Despite dire warnings from the Met Office about the likelihood of getting the season up and running, a Buccs team, including two debutants in Vic Kandampully and Ollie Metcalfe enjoyed the best of the conditions at Forest Row on Sunday. With the wicket – a significant eight yards more central than last year – damp but playable, skipper Stringer chose to bat, on the principle that more rain was forecast.
Opening up with debutant Kandampully and Sujay ‘the wall’ Chakravarti, the Buccs quickly lost Vic to early season enthusiasm. Tidy opening spells by Watson and De Souza kept the lid on the scoring while the Buccs lost regular wickets. The younger Chakravarti succumbed for 7, while Sujay (27), Paul Hobson (21) and Jim Mann (17) built useful partnerships in what was not easy batting conditions. Then the heavens opened, play was delayed for 30 minutes and tea was taken. On the resumption Muktesh Ghatak, Ollie Metcalfe and Simon Leefe threatened to score quick and useful runs, but without sawdust to help, the wicket started resembling a mudbath. However, mudlark Will Metcalfe proved his all round talents with a clean hitting 34 not out and with the skipper batted out the revised total of 35 overs to post 168 for eight wickets.
To restrict Forest Row to just 93 in their 35 overs required high-quality bowling and very strong outfield cricket. With Richard Manyon going at two an over and Will Metcalfe at even less, the Row soon found themselves facing a very tough task. This increased as Hobson (7-3-13-3) and ‘Nissan’ Leefe applied the tourniquet even tighter, supported by strong ground fielding from Kandampully and Ghatak in particular. It was somewhat surprising that the Row at no point tried to hit the panic button, but instead, with Mann and Ollie Metcalfe also bowling tidily, the game was over as a contest not long after half way.
Innings of Buccaneers
Victor Kandampully ct another b De Souza 4
Sujay Chakravarto b Holmes 27
Subir Chakravarti b De Souza 7
Paul Hobson ct wkt b Ellis 21
Jim Mann ct another b Ellis 17
Muktesh Ghatak ct another b Ellis 6
Ollie Metcalfe run out 6
Simon Leefe ct another b Symons 5
Will Metcalfe not out 34
James Stringer not out 16
Richard Manyon did not bat
Extras 25
Total 168-8 (35 overs)
Bowling
Walsom 4-0-14-0
De Souza 5-2-6-2
Franklin 5-0-31-0
Holmes 4-0-24-1
Mason 4-1-11-0
B Ellis 5-0-17-3
Symons 3-1-11-1
S Ellis 3-0-26-0
Innings of Forest Row
Holmes b Hobson 24
Symons ct Ghatak b W Metcalfe 5
Gilmour ct Stringer b Hobson 5
S Ellis b Hobson 0
De Souza not out 31
Mason b O Metcalfe 14
B Ellis not out 5
Extras 9
Total 93-5 (35 overs)
Bowling
Richard Manyon 7-2-14-0
Will Metcalfe 7-0-10-1
Paul Hobson 7-3-13-3
Simon Leefe 7-3-10-0
Jim Mann 4-0-2-0
Ollie Metcalfe 3-0-24-1