Bank got off to winning ways in the delayed 2020 season with a reasonably comfortable victory over local rivals Redditch.
Skipper Pete Alexander won the toss and elected to field first, with overcast conditions offering a bit of hope for some swing for the bowlers. The swing never really came, with the ball only occasionally moving off the straight. Redditch openers Tom Phelan and new signing Adeel Sajid looked to make a positive start with Phelan crashing the best shot of his career through the covers for 4 off Dan Thomas in the first over. However, the Bank bowler got immediate revenge and had Phelan removed LBW shouldering arms at the very next ball.
Some tight, disciplined bowling meant that the hosts were kept pretty quiet and had to scrap for their runs which forced a sharply taken run out chance for Joel Haslam to remove number 3 Anis Suleman. With the game being the first played by Bank following the passing of club legend Paul Boycott (who had also played for Redditch in the 80's), it was fitting that his son James, making his first XI debut, got the prize scalp of opener Sajid LBW for 15, having started his spell with a maiden.
The Redditch middle order of Southwick, Chaudhry, Haris Ali and Basharat all chipped in with scores above 20 before being removed by Haslam, Tom Harris and Josh Baker to leave the Redditch tail scrambling to get the hosts up to anything like a defendable total. More tight bowling from the Bank attack meant that the tail were mopped up without too much drama and the Redditch side were dismissed for 147 after 37.3 overs. Haslam finished with 3 wickets, Harris 2 wickets and 1 each for Boycott, Baker and Thomas plus 2 run outs.
In reply, the discipline showed by the Bank bowlers at the start of the Redditch innings was not followed by Redditch opening pair. Several leg side wides hit the boundary fence and a few more wayward deliveries were sent to the fence to get the Bank off to a flyer. Tom Pedley was first batsman to go, cleaned up by a decent delivery from Moyhuddin bringing dangerman Tom Underhill to the crease. West and Underhill raced the score beyond 50 inside 6 overs giving Bank a commanding position.
With last years debacle of collapsing from a similar position at Bromsgrove Road, Bank were taking nothing for granted and when West and Underhill were back in the shack and the visitors only half way to the Redditch total, Redditch understandably had their tails up.
Luckily for Bank, we still had a number of experienced batters in the line up and it was Sam Thomas, supported initially by Baker and then skipper Pete Alexander that put together the innings that ultimately put the game out of the hosts reach. His 39 off 38 balls plus a cameo of 18* from Alexander ensured a reasonably comfortable 4 wicket victory for the 2019 Worcestershire League Premier Division Champions, who look forward to hosting Feckenham at home next Saturday.
Full Scorecard: http://astwoodbank.play-cricket.com/website/results/4430809
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