Chiswick
2pm
Weather: occluded sunshine / windy / cold
Weasels won the toss and elected to bat
Dodgers 169-4 (Priest 75, McBarron 52*, Jacobs 7 inc all-run 5, Extras 21) bt Weasels 168-8 (Cooper 8-1-15-2, Paterson 7-1-22-2) by 6 wickets
Man of the Match: Cooper (5) / Priest (5)
Match reportDodgers second forty over game of the season got underway at a sunny Chiswick with the strangely named Weasels providing the opposition. Priest took over the toss-losing duties and duly lost the toss, the Weasels choosing to bat first despite the presence of a strong Dodgers bowling line up. Indeed, the bowling was so strong that Lee’s Harmison-esque bag of allsorts was deemed surplus to requirements and he was dispatched to fill in behind the pegs in the absence of The Cat.
Priest immediately sprung a tactical surprise by keeping usual opener Paterson back and, coupled with the late arrival of Cousins, Cooper and Hilary led off. Cooper was immediately in the wickets when his booming inswingers claimed Hurley and Duft, both clean bowled. Already the decision of the Weasels captain was looking as flawed as Liam Plunkett’s bowling action.
However, at the other end, traditional Dodgers nemesis Michaels was looking in ominous form, unleashing a series of muscular drives, pulls and cuts to the boundary. The opening bowlers kept a lid on things but with no further breakthroughs forthcoming in the first 15 overs, Priest called upon the human metronome Cousins to try and winkle out another Weasel. In his very first over, he induced a false shot, a ball of perfect line and length that caught the elegant Michaels in no mans land and found the edge. Sadly, Lee grounded the chance. Several members of the team offered words of comfort, including team optimist McBarron who highlighted the 144 previously clocked up by the Weasels’ leading man.
Undaunted, Cousins proceeded to snare the number 4 Weasel with a sharp caught and bowled and next ball cleaned up the number 5. The hat trick ball was close and with four small furry creatures back in the hutch, Dodgers had high hopes of wrapping up the full fur coat in quick time.
Stubborn resistance from the number 6 put paid to this hope so in a fit of religious namesakery, the Dodgers captain turned to Pope to perform a minor miracle and see of the Weasels opener. Despite being on the receiving end of some lusty blows, premier twirler Dave delivered, luring Michaels down the track to be stumped by Lee for 92.
Suddenly Weasels' hopes of a 200+ score were dashed. Paterson came on for his second spell to close out the innings and he shattered the wickets of Dunecliff and Williams. Backed up by some varied and interesting bowling from Adey, Dodgers limited the score to a very gettable 168-8.
McBarron and Dollin led off the reply, Dollin playing some pleasant strokes before being dispatched LBW. This set the stage for one of the great Dodgers partnerships, the fire of the turbulent Priest matched to the ice of professional Yorkshireman McBarron. A 136 run partnership, one of the highest in Dodgers history saw the team virtually home and what contrasting styles in contained. Priest dispatched boundaries hither and thither, whilst McBarron contended himself with ones and twos, striking his very first boundary when moving to 49. In virtually arctic conditions, Priest eventually departed, bowled by Dyer for an excellent 75. McBarron completed his somewhat turgid fifty and Jacobs treated us all to the first all-run 5 of the season, although such was the difference in speed between the wickets that Jacobs may well have run 7.
A late clatter of wickets (including a first ball departure for Lee with only two needed) was not enough to prevent a second 40 over win for Dodgers who cantered home in style by 6 wickets, McBarron finishing unbeaten on 52. At the end, the Weasels had been well and truly skinned, stuffed and tastefully displayed.
[Match report by Peter Lee]
ScorecardInnings of Weasels
Michaels st Lee b Pope 92
Hurley b Cooper 0
Duft b Cooper 1
Imran c & b Cousins 12
Woodward b Cousins 0
Perival not out 24
Dunecliff b Paterson 5
Williams b Paterson 6
Pagan not out 0
Dyer run out 12
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Sub-total 152
Extras 16
Total 168
Bowling of Dodgers
Cooper 8-1-15-2
Hilary (J) 7-2-26-0
Cousins 8-0-26-2
Paterson 7-1-22-2
Pope 5-0-35-1
Adey 5-0-30-0
Innings of Dodgers
McBarron not out 52
Dollin lbw b Dyer 11
Priest b Dyer 75
Jacobs c & b Williams 7
Lee c Hurley b Williams 0
Hilary (J) not out 2
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Sub-total 147
Extras 22
Total 169
FoW: 1-22, 2-158, 3-167, 4-167
Dnb: Paterson, Cousins, Cooper, Adey, Pope
Bowling of Weasels
Williams 7-1-42-2
Dyer 8-3-27-2
Duff 8-0-31-0
Pagan 7.1-0-38-0
Imran 8-0-30-0
Labels: reports2007, weasels
