| Sunday 29th July 2001 vs Bedfont 62 C.C. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wash burn out in Bedfont Baker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington C.C. |  |
211 for 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bedfont 62 C.C. | |
131 for 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Washington experienced joy and frustration in equal measure on Sunday. Joy at a brilliant innings from Aussie opener Pete Demetri, who struck a dazzling 97; frustration because Bedfont made no effort to reach the challenging total of 212 set them, and played for a draw from almost the first ball of their innings. As the score-line suggests, Wash dominated from the start. Skipper Dave Walker won the toss and elected to bat first - as much as anything to keep his team out of the scorching sunshine which bathed this rather plain ground tucked beneath the wing of Heathrow airport. His decision soon proved well judged for cricketing reasons, however. Demetri and Matthew Cragoe (23) saw off the new ball and added 79 for the first wicket, and then Alan Moffatt (10) helped add another 48 for the second. The third wicket was equally fruitful, as Justin Gurney, playing great composure and style, made an unbeaten 43, helped put on 66 in rapid time. All the while, Demetri was playing brilliantly, hitting the ball incredibly hard with his trade-mark bottom-handed drives, and turning twos into threes with his ruthless running. Long before the end, the home side looked as though they had stopped even bothering to wonder what was hitting them: wilting in the merciless blaze of the sun, they dropped catches, and conceded too many overthrows. There was an almost tangible sense of amazement when Demetri fell at last to a juggling catch at mid on just three short of what would have been a brilliant century. Washington's bowlers, meanwhile were raring to go. Jimmy Wood (2-35) took a wicket with his first ball, courtesy of a fine Gary Evans catch at 3rd slip, and another in his fourth over which left Bedfont tottering at 13-2. However, Cane (40) and Middle (56 not) slowed the game down, letting anything wide of the stumps pass unmolested, offering a straight bat to the straight balls, and only scoring off the occasional short delivery. A couple of late wickets from Gurney (2-36) and a surprise run out gave Washington a little late hope, but by then there was too little time left to drive home the advantage. Bedfont had achieved their objective: the draw was secured. As skipper Dave Walker said: 'Demetri's innings will live a lot longer in the memory than the match itself'.
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