United scrape to opening day win
The team defeated their guests at Hosking Park by a mere 15 runs.
Brakpan-based United Cricket Club got their 2018/2019 Eastern Premier League campaign off to a winning start on a hot October 7 at home to Bedfordview Cricket Club.
Although ‘a win is a win’, as they say in sporting circles, United’s Premier XI skipper Justin Gamble will hope to see an improvement from his men in future fixtures.
“Sunday wasn’t the perfect start to the season, but we will take a scrappy win,” said the longstanding captain.
Gamble won the toss and elected to bat first on his home deck.
His team were bowled all out for 185 in 44.3 overs.
After the dismissal of opening batsman Dylan Rayner for 10 runs, fellow opener Kabelo Sekhukhune (one of United’s original Premier League players who is back with the team after playing professional cricket in the Eastern Cape for a few years) and new signing Anton Muller formed a strong partnership of 78 runs before the latter was dismissed for a well-played knock of 59 runs from 49 deliveries with the score at 114/2.
Sekhukhune then lost his wicket moments later and had to walk back to the clubhouse seven runs shy of what would have been a wonderful half-century return to his club.
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The batsmen that followed for United could not follow on from that partnership and stuttered along before they were all removed by the Bedfordview bowling attack.
“After a good start from Kabelo and Anton we steadily lost wickets and were probably 50 to 70 runs short of where we wanted to be,” said Gamble.
With the ball it was another new face, Vincent Herold, who contributed well on the day.
Herold bagged impressive bowling statistics of 4/28 in 6.1 overs, backed up nicely by Gamble (2/28 in 10 overs) and Branden Grutter (2/54 in 10 overs) as United managed to wrap up the Bedfordview batting order for 170 runs in 39.1 overs.
“We put up a good fight with the ball and managed to get a close win,” added the skipper.
“Vincent put in a good performance and the spinners did a good job in the middle overs to peg them back.
“We will need to be more consistent and clinical with the bat in the future to maximise on the good starts.
“We have a few new faces and a few up-and-coming youngsters in the squad.
“It’s a good balance with all our bases covered.
“We will be looking to play good, consistent cricket and build a strong unit going forward.”
Meanwhile, the club’s Premier Reserve League XI also played Bedfordview, but away from home.
United, batting first scored 246/9 in 50 overs with Dillan Alberts (62 runs) and Shane Wallace (50 runs) starring with the willow.
In their reply, Bedfordview would fall a desperate 10 runs short of the target when their 50 overs ran out, scoring 236/8.
United’s Johnjoe Coetzee (3/33 in 10 overs), Brendon Frost (3/41 in seven overs) and Travis Lakin (2/32 in six overs) did the job with the ball for the Brakpan team.
Their Directors League XI lost by eight wickets to Elsburg in their Sunday fixture at Hosking Park’s B-field.
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