Faire vs The Drakes - Report

Chiswick House played host to this grudge match, and Drakes skipper Tom Davenport had no hesitation in batting first on a strip greener than a Brighton ballot box.

Davenport himself opened up with Pranav Sood, and the pair looked in good touch before Ruairi Bowen broke 17 MPH and blistered Sood’s left bail. New ball partner Hanrahan was not to be outdone, and the score had risen to 15 when Davenport was fingered by umpire Tim Potter, and walked off looking a little sore.

The Isle of Man express then shaped it in, shaped it out and shaped it all about to take 3/20 and leave the Drakes reeling on 50/5.

Turncoat Greg Williams arrived at the wicket like a Tory in Sunderland. But after some searching questions from leg slip he crunched two boundaries, narrowly missing a local chihuahua in the process.

Despite Williams not picking Hunt (2-23 )'s long hop, the Drake’s ship was steadied by Macleohose and Howard, before spin king Kanagasooriam (3/42) came to the party. Like a young Peter Such, the Sri Lankan bowled with flair and guile to mystify the opposition batsman and nail the poles with remarkable accuracy. Bowen (2/12) mopped up the tail and the Drakes were all out for 122.

In reply, Stobbs ma (10) and Ponti (24*) got Faire off to a flyer, before Stobbs walked down the pitch and into the pavilion. New man Scarlett, usually a good puller, couldn’t quite get his bat up in time and top-edged to mid-on, allowing David Watkins to enter the fray. Watkins (50 retired) has looked class all season, and soon moved to fifty with an uncharacteristic hoik through mid-wicket. Seasonal debutant Marcus Potter (6*) came in at no.5 and woke himself and the crowd up with a pair of delightful leg-glances, before Ponti took Faire over the line with a textbook single.

So another win and another happy day for both Faire and the bookies. All eyes now turn to next Sunday’s crunch fixture vs The Barely Bluies at The Regent’s Park Oval