Gloucestershire County League Division Two

Oldlands 187 ao lost to Thornbury 2nds 321-5 by 134 runs

THORNBURY seconds continued their unbeaten run by beating Oldlands at a venue where they lost last year and against a team that finished above them.

With the sun shining and the pitch looking in good condition with a baked outfield, Thornbury lost the toss and were put into bat.

This looked to be a good call by the Oldlands skipper Pennington, as both Thornbury openers (Ali Drury and James Tunnicliffe) were back in the hutch inside two overs with the score at 8-2.

The Thornbury skipper Greg Mallitte, having asked his batters to go big was probably a tad upset as Tunnicliffe had just hit back to back boundaries before edging to first slip the very next ball.

This brought Josh Slade and Marcus Wormwell to the crease. Oldlands opening bowlers Dave Walton and Brad Thomas were both extracting pace and bounce and the Thornbury pair showed good judgement whilst punishing any wayward balls. The pace picked up and they brought up the fifty in only the ninth over.

The Thornbury pair continued to accelerate and by the first drinks interval 15 overs, the score had reached 90-2.

Slade was first to reach his fifty off 45 balls in 66 minutes; Wormwell following to his shortly after off 55 balls in 67 minutes.

Slade slowed slightly at this point in comparison with most of his scoring coming in singles but with very few dot balls either.

Wormwell found more touch and showing great shot placement, continued to find the boundary regularly. Wormwell was first to his one hundred off 114 balls in 130 minutes. Slade got his century off 94 balls in 144 minutes.

Altogether, the pair made a superb 262 run partnership which was eventually broken in the 40th over lasting 148 minutes. Wormwell was first to fall lbw for 121 off 127 balls hitting 15 fours and three sixes.

Slade followed, caught behind in the 42nd over also for 121 off 110 balls hitting 10 fours and two sixes.

This left room for a cameo by Jack Gillet to knock a quick fire 33 off just 19 balls which included five fours and one six.

Thornbury eventually topped out at 321-5 off their 45 overs. Apparently this was only the second time in eighty or so years that Oldlands have been hit for over three hundred.

The Oldlands openers Nick Grove and Brad Thomas got the reply underway and proceeded to show how good a wicket it was for batting on putting on an opening stand of 72 having brought their 50 up in the tenth over.

Tunnicliffe opened the bowling was particularly miserly in his first spell of five overs only going for 18 runs.

Sam Williams, at the other end, was struggling to find his line bowling a leg side wide most overs and suffering with early boundaries off wider balls.

Enter the skipper to slow the pace and the run rate. Greg Mallitte bowled his first spell of five overs for only six runs. He was accompanied at the other end by second team debutant Tom Jenkinson who showed remarkable stamina in the heat to bowl his nine overs straight through ending with figures of 2-55, having taken a bit of punishment in his last three overs.

Thornbury only used five bowlers on the day with Gillett completing the line-up.

He was to showcase his all-rounder tag by bowling his nine overs straight through ending with figures of 4-35.

Greg ended with two wickets in his nine overs for a miserly 18 runs.

Oldbury finished on 187 all out in 41.3 overs.