After a below par batting performance against Academy the previous week it was up to the FPs 2nd XI’s top order to show what they were made of in this vital league match against Turriff.
Fortunately the players were up to the task and after a controlled fielding performance, FPs chased down 205 with 10 overs and 5 wickets to spare.
Pick of the bowlers was Devendran who took 4 wickets, whilst the run chase was started by Whyte (59) and finished by Thangamani (63).
FPs lost the toss (again) but were asked to field first, their usual preference anyway. First men in, Kola and Chamers, put on 39 for the first wicket, all but 2 of the runs coming from Kola. Batting in maroon chinos and leather moccasins, the Turriff man knocked 40 from the FP’s openers before lofting one to Mantha from the bowling of Devendran. Chamers had fallen a couple of overs earlier for 2 after a mix-up between the batsmen lead to the easiest of run-outs at the non-strikers end.
No. 4 Murtaza made 21 with some nice boundaries before coming unstuck against Devendran, Mantha taking a beauty of a catch running to his left. Third man in Smart was playing very sensibly but he eventually succumbed to Whyte for a well played 38, Mantha waiting an age for the ball to drop to him on the boundary before taking the catch.
With the score 156 for 4, the Turriff top order had done their work and with an in-form Mirashi still at the crease a score of well over 200 looked on the cards. Fortunately some good line and length kept the score down to 204, Mirashi scoring a well played 73 n.o. Duncan (3) and Doss (1) were the only further wickets to fall, both dislodged by Devendran, bowled and LBW respectively. Smart finished on 6 n.o.
Devendran was the man in form with the ball, taking 4 for 44, whilst Mantha helped himself to 3 very well-taken catches. Whyte and Mohammed chipped in with a wicket apiece.
With 205 to get the pressure was on openers Barker and Whyte to get the innings off to a strong start. Barker found runs easy to come by, scoring relatively quickly before being bowled by Mirashi for 17 (2 x 4). With 26 on the board there was still a lot of work to be done and with Whyte having got his eye in he and Shetty got about chasing down the target. Shetty held up one end and played a very composed innings whilst Whyte scored freely at the other. The pair put on 76 together before Whyte holed out to mid-on for 59 (2 x 6, 8 x 4), the pick of his shots a perfectly timed cover drive which he was rightly very proud of.
With Ian Johnston watching on with fondness and a touch of regret in his eyes, former 3rd XI superstars Shetty and Thangamani picked up where Whyte left off, Thangamani in particular flaying the ball to all corners with some powerful hitting.
Having propped up the innings of Whyte and now Thangamani with some intelligent batting, Shetty eventually departed for 30 (2 x 4), bowled by a leg cutter from Mirashi. With the score 150 for 3 FPs just needed someone to stay with Thangamani whilst he knocked off the rest of the runs. Unfortunately the next two wickets fell for a gain of just 8 runs, Mohammed (3) run out going for a quick single and Mantha (2) LBW to Mirashi.
With Turriff sensing a turning of the tide they became increasingly more vocal in the field as they looked to an increasingly knackered looking Mirashi to get them another wicket. Fortunately FPs stalwart Mohanan was in the mood for a bat and proceeded to knock a quickfire 18 (3 x 4) taking the game away from the visitors. All that remained was for Thangamani to knock a huge 6 out of the park and take FPs to a winning score of 208 for 5 from 35 overs at a rate of nearly a run a ball. His personal tally came to 63 and featured 2 sixes and 8 fours.
FPs batted with control and aggression in equal measure and the whole team can be proud of this performance. Good spirit in the field and a willingness to support the bowlers was key to restricting Turriff to a gettable score.
Special mention must go to Turriff’s Mirashi who scored a large percentage of his team’s runs and finished with bowling figures of 3-43 despite looking in dire need of a sit down and a cup of tea.
Man of the Match – Kieran Whyte
Champagne Moment – Thangamani’s huge six to win the game.
