Skinner's Prove Too Strong - Lemon Cup Final

Date: Monday 5 July 2010

Expectations were high as a 1st XI squad, shorn of Callaway, Higson and Bungay - on holiday duty, travelled to Wye CC for their third consecutive appearance in the Lemon Cup final, but those hopes were cruelly dashed by a Skinner's XI, equally depleted because of CCF commitments, but who, on the day just edged it in two key departments, with the bat, and with the ball.

The quarter-final and semi-final had been won by batting first, posting a defensible total, andf then squeezing the lifeblood out of Beth's GS and Hayes. Today we elected to field first, and found ourselves on the receiving end of just such treatment. We made a great start, reducing Skinner's to 23 - 3, but Shaw and Bryant dug in, and put on a match-winning partnership of 89 for the fourth wicket. Two loose overs in mid-innings, costing 15 and 11 respectively, gave some impetus to the opposition, who closed on 158 - 9 in 30 overs. Ben Kemp finished his season with 3 - 15 - thirty, I think, in toto - Rob Penn with 3 - 34, and Ben Pape finished his career with 2 - 24.

159 to win, and the chase was undermined by three crucial moments: Pape was bowled in the first over, neither forward nor back to a straight one which scarcely bounced; Kemp, having cruised serenely to 35, and putting the reply ahead of the clock was clean bowled by a good one; and, vitally, Rafi Stone, who had anchored the reply and was just about to move into top gear was smartly stumped - a marginal decision - for 30. Debutant Tom Phillis played beautifully for 19, and Will Marsh finished on 12 not out, as wickets fell at the other end. 143 all out at the end of the 29th over, and defeat by 15 runs.

All credit to Skinner's who took the chance to pose a challenging score, and who proceeded to bowl tightly throughout at both ends. There were no easy pickings for the St Edmund's batsmen at any stage. Would Callaway, Higson, and Bungay have made a difference - possibly so, but potential match-winners were dismissed early, leaving the fight in the hands of the 'youngsters' - who let no-one down on the day.

Next year? One thing's for sure - St Edmund's School will be looking to a fourth final, and a second cup win!