Broadstairs Cricket Club
Broadstairs Cricket Club
Defeat for Broadstairs 1st XI as they fall 125 runs short of 264 target set by Hayes.
Broadstairs 1st XI's mid-season stutter continued as they were soundly beaten away to 3rd place Hayes. Having lost the toss and invited to field, Broadstairs endured a hot an energy-sapping afternoon and struggled to contain the strong batting line-up of Beau Couldrey (33), Finnan Bryan (67) and Joel Couldrey (59). Grant Sheen was removed with the score on 20, caught by Jamie Dewell off the bowling of Elliot Fox but this early breakthrough was not followed up until the 19th over when Matthew Frewin bowled Beau Couldrey. Hayes then made steady progress with a series of wickets by Dewell (2-41) and Chris Kidd (3-51) containing the scoring. At 156-6, it looked like Broadstairs might limit the hosts to below 200, however a 7th wicket partnership of 55 between Joel Couldrey and Tomas Gallagher put paid to that. Furtehr damage was inflicted by the 8th wicket partnership of Gallagher and Simon Routh and eventually, Hayes finished on 264-9 with the remaining wickets being claimed by Swaroop Dasari and Jack Wheeler with a run out.
Broadstairs' reply faltered at the first hurdle when opener Fox was trapped LBW by Stuart Eddicott for 2. Fellow opener Harry Carter provided a sprightly 17 off 20 balls before being caight off the bowling of Eddicott who would finish with figures of 4-21. Of the remaining batsmen, only 4 reached double figures; Masoud Rangin (27), Dasari (26), Jamie Dewell (23) and Matthew Frewin (13) and the visitors finished all out for 139, 125 runs short of the target.
Despite the defeat, Broadstairs remain in 2nd place in Division 2 with their fate still firmly in their hands. To secure promotion, they will need to reproduce their early season over the series of 6 remaining matches which begins with a home fixture against 2nd-from-bottom Whitstable.
