Week 3 of the 2017/18 season and we head back to Karori #5 (aka the Fortress) for the first time against the One Tonne Dream, a team that has knocked us over in the past (they finished 3rd last year). The toss went One Tonne Dream’s way and we were asked to have a bat first.
It was slow going from the start and continued that way through most of the innings. It was the first time on the grass wicket for us this season and the “credible” and “knowledgeable” players in the Wildcats lineup were heard saying that the wicket was ‘slow’ and ‘not coming on’.
At the halfway point the Wildcats were 54/2. George played an important knock at the top of the order batting through to the 12th over before getting caught on 32. Everyone that padded up had time to get in but everyone struggled to get going with any pace. Dots consistently filled the score book with just over half the balls faced dots (or extras) with the Wildcats tallying up 58 scoring shots for the innings. With the pressure building to get a defensible total a few looser shots were played with the team posting 141/6 off our 20 overs.
The Wildcats needed to be sharp with the ball and in the field to defend this total with some familiar bats in the One Tonne Dream lineup. Their left handed bat who slogs (or attempts to slog) every ball to cow corner was sent out to open and immediately the field was set to match. Tight lines were bowled by Tom and Nando, with Nando picking up two wickets in his second over. Pressure built on One Tonne Dream as their batters struggled to get the ball away as well. Crofty picked up an LBW of their captain and two tight overs from Nicholls produced a run out as the batter just wanted to get off strike but his partner wasn’t keen on moving. Their Lefty slogger managed to hang around and got a couple of cross bat swats away for four until the 2015/16 MVP Will Herbert was given the ball and knocked his castle over when he was on 39. With 33 required off the last over Nando was given the ball to bring it home for the Wildcats.
A good performance all round on a challenging wicket against a team that we will likely face a few more times this year.