The sun blazed through the towering oak trees and beat down upon the grassy knolls throughout the day. Shorts clad fans watched from the sides and ice cold refreshments were being enjoyed in the bar and the gentle waft of grilled lunch filled the air….
That’s enough about Barcelona; Milford Hall was so cold that only the stubbornest of shorts wearers refused to don their tracksuits for this one. Unicorns batted first against a strong Staffordshire based No Boundaries side. Debutant Lexi Gregor and Abdul Kasim were the two victims to fall by the time the players took drinks, and headed for their flasks, after 17 overs in Stephen Hallam and Hattie Wright had steadied the ship, although with the rain over the preceding week, and travel delays on the M6, Unicorns might have been best advised to have arrived by ark.
The gloom, the rain in the air and the 45 minute delay for the drizzle did nothing to help the two batters and when Hallam fell for 24 shortly after the restart Tom Verow, Sam Long and Rich Andrews followed in quick succession before Dilly Brainch joined Wright not only at the crease, but also in recording their highest ever score for Unicorns.
Their partnership, defined by excellent running between the wickets, was lit up by Wright’s first boundary for the side, as she guided a shorter ball through gully for four on the way to a top score of 20 before being caught trying to up the rate. Lachlan Smith’s late flurry included a glorious cover drive for 4 with his first shot in anger as Simon Best, also on debut, got his Unicorns account ticking with his first run in the 34th and final over.
A modest 80 was, despite being respectable in the conditions, never going to trouble a strong No Boundaries side who, despite their name, cleared the rope regularly on their way to the total. There were some bright moments though for the visiting side in the field. Lexi Gregor bowled with great discipline first up, with her 2 overs yielding just 6 runs. Sam Long and Stephen Hallam picked up wickets via a stumping and a mid-on catch for the aforementioned Long and there were positives in the field as Jay Timmins and Rich Andrews set the standard for the side to follow in the coming weeks. Smith and Verow were as tidy as ever with the ball, and Simon Best bowled his first over for the club too. Finally, another player took the ball for the first time in the very last over of the day, needing no introduction, it was of course, the hero with the bat; Hattie Wright. Sadly she was unable to repeat her heroics as the home side cantered home with ease…
Next up is a trip to Weoley HIll on 30th April! (Note: Next up was in fact 3 weeks of being rained off!)