Coaver Gerries Cricket Club

Gerries versus Sunset at Coaver on 21 April 2024

Gerries 190-3 Sunset 192-5 Gerries LOST by 5 wkts

The first game of the season and it was a dry if rather cool afternoon. Even the sun appeared albeit briefly from time to time. The outfield left something to be desired and the grass was quite long but everyone was pleased to don the cricket whites and get on and play the game we love …and a really good game it was too.

A slightly unusual 32 overs a side game was decided by the captains to fit in with the Coaver bar opening hours and to allow a suitable moment at the end of the game to celebrate one of the Sunset players who sadly died last year. Smudge won the toss and elected to bat.

This looked a challenging score but Sunset opened aggressively and the score was nearly 80 when Smalley cut uppishly to Hamish at backward point who pouched the catch one handed and above his head. First candidate for champagne moment?! It was to be our first success for quite a while. Cawse and Halkyard proceeded to reach their 50’s and it looked as though Sunset would win easily. However, Smudge brought Rob Bethune and James into the attack and then we started making inroads into the Sunset batting the with both of them claiming 2 wickets. Catches for Rob and Beano.

However, it still looked like Sunset would reach the target and so it proved. A four at the start of the 31st overtook them past the Gerries score and they had won by 5 wickets. Still it was not nearly as comfortable as it once appeared and all in all a good game and a good start to the season. James finished with 2-7 and Rob 2-28.

PM/23/4/24