Poole Town

Chris Pegrum

Tony Quayle took his team containing a "plethora" of youngsters (4) to the Canford Park Oval for the opening game of the season. Unfortunately Triangle lost the toss but only started in the field with 8 men as Pete Tombs was taking his passengers on a mystery tour of Poole and the surrounding area, stopping off to see the Brownsea Island ferry and Tower Park. After a hectic 2 hour journey they finally arrived with the match moving into the 6th over.

Before their entry into proceedings, Dan Strong and Tony Morris had been asked to open the bowling, with the home batsmen finding the gaps in the field the perfect place to despatch the ball, mostly off Morris. It was the Poole captain, Milner, who fell first distracted by new signing Gareth Redpole, who hailed his missing teammates just as Morris released the ball and Milner spooned a catch back to the bowler.

With a full compliment of fielders, and Olly Whisker who had been fielding in flip-flops, now able to participate after retrieving his kit from Tombs' car, Quayle was able to stem the flow of runs. It was from Whisker's first over that the free-swinging Doyle perished, backing up too far when Watson hit the ball to Gates, and his airy, some may say foppish, throw hit the stumps as the batsman failed to get home. Tombs then suffered from the rock-hard outfield, as he was hit below the eye fielding a throw from Laming which popped up from just a few feet in front of him. Despite this he bravely carried on, only complaining briefly.

Gates then turned his arm over and dismissed the opener Watson and then Richards, who had had the temerity to charge down the wicket and smash the Reverend over the ropes. Riley briefly replaced Whisker who had proved expensive, and then he himself was replaced by Redpole. With neither spinner finding much turn in the pitch, and Talbot and Maidment starting to look set, it was Strong who the skip turned to. Dan delivered, first bowling the youngster Maidment then tempting Talbot with a full toss that he drilled straight at Gates.

A defiant partnership between Watson and Way was broken when Watson top-edged a Strong delivery and Whisker held onto a very casual catch. With the departure of Way, removed when Strong and Gates combined again, it was the tail-enders who looked to bat out the final overs. With neither Redpole or the returning Gates able to break through, Quayle tossed the ball to Morris who removed Hai's leg stump and brought the innings to a close.

In reply Gates and Tombs started off at a fair pace thanks to the erratic line bowled by Way. With the pair approaching their fifty partnership it was Gates who fell first on 25, edging behind off the steady line and length of Watson. Tombs didn't last much longer, as Quinn replaced Way and his accurate, loopy slow medium entranced the opener and he was bowled for a dogged 13.

Last year's top batsman for the 2nd's, Pete Laming, was joined by Chris Pegrum, who had been asked to make way for Martin Hewson in the 1st XI that morning, and clearly had a point to prove smashing his first two balls to the ropes. Once Pete had got up to speed at his end, the Poole attack was torn asunder as the pair soon got to grips with the pitch. Laming reached his half century first with a classical lofted on drive, and then allowed Pegrum the honour of hitting the winning runs which he did with aplomb as his six brought up his first 50 for Triangle and they eased to an 8 wicket win.

Poole Town 5, PRT II 20