Roehampton have strong win

Roehampton made the trip over to Warlingham for the first round of the fullers cup and arrived just as it started to rain. This seemed like an ominous omen. Stand in captain Sacha Hatteea, taking over due to Paul Fuchs sore throat (that's tonsillitis in Afrikaans) strode out to the middle and continued in his predecessors footsteps by losing the toss. Warlingham chose to bowl (as would have Roehampton given the conditions) which in hindsight they probably regretted for the remainder of the day. A misunderstanding over starting times meant our team were changed, ready and raring to go for a full 30 minutes before the game commenced and it showed as Sean Farrell hit the first 3 balls he faced for 4,4 and 6. The scoring rate maintained a high pace with dismissive treatment of the Warlingham attack until Phil Dorsett perished for 37 with the score on 104. Aaron Brook came to the crease and despite rumours (and some betting) that he always leaves the first ball, cracked his first delivery to the boundary. Another 50 runs were added before Farrell succumbed to a great running catch at deep mid-off, ending with 81 from 57 balls. With much chasing and searching for leather in the thick bushes, the Warlingham bowlers spirit was broken and Brook along with Sacha Hatteea, who had come out to join him, took full advantage, sharing in a partnership of 175 for the 3rd wicket. When Brook was finally out for a magnificent 119 from 92 balls, the opposition were praying for tea as if they hadn't been fed for weeks along with a declaration. Hatteea piled on even more misery bringing up his 100 off 72 balls in the final over thanks to debutant Oli Thomas's decision to allow him to face the one delivery needed rather than block out a maiden as per his team-mates instructions from the boundary. After 45 long, slow, arduous overs, Roehampton had amassed an impressive 372-3. Not content with the destructive manner of their batting, Roehampton struck in the very first over with Tom Easton finding the outside edge and getting his reward after a bit of juggling in the slips. His spell of 3-16 off his 9 overs showed control with plenty of swing and movement to trouble the batsman. Ably supported by Sean Farrell (1-17), Pukar Patel (2-17) and Dharmesh Vaghela (2-13), Roehampton had Warlingham on 58 with one wicket remaining. Warlingham sensing that they could end up losing by over 300 runs struck a couple of lusty blows before Ed Lynam took the final dismissal with the score on 76 in the 28th over. Harder games are sure to come but such an emphatic win will have helped build confidence before the league season starts next week.

(report by Sacha Hatteea)