21 November 2022
Rain was forecast for the clash between Saint Charles and Michaelhouse 1st cricket teams on Saturday, 19 November, and it duly arrived, but not before some scintillating performances out in the middle on the spacious Saint Charles Oval, which were highlighted by a standout showing from Matthew Urquhart.
In overcast conditions, Michaelhouse chose to bat after winning the toss, which was something that the home team were probably not too unhappy about, given the rain-threatening clouds overhead, and it didn’t take long for the hosts to strike, with Jehan Adonis having James Kennedy caught off of a leading edge for a single.
Scoring was not easy. The pitch offered the Saints’ bowlers some assistance, and they did their bit by sticking to one side of the wicket and bowling to their field.
Nonetheless, Kennedy’s opening partner, West Mitchell-Innes, doggedly stuck to his task, going on to top score with 30 from 28 deliveries, with two fours and a six.
Unfortunately for Michaelhouse, no other batsmen made it to 20, although Joshua Heath and Nathan Hoatson hung around for a while, and John Yeadon needed a mere 12 balls for his 17, the second highest score of the innings.
A huge reason for the visitors’ struggles in the middle was the performance of the off-spinner, Matthew Urquhart. He led the Saints’ attack with a superb return of 6 for 22 from 9.2 overs, including a hat-trick, which was wildly celebrated by the home team.
Urquhart was helped along by some outstanding fielding, including a catch for the ages bagged by Cian Fortmann, who launched himself off the ground at extra cover and grasped the ball at full stretch, just as it appeared it would pass over his head, to send Yeadon packing. It took a second or two for most to realise he had pulled off a stunner.
Michaelhouse eventually made it to 111 all out after 37.2 overs, with Adonis lending good support to Urquhart with a return of 2 for 17 from his five overs.
In the field, the boys from Balgowan then challenged the Saints’ batsmen up front, inducing them to play and miss on a good number of occasions, but the Pietermaritzburg team stood firm. It took a run out to break apart the opening partnership, with West Mitchell-Innes ending Sam Brown’s knock on 19, which included four fours.
Cian Fortmann, though, stuck around, hitting four fours in his 55-ball 33, the highest score of the day, before he was caught off of the bowling of Mitchell Thornton.
By this time the clouds had sunk lower, and the light had faded somewhat. If Saints were to claim victory, they would need to up their scoring rate. They tried, but Michaelhouse bowled well and struck a further three times to reduce the hosts to 89 for 5 in the 21st over before rain brought the contest to an end.
Tom Mitchell was the pick of the Michaelhouse bowlers, snapping up 2 for 8 in four lively overs but, with more overs remaining than runs required, Saint Charles finished the match in charge.
Scores
Michaelhouse 111 all out (W. Mitchell-Innes 30, M. Urquhart 6 for 22, J. Adonis 2 for 17)
Saint Charles 89 for 5 (C. Fortmann 33, T. Mitchell 2 for 8)
Match abandoned
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