Our third opponents were a club steeped in tradition. I Zingari (meaning the gypsies) are a long-established club with a wonderful pitch at Camden Park. The setting was as beautiful as Mandalong but without the cicada chorus. I Zingari are obviously used to hosting touring teams and they were extremely good at it. Despite the rain they were keen to get started ASAP and had prepared a wonderfully healthy lunch.
 |
| I Zingari pavilion |
The captains decided on a new format: a two innings’ game of 20 and 25 overs. We bowled first and restricted the gypsies to 51 for 4 from their first 20 overs. It didn’t sound much but the pitch was tricky and we only got 39 from our first 20.
In the afternoon the pitched dried out as the sun came out and we allowed the hosts to reach 137 for 9. We lost wickets early in the chase and recovered through a partnership of 62 between Reuben and Martin – but the scoring rate was too slow and we needed 45 from the last 5 overs.
 |
| André and Nick at the crease |
Our ring-ins, Davo and Stevo chipped in with some hard hitting but it wasn’t enough and we ended up losing by 10 runs. The disappointment was softened by the backdrop, the food, the post-match beer – and the sight of a Goanna snoozing on the side of a tree.
 |
| Spot the Goanna |
No comments:
Post a Comment