Michael Wood’s two’s looked every bit a championship winning team with yet another fine performance at Colden Common on Saturday.
Bowling first, Alex Brundle, fresh from a 5:30 AM finish after the Oakley Quiz night, showed what good preparation is all about with a devastating four wicket spell of swing bowling to rip the heart out of the Colden batting line-up.
The Two’s put on another disciplined performance at Colden Common
At the other end Tom Barnes was having no luck during his spell but his tight bowling was at least keeping the score down as Colden struggled to get the scoreboard moving.
Perry King and Nathan Rabley both came on and bowled well but a couple of Colden batsmen were getting their eye in and the score was ticking along nicely as they took advantage of anything short, despite a fine Brad Compton-Bearne run-out that he will never want to talk about.
Michael Wood, a man with a burgeoning reputation for showing the tactical acumen of a champion chess player, curtailed the run chase showing all the cunning of a fox by bringing himself on with Brad Compton-Bearne to mop up the tail.
Brad picked up two wickets and Woody, with a dazzling display of spin that would have seen a certain Shane Warne turn green with bitter envy, picked up three to reduce Colden to 93.
Chasing the target, Wood got cleaned bowled for 4 by what must have been a brilliant ball as he never gets clean bowled and Steve Savage who had looked comfortable, produced a shot that made Nora Batty look beautiful, looping one up to an elderly chap who took the catch with all the joy of a man who had just won the Euro millions.
When Alex Brundle rolled back the years with a cross-bat air shot and was given plumb LBW, the Oaks were wobbling a little, but Dan Beckall was not at all fazed, marrying up his dashing looks with dashing shots, continuing his recent form with, dare I say it, a mature, unbeaten 33.
At the other end Brad Compton-Bearne, in what was becoming a day he would be able bore his grandchildren senseless with (“Go to sleep or Grandad will tell you the story about his run-out”) bludgeoned his way to 29 to see the Oaks home to what was, in the end, a comfortable win.
Up the Oaks!