Coaver Gerries Cricket Club

Gerries versus Bakers XI on Sunday 10th August 2025

35/35 NO CRS

Gerries 211/9 , Bakers 213/6. Bakers won by 4 wickets

A warm and sunny afternoon and high scoring looked likely.  The only concern was whether anyone in the wedding party taking photographs beyond the boundary would be in mortal danger.  They seemed oblivious to the danger.

We batted first and after Kiwi went early, Guesty and Jonah came together in a stand of 58 until Jonah was given out lbw for a very sound 44. Skins joined Guesty and together they put on 50 until Skins went for 20. Guesty carried on serenely and a first Gerries century for him looked on the cards until out of the blue he offered a simple catch to mid-on and was gone for 64.  At that stage we had scored 161 from 25 overs and we looked well set for a score in excess of 225

However, helped by some good fielding (including 6 catches in the innings), Bakers made inroads into the lower order and while captain Beano made 16, others went cheaply and when last man Phil came to the crease in the 32^nd over to join Rob Bethune we were 10 runs short of the 200.  Rob and Phil managed to pass 200 courtesy of three boundaries between them and we closed on 211-9, a good score but possibly not enough on the lightning-fast outfield. We would need to take wickets.

When Baker’s replied, we struck early with two wickets for Rob Bethune. The Baker’s opener retired hurt having strained something in his in arm from what seemed an innocuous drive for one and when Dom Baker got an excellent clean bowled, it looked like we were well on course for victory. However, in came Matt Bassett to join Whale and they put on what turned out to be a match winning partnership with both scoring half centuries. 

There were late wickets for Kyson, Jonah and Beano (the rather fortunate hit wicket dismissal of Whale) but we lost by 4 wickets. It was a game we felt we could have could have won had we taken our chances.

There were catches for Lobbers, Skins and Guesty but we dropped 6 others and as the old saying goes ‘catches win matches’

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