Lord’s (St David’s won toss): St David’s draw with Flatts

OJ Pitcher scored his second century of the season as cup holders St David’s advanced to the second round of the Eastern Counties after rain stopped the game 20 minutes before the scheduled close.

Flatts replied to the St David’s total of 281 for eight from their allotted 65 overs with 173 for eight with eight of their 53 overs remaining.

Pitcher, who is still feeling the effects of a shoulder injury from two weeks ago, batted sensibly for his 107 off 116 balls with 13 fours and a six after sharing in a crucial second-wicket stand of 155 with opener Chris Douglas that took the score from 28 to 183.

Douglas was denied a deserved century when he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Kijuan Franks off the bowling of Dajon Carey going for a six that would have brought up his hundred.

When Pitcher was finally sixth out on 261, bowled by Nelson Bascome after 197 minutes at the crease, the match was well out of Flatts’ reach. In the end the century by the former St David’s captain separated the two teams as Flatts made a determined response.

“It felt good, once I got out there and everything warmed up it was fine,” Pitcher said of the injury. “A couple of shots when I tried to put in a little something extra I got a little strain, but overall I was very happy.”

At one point during the partnership with Douglas, Pitcher passed him in the scoring when in the 30s, but a big over by Douglas when he smashed a six and three fours to bring up the 100 for St David’s after 33 overs, saw him move back ahead of Pitcher.

Suddenly the scoring quickened, and at lunch, they had reached 147 for one in 38 overs, Douglas now in his flow on 72 and Pitcher with 51.

“He didn’t like that, he actually came to me in between one of the overs and said ‘Ollie, look you overtook me now, I’m going to have to pick it up a bit’,” added Pitcher who was voted man of the match.

“He batted really well, Chris is usually an aggressive player but today he showed a lot of maturity. He really batted a team innings, but unfortunately he couldn’t get the hundred.

“Chris is a class act, it’s been a while since we played together. The most important thing was the team.”

Pitcher went off midway through the Flatts innings with a calf injury so he didn’t finish the match on the field.

“I had been on my feet a long time, but it was just cramp,” he said.

Douglas’s 94 came from eight fours and two sixes off 151 balls. Veterans Nelson Bascome and Kevin Hurdle took three wickets apiece for Flatts, Bascome giving up 40 runs in eleven overs after sharing the new ball with spinner Regino Smith.

Hurdle, the first-change, bowled 18 overs in taking three for 68 with three maidens. Smith gave up 62 runs in 17 overs with one wicket.

Flatts, had a slow start in reply, scoring just 33 in the first 15 overs with two wickets already down. Opener Ajuan Lamb, a St David’s-born Flatts player, scored 16 before he was first out on 26, before George O’Brien then bowled Logan Jones next ball.

A stand of 50 between captain Dajon Carey (40) and Cofield Robinson (33) steadied things before two wickets fell on 76 and 77, Carey and then Regino Smith for a three-ball duck after a questionable leg before decision by umpire Mark McCormack.

McCormack gave another disputed leg before decision soon after when Hurdle was struck on the pad, only for the official to quickly call dead ball and reverse his decision as Hurdle looked surprised. The batsman later admitted that he got a “thick inside edge” before the ball hit his pad.

Hurdle responded next over with a couple of sixes during his knock of 26 while Kijuan Franks scored 36 not out as the pair put on 43 for the seventh wicket.

O’Brien was the pick of the St David’s bowlers with three for 36 from 17 overs while Seth Campbell took two for 28.

St David’s

C Douglas c Franks b Carey 94

D Simons b Hurdle 9

OJ Pitcher b N Bascome 107

D Bascome b Hurdle 3

†R Brangman c Lamb b Smith 10

M Simmons c Robinson b N Bascome 20

*J Pitcher not out 13

I O’Brien c sub (Robinson) b N Bascome 1

G O’Brien c Nelson Bascome b Hurdle 0

S Campbell not out 1

Extras (11b, 6lb, 1w, 5nb) 23

Total (8 wkts; 65 overs) 281

C Outerbridge did not bat

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-183, 3-200, 4-229, 5-261, 6-266, 7-268, 8-277

Bowling: Nelson Bascome 11-0-40-3; Smith 17-2-62-1; Hurdle 18-3-68-3; Franks 7-0-19-0; Nekoda Bascome 6-0-36-0; Jones 1-0-19-0; Carey 5-0-20-1.

Flatts

A Lamb c Brangman b G O’Brien 16

*D Carey c Simons b Campbell 40

L Jones b G O’Brien 0

†C Robinson c sub (S Pitcher) b Douglas 33

R Smith lbw b G O’Brien 0

R Baker c Brangman b Campbell 0

K Franks not out 36

K Hurdle c Bascome b I O’Brien 26

Nekoda Bascome b Outerbridge 3

K Jones not out 5

Extras (6b, 7lb, 1w) 14

Total (8 wkts; 45.5 overs) 173

Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-26, 76, 4-77, 5-84, 6-111, 7-154, 8-165

Bowling: G O’Brien 17-8-36-3; Outerbridge 8.5-2-23-1; J Pitcher 3-0-16-0; Campbell 5-1-28-2; Douglas 4-1-14-1; I O’Brien 6-0-26-1; Simmons 2-0-17-0.

Umpires: E Carrington and M McCormack

Second round: St David’s v Cleveland, August 13