Given that it's been two weeks since Romsey's last league match, it was pretty handy that we got a chance to turn our arms over in a rare mid-season friendly today. What's more, we were playing at Fitzwilliam College's playing fields, where we have two of our final three league matches, so it was also a good chance to reacquaint ourselves with what will, effectively, be our home ground for the rest of the season.
Romsey batted first, but scored at a 40-over pace, as Roy Page (17 off 28 balls), Nick Clarke (an eventual 57* off 56 balls) and Malcolm Creek (11 off ?? balls) all struggled with the slow but accurate Remnants bowlers. We were on the verge of setting a disastrously low total (64/1 after 11 eight-ball overs) until Nick and Daniel Mortlock (30* off 13 balls) went to town on some loose bowling in the final few overs.
Defending 125 was seemed likely to be challenging . . . but somehow turned out to be a complete doddle. Oliver Rex (2/5), Rog Shelley (0/12), Andy Owen (0/9), Paul Jordan (1/16) and Daniel Mortlock (2/7) all conceded only the occasional run as the Remnants batsmen seemed content to play for a non-existent draw. Usually this is the part of the report where the fielders get praised, but in fact their contribution was all but irrelevant, simply because the Remnants batsmen seldom got the ball off the square. That said there were a number of good efforts, Richard Rex snaffling a sharp catch at mid-wicket, Edmund Rex keeping calm to effect a good run-out from square-leg, and substitute fielder Maximus Rex taking a highly unlikely catch in the late-evening gloom. With a few overs to go Remnants were just 43/?, after which some late hitting meant the Remnants score acquired a veneer of respectability; but there was no disguising the fact that we dominated the game.