General News
17 January, 2025
Hot bats score high
By GARY WALSH ON A DAY heaven-sent for batsmen – searingly hot weather, with a bone dry and uneven outfield – Kingower and Arnold hitters played their part, racking up a staggering 420 runs between them in an afternoon. Redbacks skipper Henry...
By GARY WALSH
ON A DAY heaven-sent for batsmen – searingly hot weather, with a bone dry and uneven outfield – Kingower and Arnold hitters played their part, racking up a staggering 420 runs between them in an afternoon.
Redbacks skipper Henry McCullough won the toss and surprisingly chose to bowl first.
Kingower’s openers Matt Rowe and Will Deason, who have forged a strong partnership this season, couldn’t believe their luck.
With technically correct Rowe playing the anchor role and Deason swinging the bat, they put together 128 runs before Deason was brilliantly caught behind for 72 by veteran Phil Scholes off the medium pace of Campbell Hancock.
That only brought to the crease the competition’s top run-scorer, ‘Gower captain Jayden Leach.
He thumped 26 runs from 11 balls before holing out at mid-on, with two sixes and three fours from just seven scoring shots.
The pain didn’t end there for the Redbacks, with Kyle Simpson flailing the bat to finish 48 not out from 25 balls.
Meanwhile, Rowe was going calmly about his business, carrying his bat for 81 off 96 balls as Kingower compiled a massive 2-234. It was a mountain too hard to climb for the Redbacks, but led by opener Heath Lock, who made 101 not out off an even 100 balls, they made a brave chase.
A 72-run opening partnership ended when Scholes retired on 33, with Arnold going at seven runs an over.
McCullough started strongly but fell for 13 runs to a blinder at slip from Nick Leach off Rowe, who was having a spectacular day.
Another wicket in the same over to Rowe, with Tim Wright trapped LBW for a duck, signalled the end of Arnold’s chances.
However, Lock persevered despite outstanding fielding from Kingower, particularly Tynan Hywood and captain Leach, and tight bowling to bring up his century in the last over as the Redbacks battled to an impressive 5-186, a winning score in most circumstances.
Ben Rose took 2-7 off three tight overs as Kingower threatens for top spot.