Beaten by Bedford

Bedford overwhelmed Bilton Grange’s 2nd XI on Saturday with a display of tight, accurate bowling that left the Bilton players without a target to defend.

 On an overcast day, with a damp pitch, it was a good toss for the hosts to win and they sent Bilton Grange in to bat. With Bedford bowling one accurate medium pacer after another, an unpredictable wicket that had not been rolled due to the damp and a wet outfield, Bilton were up against it. No one got runs, and the boys were rather pleased to have lasted the thirty overs. As the field dried up, and Bedford brought on a spinner, tail-ender Alex Dibnah hit a couple of boundaries, but it was the drought of runs early on that put Bilton under pressure, with several batsmen offering their wickets trying to get runs that were not coming. Bedford fielded well, although they seldom had to chase.

Bilton then had to bowl to defend our innings total of 92. It was always going to be difficult, and when their openers got the measure of Seb Jenks, and James Webb struggled with his run-up, Bilton’s task became impossible. A dropped catch did not help, and Bedford made the total with more than ten overs to spare, having lost very few wickets.

 Bedford have tremendous depth, and Bilton can feel that they lost to very strong opponents. Several lessons can be learned, however: a shortage of runs early on puts pressure on the batsmen that follow. Bedford showed that accurate bowling on a good length is the best way to bowl: speed is less important. Hopefully, we should carry these lessons through to our last few matches.


Tags: Cricket, Prep, Sport