Charlie Ayers didn’t let the inconvenience of inadvertently forgetting to take his cricket kit to the game concern him one iota as he rocked up at Bashley (Rydal) to produce a match winning Southern Premier League Cup performance for Andover.
In borrowed whites and boots, and with (sanitised) gear cobbled together from willing team-mates he went to the crease with Andover in a spot of bother at 61-4 in response to Bashley’s 211-6 – and promptly turned the match on its head.
Ayers smashed three sixes and 12 fours in an unbeaten 91 which got Andover home by two wickets off the last ball of the match, Mike Adams scoring the winning runs.
Sibling brother Alex, Andover’s teenager batsman/wicketkeeper, shook his head in disbelief, describing Charlie’s knock and his cricket in general as “ridiculous.”
“You’ll never seen such a disorganised cricketer. He hadn’t picked up a bat since last August, but then he goes out and does that !”
Andover’s innings got off to a poor start as Bashley pair, seamer George Wilson (3-48) and spinner Dom Clutterbuck (2-37) reduced them to 50-4 after 12 overs.
Charlie Ayers (above) and Nathan Birks (18) started to repair the damage with some lusty boundaries and quick singles, taking the score to 100 off 24 overs before Birks was well caught off the bowling of Josh Digby (2-39).
Matt Hooper and Babu Veettil were removed soon after and at 120-7 Andover were staring down the barrel of defeat.
But a swashbuckling partnership of 70 between Ayers and Richard Taylor (29) tilted the scales and left Andover needing 21 to win off the last three overs.
Stranded
Richie Taylor well caught on the mid-wicket boundary, but Ayers hit a flurry of boundaries with his borrowed bat to leave Andover needing just five runs for victory off Digby’s 40th and last over.
Only three runs came off the first five balls, but with Ayres stranded at the non-striker’s end, Mike Adams remained ice cool to hit the final ball of the game over long-off for two to seal a dramatic win for Andover.
Earlier Babu Veettil (0-15) and Adams (1-14) showed no sign of rust from the extended Covid-related lay-off, bowling disciplined spells with the new ball.
Adams was rewarded with the key wicket of Bashley captain Michael Porter (19), well caught at mid- wicket by Aidan Jansen.
Bashley recovered well with teenager Alex Turner (56) and Tim Taylor (51) combining for a 93 run partnership to leave last season’s Premier Division champions handily placed at 115-1 after 25 overs. Taylor (1-33) struck to remove Turner for well made half-century and, soon after, spinner Matt Hooper had Taylor smartly stumped by Alex Ayers to leave Bashley at 150-4 with eight overs remaining and still looking someway short of a competitive total.
Harry Fisher (50), who has joined the champions from Lymington, played an inventive innings to take the Bashley onto 211-6, despite the commendable efforts of Matt Hooper, who ended with figures of 4-46.
In borrowed whites and boots, and with (sanitised) gear cobbled together from willing team-mates he went to the crease with Andover in a spot of bother at 61-4 in response to Bashley’s 211-6 – and promptly turned the match on its head.
Ayers smashed three sixes and 12 fours in an unbeaten 91 which got Andover home by two wickets off the last ball of the match, Mike Adams scoring the winning runs.
Sibling brother Alex, Andover’s teenager batsman/wicketkeeper, shook his head in disbelief, describing Charlie’s knock and his cricket in general as “ridiculous.”
“You’ll never seen such a disorganised cricketer. He hadn’t picked up a bat since last August, but then he goes out and does that !”
Andover’s innings got off to a poor start as Bashley pair, seamer George Wilson (3-48) and spinner Dom Clutterbuck (2-37) reduced them to 50-4 after 12 overs.
Charlie Ayers (above) and Nathan Birks (18) started to repair the damage with some lusty boundaries and quick singles, taking the score to 100 off 24 overs before Birks was well caught off the bowling of Josh Digby (2-39).
Matt Hooper and Babu Veettil were removed soon after and at 120-7 Andover were staring down the barrel of defeat.
But a swashbuckling partnership of 70 between Ayers and Richard Taylor (29) tilted the scales and left Andover needing 21 to win off the last three overs.
Stranded
Richie Taylor well caught on the mid-wicket boundary, but Ayers hit a flurry of boundaries with his borrowed bat to leave Andover needing just five runs for victory off Digby’s 40th and last over.
Only three runs came off the first five balls, but with Ayres stranded at the non-striker’s end, Mike Adams remained ice cool to hit the final ball of the game over long-off for two to seal a dramatic win for Andover.
Earlier Babu Veettil (0-15) and Adams (1-14) showed no sign of rust from the extended Covid-related lay-off, bowling disciplined spells with the new ball.
Adams was rewarded with the key wicket of Bashley captain Michael Porter (19), well caught at mid- wicket by Aidan Jansen.
Bashley recovered well with teenager Alex Turner (56) and Tim Taylor (51) combining for a 93 run partnership to leave last season’s Premier Division champions handily placed at 115-1 after 25 overs. Taylor (1-33) struck to remove Turner for well made half-century and, soon after, spinner Matt Hooper had Taylor smartly stumped by Alex Ayers to leave Bashley at 150-4 with eight overs remaining and still looking someway short of a competitive total.
Harry Fisher (50), who has joined the champions from Lymington, played an inventive innings to take the Bashley onto 211-6, despite the commendable efforts of Matt Hooper, who ended with figures of 4-46.
Teenage Alex Turner, one of three Bashley (Rydal) half-centurions. Picture: Terry Nash.
