SCORECARD

Fitmen continue their great start to the season, securing a 7-wicket victory

Fitmen took the short trip down the A435 for a T20 game against their local friends (far too nice to use rivals), Kings Heath. As has now become standard practice, the 17:30 start time is more of an aspiration than strictly kept to, and after losing the toss, Skipper Jonesy, no stranger to these parts, was asked to field.

The FitXI consisted of the usual mixed bag of suspects but had two newer additions: Fadil making an 11th-hour welcome return to the Fitmen with a fan club on the boundary, and debutante Harry with a bat and kitbag that screamed early 00’s Trescothick.

The stats of the bowling scorecard tell a tale: 14 overs of hard, back-bending seam-up work from Sunny, Rana, Waz, and Harry, who, despite their best efforts, went wicketless, with only Rana achieving an economy under 7 (a very respectable 4.25). In contrast, all four wickets went to the experience, guile, and flight of the three spinners: Nutters 2-14, Bal 1-9, and DMoore 1-8. Who knew early-season wickets are a slower bowler's paradise!

Fielding flowers to Bal, great effort on the boundary picking up the ball using just sonar at times. Harry for taking 2 catches, Ranna for winding up Sunny within the first over, and Timmy for dancing around the ball as a boundary sweeper.

The Heath set 126-4. Fair total on a tricky wicket that definitely had shooter with your name on if you didn’t play straight.

Opening partnership, Timmsy and Jonesy strode to the pitch. Timmsy did a job no one asked him to do, but did it with aplomb, in seeing off the new ball (1 off 9 balls) .

Sam Moore continued his strong performance from last week with impressive batting. He and Jonesy formed another 50-run partnership, their second consecutive one. Despite a challenging bowling attack and an unpredictable pitch, they maintained a run-a-ball pace. Their progress was halted when Jonesy was caught out in the deep for 26 while attempting a slog sweep the same slow bowler has got him 3 times in the past 3 years. The catch was a remarkable no-look, one-handed effort.

Debutant Harry entered at 4. While his early shots showed some rustiness, a closer look revealed the unmistakable hallmarks of a genuine cricketer. His batting displayed a sound technique, each stroke a faithful rendition from the MCC coaching manual. Once settled and his footwork established, he forged a productive partnership with Sam, adding another valuable 30-odd runs to the scoreboard, broken when Sam succumbed to a sharp, skidding delivery that clean bowled him. Nevertheless, Sam once again emerged as the innings' top scorer, his brisk 36 runs coming off just 28 deliveries, punctuated by four boundaries and a pair of towering sixes.

Fadil stepped to the crease at the fall of the 3rd wicket, requiring 30 runs from the remaining 30 deliveries. The dwindling daylight added an extra layer of difficulty, compounded by an unusual five-minute interruption caused by the need for the fielding team's wicket-keeper to change his equipment. Fadil remained unbeaten with a brisk 20 runs scored off just 11 balls, which drew enthusiastic cheers from his family watching from the sidelines. Beautiful. Harry provided steady support, contributing an unbeaten 23 runs from 21 balls, ensuring they reached the required total without undue pressure.

Drinks were partaken back in the clubhouse, before you write in HPA, Carling Shady and Inutition.

So two from two for the midweek fitmen, we couldn’t, could we?