Perfect Performance Puts 1s Top Of The Table

On a sunny but very windy day, KCC visited Hailey CC in Witney. After winning the toss, Captain Richard Walker listened to his bowlers and asked Hailey to bat on a hard, slightly green wicket.

Dan Farrant opened from the Road End into the wind, with Steve Litten coming from the Forest End as KCC looked to make early inroads with the new ball! Both bowlers started well and Farrant thought he had made the early breakthrough when J.King edged to Edd Willmot at 2nd slip, however Willmot just failed to hang on with the ball low to his right. Litten was looking in controls as he managed his pace well and his patience told when he bowled D.Hariss with a jaffa that nipped back off the seam and hit middle stump! It wasn't long before Litten had his second wicket when he clean bowled P.Tinson as Hailey were 15/2 from 6 overs. Farrant then thought he had his man J.King when he edged behind to Walker behind the stumps. King had other ideas as he stood his ground, the whole of KCC appealed with the umpire uninterested thinking King had hit the ground. King later admitted he had hit the ball but was unsure if it had carried. Hailey soon found themselves 20/3 when Litten claimed his third wicket of the game, the dangerous S.King had come out playing his shots but mistimed one as Edd Willmot took a swirling catch at cover. A.Slatter joined J.King with Hailey in need of a partnership, however they soon were reduced to 40/4 when Farrant finally had the wicket of J.King, bowling him with a swinging delivery. J.Fullerton came to the crease fresh from a ton the previous week and dispatched Litten for a huge six through mid wicket before being fooled by a brilliant back of the hand slower ball which moved Littens tally on to 4 for the day. With both bowlers keeping the score low and taking wickets, Walker decided to bowl the pair out with Farrant taking the wicket of Slatter LBW in the 23rd over with a back of length delivery that stayed slightly low and caught the batsman by surprise. With the score on 75/6, KCC knew they had to continue to bowl well with Hailey having some big hitters down the order. Muhammad Usman replaced the bowled out Farrant and Tom Bozman came on for Litten. Usman started superbly taking the wicket of J.Wood with a delivery that swing from leg stump and clipped the top of off stump with only his second ball! Bozman struggled against the attacking C.King as the score moved close to 100, but Bozman finally had his man when he top edged a shot to Farrant at backward point. S.Hadland struck two quick boundaries before being bowled by Bozman, before Usman wrapped up the Hailey innings as he got one past the edge of Captain D.King as the ball hit off stumps, leaving Hailey all out for 115 in the 30th over!

After an early tea, KCC set about chasing the required runs knowing they couldn't afford to lose any early wickets and allow Hailey to get their tails up. Andy Oliver was rejoined by his new opening partner Tom Bozman and the pair looked in good touch as the played sensible cricket playing every ball on its merit. Anything short was quickly dispatched by Oliver as he struck some lovely pull and cut shots as they raced to the boundary on the quick outfield. Bozman at the other end drove the ball beautifully as he hit the ball to all parts of the ground with KCC racing to 50/0 in the 12th over. As both batsmen looked comfortable, Hailey began to look deflated with misfields costing them valuable runs. With the score moving past 80, Bozman was unluckily run out as Oliver smashed the ball down the ground, it hit the hand of C.King and ran Bozman out as he was backing up. Edd Willmot joined Oliver knowing that not losing another wicket would see KCC secure all 30 points and go top of the league. The pair played the rest of the innings out well as they settled for singles before Oliver passed his half century for the 3rd time this season. The winning runs were finally struck by Willmot in the 22nd over as he smashed the ball through the covers to secure a brilliant 9 wicket victory for KCC which sees them leapfrog Hailey into 1st place in Division 4!