Eastleigh & Otterbourne - Millard Cup Rd 1 vs Longparish Under 15's
Friday, 4th July 2008 - 6:00 pm
Eastleigh & Otterbourne - Millard Cup Rd 1: 102 All Out
Longparish Under 15's: 103 for 3
Match Report
These two teams had met earlier in the season in the league at Longparish, Eastleigh winning with the last man at the wicket with one ball to spare; the defeat a black spot in Longparish U15s’ outstanding season that currently stands at 5 wins out of 7 played. A superb effort by the boys who with the exception of 2 talented under 15s are all under 13s.
Captain William de Cani cocked up the toss and was asked to field, Ben Gardner and William Jackman opening the bowling, Jackman taking the first wicket with the eighth ball of the match. Ben Gardner taking the second wicket in the next over. Eastleigh consolidated after their shakey start, putting on a further 30 runs before the introduction of Brad Aldridge to the attack. Fresh from a week batting and bowling in County Division 3 with the Longparish 1st team, where he had bowled superbly and struck the wining runs, Aldridge carried his superb form through to this game taking 2 wickets in 2 overs for 2 runs; Sam Woodward backing him up from the other end. With seven overs remaining and Eastleigh looking to post a total into 3 figures, the brothers Grim, the miserly masters of death bowling, with dementor like fingers icily gripping the ball Ollie Lee and William de Cani picked up the cudgel. De Cani taking a wicket and Lee 3 for 11 from 3 overs as Eastleigh posted a total of 102.
With the gloom closing in, and the buzz of the flies lifting from the neighbouring sewage works growing ever louder, Longparish started poorly, losing openers de Cani and Coetzee with the score on 15. Ollie Lee and Andy Roberts batted superbly putting on 48 for the third wicket before Lee was dismissed for 22. Roberts batted on with “Biffer” Aldridge eventually striking the winning runs with a ball to spare and finishing on 21, Aldridge on 22 as Longparish progress to the next round of the cup, a home tie against Hursley Park on Friday 11th July.