Pattaya Cricket Club played Kerala at the Thai Polo Ground in their latest round of the Eastern Seaboard Cricket League last weekend.
After two successive league defeats PCC were desperate for a good performance and a win, but having lost the toss and been asked to bat they were soon in trouble as wickets tumbled early to the lively Kerala opening bowlers.
The run rate was still good but when Venky ran the PCC skipper Simon Philbrook out for nought the score was 68/6 and the prospect of a competitive total looked bleak.
The despondent Venky was joined by the reassuring 6 feet 9 inche presence of Bernard Lamprecht and the pair began to rebuild the innings. Bernard picked up singles regularly and Venky interspersed some wonderful clean hitting with the ability to identify the fielder who could not catch.
The partnership had reached 61 when Venky misjudged a fielder and was caught for a very good 69. Bernard (30no) finished in style by hitting two consecutive sixes back past the bowler from the last two balls of the innings to give PCC the momentum they needed and post a competitive 149/8 from the 25 alloted overs.
The PCC bowlers had been bowling too short in previous games and a game plan to bowl full and straight was adopted from the start. With a defensive field set the onus was on the batsmen to take on the bowlers. The bowling and fielding was exemplary as the Kerala batsmen were restricted to only 22/0 from the first 5 overs of Andy Emery and Lee Standen. Peter Gangur and Nishant maintained the pressure and once again it was Peter’s flight and guile that broke the deadlock. Although wickets did not tumble, the required run rate soared and ensured that PCC were always in control of the match.
Slowly but surely the overs ticked by and it became evident Kerala were not going to win the game and eventually wickets began to fall, particularly when the PCC spinners of Peter and Tiz spun their magic and took 4 wickets between them. Kerala finished on 104/6, losing by 45 runs and Venky was deservedly named as man of the match.
PCC’s next fixture is at St Andrews International School as part of a social 8-a-side tournament on Sunday, March 18.
PCC would like to encourage anyone with a passion for the game to join the club by visiting the club website www.pattayacricketclub.com or the Facebook page.
