CCA Junior League 2C

Royston 191 (39.5 overs)

Burrough Green 149 (31.5 overs)

Royston won by 42 runs

ROYSTON ran out comfortable winners against Burrough Green on Saturday thanks largely to Jon Harper and son Bonham who took three and four wickets respectively to see of their opponents.

A mature batting display was backed up by a solid bowling performance which never released the pressure on the home side.

The Crows were put into bat after losing the toss on a good wicket, which offered some help for the bowlers, but also good value for shots. The opening pair of Mick Miller and Paul Leary played sensibly, determined to build a good base, after early wickets last week had proved Royston’s downfall.

Miller, in particular, made use of the short boundary on one side, as Royston progressed steadily. However, with 52 on the board, Miller (25) was caught at cover off the bowling of Tripp, and soon after Martin Leary (2) and Paul Miller (10) followed cheaply, leaving Royston at 75-3 at drinks and with some rebuilding to do.

Enter Dave Wallis, who after a few overs of playing himself in, during which Paul Leary departed for 30, decided that the best way to regain the momentum was to take the attack to the bowlers. With a series of trademark flicks off the legs, Wallis plundered the 27th over of the innings for 21, including an exquisitely timed whip into the road for 6. More boundaries followed, and Royston shot from 87 to 128 within three overs.

Wallis departed shortly afterwards for an enterprising 40, but Rory Harper (39) and Toby Fynn (17) continued to add acceleration to the innings, putting on an excellent 53 partnership inside seven overs, and propelling the Crows to a competitive total of 191 – an unlikely target 15 overs earlier.

Burrough Green started brightly in reply, racing to 53-1 off the first nine overs, with Martin Leary (1-31) taking the solitary wicket of S Batting (2). Royston were not helped by an injury to Fynn in his first over, which prevented him from bowling again in the innings.

Tripp was looking the dangerman for the home side, and struck several lusty blows, however the Crows stuck to their task, and were rewarded with a steady trickle of wickets at the other end. Jon Harper (3-38) in particular, was able to exercise greater control on proceedings after some wayward opening bowling, and he was the man to get rid of Tripp (37), leaving Burrough Green struggling on 81-4.

After this, Royston began to look favourites for the win, and Bonham Harper (4-23) made it a real family affair, joining his dad amongst the wickets, the two of them bagging a total of seven wickets altogether in an impressive contribution.

As the lower order steadily crumbled, and with Tripp back in the pavilion, the match started to stroll towards an increasingly inevitable Royston win. Phillip Hall (2-41) returned to claim the final wicket, as Burrough Green were all out for 149.

Commenting after the game, skipper Leary said: “It was great to see our lower order really fire this week and add some valuable runs to the total. With runs on the board we always knew we stood a decent chance of defending our total, and thanks to a great effort from the Harper family, Rory’s 39, and Jon and Bonham’s seven wickets between them, we managed to keep the pressure on and force their batsmen into mistakes.

“Burrough Green were placed fourth in the league going into the game and so all in all it was a highly pleasing victory.”