Knebworth 2's away

The 2nd Herts league game of the season & the 1st x1 were on the road to Knebworth park 2's.

After losing the toss & the home side electing to bat NCC started well with solid opening spells for Ollie Johnson & Lee Johnson.
OJ took out the no 1 bat for 5 & Lee sent the no 3's poles crashing for just 1 & NCC were well on top at 19-2. Then came a turning point in the Knebworth innings Lee had the Knebworth opener dropped on 9 at first slip (no names :-) anyway to cut a long story short the opener went on to get 116 & batted really well. Eventually falling to a Hobbers C&B.

OJ was the pick of the bowlers with 9 overs 3-35 which looked very good in a total of 264. A few wayward overs & some absolute howlers in the filed cost NCC dear & at one point we were staring down the barrel at 300+ so fought back well. Lee Johnson & Hobbers bowling well with control & backed up well by JB & Shane.

We dropped a total of 10 catches & had many shockers that cost us another 30 or 40 runs.

Anyway at tea we were still very positive about the chase & backed ourselves on what looked like a decent pitch with a very small boundary one side. JB was snicked up 3rd ball & when fellow opener Matt Suckling was bowled for 3 NCC were in trouble at 28-2.

In stepped Birthday boy George Liveing & set about smashing the Knebworth attack to all parts. George smashed 90 in rapid time & peppered the short boundary with some trademark pull shots. Last week I mentioned a big one was just around the corner & so we were all disappointed when George fell just 10 short of a Ton.

When George finally fell he had 90 out of 124 & left Hobbers & Shane at the crease with still 140 needed for victory. What followed was a master class in how to chase down a total. Hobbers played the supporting role & worked the gaps well & Shane took on the Bully role & dispatched Knebworth's buffet bowling to all parts smashing six 6's in a 96* in just 55 balls. Shane was very unlucky not to get his Ton also & thoroughly deserved one.

Hobbers was the rock at the other end & batted in typically unselfish manor to keep the strike rotating & leave Shane in a position to punish the oppo's wayward attack. NCC chased down 265 in just 41.2 overs & held onto top spot in the league.