Cam Stalled by one ton Van (From Gazette Series)

Cam Stalled by one ton Van

Cam v Whitefriars & Charlton Kings

IF Cam ultimately fail to gain promotion this season then they need look no further than this game to find out why.

On Saturday the home side had more than one opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to visiting Whitefriars, yet in the end the Cheltenham side comfortably beat them.

The hosts reduced Whitefriars to 40-5 before allowing them to recover to 194 all out and then threw away a winning position with the bat, collapsing from 110-1 to 140-9, eventually finishing on 172-9.

In fairness, the turnaround was not all down to Cam's sloppiness.

Whitefriars' former Somerset and Holland professional Andre Van Troost struck a fantastic century, easily outscoring the rest of his side put together.

A bowler with a first class batting average of seven in his county days, Van Troost carefully played himself in before launching a blistering attack on the home side's distinctly average change bowling.

Earlier Cam had made a double breakthrough when Matt Tipper caught and bowled opener Burrow (8) and then had next man Downs (0) spectacularly caught by Adam Holloway from the very next ball.

Tipper picked up a third victim lbw, while Barrie Hillier and captain Pete Hall claimed a wicket apiece before Van Troost started the fightback.

Supported by White (15) and Roberts (23), Van Troost smashed both Guy Hutchinson and Tom Deakin out of the attack as he raced to his century.

The Dutchman finally departed for 105, skying the returning Tipper so high that Hall seemed frozen in time as he waited to take a nerve-racking catch.

Having earlier accounted for White, Tipper then had Pearce (2) caught by Hall immediately after Van Troost went to finish with figures of 6-27.

Whitefriars were bowled out for 194 in 44.2 overs.

The target looked well within Cam's reach as Dave Cotterell and Hutchinson made an excellent start. Hutchinson smashed a string of boundaries before holing out for 40, leaving Cotterell and Holloway to move their side on to 110-1.

However, Cotterell (43) and Holloway (12) both departed in quick succession, which in turn sparked a horrible collapse.

Cam crumbled to 140-9 with almost all of the batsmen surrendering their wickets with some dreadful shot selection, virtually handing Whitefriars' bowler Terry his five-wicket haul.

Van Troost, who now only bowls occasionally due to an injury, was not required to turn his arm over.

Last pair Deakin (20*) and John Pitt (11*) batted out the remaining overs but they had no chance of salvaging victory.

Cam: D Cotterell (43 runs), G Hutchinson (40 & 4-0-0-28), A Holloway (12), P Hall (capt, 15 & 12-2-1-37), G Brown (2), M Tipper (0 & 12-4-6-27), D Ward (5 & 4-0-1-25), B Hillier (3 & 10.2-0-2-47), Tom Deakin (20* & 2-0-0-30), Terry Deakin (0), J Pitt (wk, 11*).