Drayton v Caister 6th June 2009

Caister 264-4 Drayton 195-5 With 5 players absent from the previous week and with none of their pace bowlers, who had played in the previous home game available, this was always going to be a difficult game for Drayton. On another fine batting track, losing the toss and being asked to field did not help! In the circumstances, Drayton performed well and for long periods of the innings restricted Caister. Eventually, weight of runs told and the Caister batsmen made hay - Stokes hitting 78, Lamming 101 and R. Brown 46 not out. For Drayton, Robert Reeve produced a fine spell of seam bowling to take 3-51 (the only seamer in the match to take a wicket), whilst James Kay also turned in a useful opening spell on his first bowl of the season. Any bad balls were punished and Drayton were left chasing perhaps 25 more runs than they would have wanted. This was a task made more difficult by Michael Breame dislocating his knee towards the end of the Caister innings.

Breame, did however take his place opening the batting - albeit with a runner, and settled on a "swing from the hip" approach - racing to a rapid 50. He eventually went to the well once to often and top edged the left arm spinner Myhill to mid wicket having made 54 out of an opening partnership, with Philip Wright, of 79. Andy Denny followed in Myhill's following over - but James Reeve joined Wright and showed a solid technique during a third wicket partnership of 69. Reeve, James Kay and Wright, for 73, all fell in quick succession leaving 5 batting points looking a forlorn hope with 23 required off the final over. Richard Taylor gave renewed hope striking the first four balls of the over to the boundary, but alas it was not to be as Drayton closed 5 short of 200 - Taylor having made a breezy and entertaining 23 not out.