Cambridgeshire’s first innings came to an end after the team had piled up 286 runs, gaining a lead of 185 runs.
The home team’s George Bacon was the pick of the bowlers for his side, scalping three wickets.
Bedfordshire fought back hard, scoring 360 runs in their second innings. The team was given a spectacular start and reached 232 for the loss of one wicket at one point in the innings.
Opening batsman Kettleborough top scored the innings and the game, collecting 126 runs for his side. He got tremendous support from the team’s first-drop batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Stephen-David-Stubbings-c91064 who scored 80 runs in his impressive outing.
The lower-order failed to make most of the start provided by the top-order batsmen and the entire team was dismissed with an overall lead of 175 runs.
Lewis Bruce bowled decently for Cambridgeshire, picking up four wickets in the innings.
Despite losing one batsman early, the visitors bounced back well in the match. Richer and Ferraby were yet again impressive, collecting 39 and 53 runs in their respective outings.
The team did lose some momentum at one stage of the innings, losing some quick wickets. However, Atkinson batted well, scoring an unbeaten 41 and guiding his side to a four-wicket win.
Bedfordshire’s http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Arshad-c45521 didn’t have much support from the other end.
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