Cam 1st XI 149-6 beat Redmarley 1st XI 148-10 by 4 wickets

CAM ended a successful season with a comfortable win over Redmarley to secure 3rd place in Gloucestershire County League Division 1.

Pete Hall, in his final game as first team captain, was soon rewarded for opting to field first as Cam made an emphatic start to the game. Opening bowler George Dolling bowled Chalkley with the first ball of the match, before removing Yardley in similar fashion three balls later, with Redmarley yet to trouble the scorers. Alasdair Longden soon got in on the act as he bowled Aston before Dolling bowled his third victim with Redmarley captain Holland chopping on to his stumps.

At this stage Redmarley were struggling on 19-4 and were in danger of capitulating entirely. However, Cam could not inflict further gloom on the batsman straight away as Dolling was unlucky to see both Gummer and Norman dropped as the ball regularly found the edge of the bat. Both batsman made the most of the reprieves given to them as they took the score on to 87 before Gummer was bowled by skipper Hall, having rode his luck in reaching 48.

Ryan Western was unlucky not to collect a wicket as a tough chance went down off his bowling. Hall and Ben Holloway then combined to share the next four wickets thanks to some good controlled bowling and solid catching by the outfielders. The Redmarley innings was soon polished off as Stuart Newman held on to a one handed catch at slip off the bowling of Alex Ballard, leaving Cam requiring 149 to win.

Cam’s reply started slowly as Newman and Adam Holloway attempted to see off the new ball as the Redmarley bowlers looked to keep things tight. Holloway fell for 13 with the score on 35-1 and Mike Glover soon followed as Cam faltered in reply. Hall helped keep the scoreboard ticking as he made 18 before being bowled. Jake Dolbear confidently supported Newman, who was steadily compiling a meaningful score, before the opener was caught for 54 shortly after reaching his half century.

Ben Holloway and Dolbear then departed in successive balls, Dolbear having made 32, to give Redmarley hope of an improbable victory. It was not be for the away side however as Tom Deakin and Alex Ballard knocked off the remaining runs to comfortably see Cam home with 4 wickets remaining.

The victory provided a fitting swansong for Captain Pete Hall and concludes a positive season for the 1st XI who have shown themselves to be more than capable in Division 1. The players will hope to carry this momentum into 2016 as they adjust to life under new captaincy.