Day 10: Kirkham defeated by Grenadian batsmen

Kirkham played their fifth match of the tour at the Morne Jaloux Playing Field. This was a change of venue due to a waterlogged pitch at the original location and also a change in opposition as we faced Grenada Boys Secondary School instead of Westerhall Secondary School.

In a reduced game (30/30) Kirkham were asked to bat first and soon capitalised on some wayward bowling. Nathan White buckled down nicely whilst Adam Galley chased the bowlers. When Adam fell for 19 with the score on 44 the foundation had been laid for further progress. Will Roper quickly set about the bowling (10) but then was bowled which then saw Rhys Williams come to the crease for his first bat of the tour. Together with Nathan the pair batted patiently to push the score on to 108. In an attempt to push on, Nathan (37) and Rhys (15) were dismissed, as were a string of batsmen all trying to score quick runs as the overs ran out (Brookes 9; Eaton 8; Vaughan 1; Whalley 1; Moulding 0; Baybutt 1). On the completion of the innings in the last over Kirkham had reached a total of 149.

Kirkham made a good start defending this total with Galley and Baybutt opening the bowling with some success. Tom's two in two balls in his first over was the highlight of this opening partnership. Despite the fall of three wickets in the first four overs, the runs kept coming as the opener Charles (40) and his left handed partner Thomas (45) set about any poor deliveries. As the Kirkham bowlers struggled to find the right line to the left handers the score looked increasingly attainable. Harrison Moulding bowled a nice spell (1 for 25 off 5 overs), as did Will Roper (0-22 off four) but the momentum moved towards the home side despite the late fall of a couple more wickets. The winning runs came eventually in the 25th over confirming the batting sides ability to score quickly and to punish the bad ball.

The tour results now stand at 3 victories and 2 defeats. Can Kirkham achieve that vital 4th victory in one of the final two fixtures to achieve a series victory?

Rest Day tomorrow - Catamaran All Day Cruise