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Stonor’s season opened yesterday with a home game against travelling club Weekenders.
The home side were asked to bat on a wicket that looked that looked like a mid-summer strip, but in fact had the expected early season characteristics of slow pace and low bounce. Weekenders’ Douglas bowled an excellent line and length and some subtle seam movement accounted for Stonor’s opening pair. An excellent partnership between Powell and Mayo, both of whom got past their half centuries, put the home team in a strong position, and a boisterous knock by Dan Fennell towards the end helped the Stonor total over the 200 mark. There was some assistance too from some wayward bowling and poor fielding!
In reply the visitors started strongly, not losing their first wicket until they had reached 97, and punishing a few too many loose Stonor deliveries. However Nicholson and Fennell began to establish some control, and the Weekenders never quite got past the required target of a run a ball. Gradually Fennell began to get the better of the batsmen, and, assisted by some
excellent catching by Ben Denton, the wickets began to fall. All through the last half hour
of the game all four results looked possible, as Weekenders never gave up the chase, nor
did the home team lose sight of the chance of victory, and it was only on the penultimate
ball of the match that Dan Fennell took his 7th and most decisive wicket to claim victory
by 6 runs. There were good fielding contributions all round, an excellent run out by Slade,
and good supportive bowling, but it was Fennell who took the honours.
(Match Report: Martin Fennell)