Match Report - 1st XI vs. The Roebucks CC (a) - 3rd July 2021
TCC 1ST XI BOUNCE BACK IN STYLE WITH ENTERTAINING AWAY WIN
TCC 1st XI - 181 for 7
Roebucks - 145 All Out
Tonbridge 1st XI bounced back from last week's disappointment against Gore Court, stunning promotion-hopefuls The Roebucks with an impressive 36 run victory.
With a reduced 40 over game due to rain, Tonbridge lost the toss and were unsurprisingly invited to bat first.
They set about their task, openers Chirag Patel and Greg Bird with a brisk opening stand of 41 before Patel (15) was bowled.
Steve Hall joined Bird (29) at the crease and continued to build on a low and tricky deck, keeping important wickets in hand. Mark Burns (23) continued Town's momentum in a positive 69 run partnership with Hall (53), who recorded the visitors first half century of the season, a statistic that speaks volumes for the side's woes to date.
Abraham (2-21) bowled well at the death for the visitors, but a few lusty blows from the Tonbridge lower order took the score to 181/7 at tea.
A score that looked competitive quickly became daunting, as evergreen quick Martin Batley (4-31) tore into The Roebucks top order, castling the opener before claiming the prize wicket of Yasir Arafat with a sharp caught and bowled.
Ben Peters (1-18) and Burns (2-39) continued the assault with three more quick wickets, as scoreboard pressure caused the home side to lose their heads, the score at 52-5.
James Lincoln (41) and Tilkarathne (40) stuck to their task gamely and started to chip away at the target score, becoming increasingly confident with some powerful strokes.
Tonbridge have been guilty of letting sides off the hook in the past, but the reintroduction of Batley turned the tide, with a crucial LBW of Tilkarathne. Khurrum Shehzad (1-18) again bowled superbly with little reward, and it was off his bowling that Burns completed a memorable match with the crucial run out of Lincoln to effectively decide the contest.
Tonbridge have reached half way just inside the relegation zone - but with 3 wins out of the past 5 and the level of performance on the up, there is cause for optimism for the second half of the season.
