The FP’s 2nd XI to face Huntly, at a remarkably dry Rubislaw, comprised the following talented chaps, Magesh Devendran (c), Matt Barker (vc), Arunkumar Chithambaram, Chris Clelland (wkt), Guru Thangamani , Jesten D’Costa, John Eagles, Karthik Mohanan, Mahesh Narayanan, Rahul Gopal and Saravana Rathinam.
FP’s won the toss and elected to field, opening the bowling with Mohanan and youngster D’Costa. Unfortunately neither we able to make a mark in their opening spells as Squire and McKay got the Huntly innings off to a strong start.
It took a smart caught and bowled from Narayanan to break the partnership in the 13th over with the score on 56, Squire (29) the man to depart. The next two Huntly batsmen did little to add to the score departing for 2 and 9, removed courtesy of Eagles and Devendran who both clean bowled their men.
Mitchell was the next man in for Huntly and along with the worrying presence of Squire made Grammar pay for a lack of penetration in the attack. Together they boosted the score to 163 before Mitchell (43) fell to Captain Devendran, the catch well held by Mohanan on the boundary. With the loss of his partner in crime Squire attempted to go on the attack but was out LBW to D’Costa, the ball striking him on his back pad to leave the umpire no choice.
Huntly sent out their juniors, including Scottish Internationalist Kirstie Gordon, to see out the remainder of their innings. All acquitted themselves well without scoring heavily, Huntly declaring their innings in the 42nd over with 178 in the bank. Eagles snaffled another couple of wickets before the end; another plumb LBW decision and a superman-esque diving catch by Barker at mid-off helping him on his way.
With tea swiftly consumed the players returned to the field, Barker and Clelland to open the batting for FP’s. Clelland made 7, including a delightfully timed boundary, before being well caught behind from the bowling of Black. Looking in good nick despite his lack of time in the middle this season, Chalkie’s early dismissal can perhaps be attributed to his need to return to the pavilion to pick up his conversation about holiday homes with Mr Eagles.
Narayan came to the crease and played well, particularly off his legs, for a classy 28 before being caught going for a big one off Gandhi. At the other end Barker was playing, literally, the innings of his life indelicately hoicking 9 boundaries on his way to a career best of 67. Having been frustrated by the controlled spin of Gordon, Barker was eventually bowled going for a heave over mid-on.
With 3 wickets down, plenty of overs remaining and 120 on the board, an FP’s win looked assured. Sure enough, Thangamani and Eagles brought the team home with 12 overs to spare, the former closing out the victory and his half-century with a well taken boundary. Eagles also looked assured with a surprisingly attacking 23 not out.
This was another good win for FP’s 2nd XI and they remain unbeaten in the league this season. With an improved batting line-up and a pool of talented bowlers to select from, the team look to be real title contenders for Grade 3 this year.
Man of the Match – Matt Barker. Maiden 50 for the club and a sprawling catch at mid-off.
Champagne Moment – Thangamani closing out the victory and his half-century with a single shot.
