Match Report - Lordswood v. Beckenham

With the awful virus seemingly on the retreat, the cricket season got under way on Saturday with a trip to Lordswood to mark the start of this scorer’s 31st season ‘in the saddle’ for the Beckenham 1st XI.  In glorious sunshine but rather cold, yours truly was delighted to have Mark Johnson a colleague, having not met up for a good few years.  A ‘board meeting’ was swiftly held with the result that, with three Covid jabs between us, we’d use the scorebox which we did and put the heater on!

Lordswood won the toss and made steady progress against young James Ronay and the bustling Alex Purwar.  With the bowlers showing signs of rustiness, the 50 was up in the 7th over and the first breach came on 59 with Joe Mitchell being run out for 22 to be quickly followed by Ed Taylor edging Purwar to Balmforth behind the stumps.  The new batsmen Linden Lockhart and Scottish international Calum MacLeod pushed the score along as acting skipper Johan Malcolm introduced newcomer Kamron Takhar in place of Ronay and who immediately showed good control at a brisk pace.  The two Lordswood players brought up the 50 partnership before young Fraser Whiteland who had produced some promising performances last season, found Lockhart’s edge to give Balmforth another catch.  Skipper Jack Laraman then combined with MacLeod to compile another fifty partnership before young Archie Holman had the Scottish international caught at cover-point by another new boy, Nick Rigg, for a fine 47.

The Beckenham skipper then struck by bowling Hugh Scott before Laraman was run out to leave the home side on 188-6.  Taylor Chandler then played a fine, aggressive innings of 45 in company with Hugh Scott before being stumped by Balmforth off Malcolm at which point, Laraman called a halt with one ball remaining!  The two scorers had discovered each other’s love of prog-rock and had spent the first session comparing notes on gigs attended and the genre in general!