Blunham’s cricketers reach their second cup final of season

Having beaten Kempston Hammers in a Bedford Midweek League match just 24 hours earlier, they repeated the victory in the semi-final of the popular cup competition having previously disposed of three other opponents along the way ... including current Hospital Cup holders Westfield.

After winning the toss, the Hammers decided to bat on a track which looked very good at first glance. With Kanchana Rodrigo and Neil Wildon opening the bowling, in the absence of Geoff Fitzgerald – who had spent all day at home yet still managed to be half an hour late! – Callum McGlynn was also running late so Blunham took to the field with just nine men.

Three dropped ‘dolly’ catches in the first four overs was completely uncharacteristic of the Blunham season so far, but it underlined once again what happens when a side takes to the field in a state of disarray.

However the Blunham bowlers found swing and seam movement on a muggy evening which combined with a Kempston wicket that was, as usual, too paced and never quite as good as it looked.

The openers struggled to get the ball away and pierce the field for singles or many boundaries and once Eversholt’s Lewis Perrin was bowled off his pads by Eric Kanchana for 10, the Hammers’ innings alternated between being stagnant and in freefall.

At one end John Collings scored 25 off 49 deliveries while at the other, all of the incoming batsman refused to hang around, seemingly completely incapable of finding a way of manouvering the ball around the outfield for singles.

This quickly led to repeated poor shots as each incoming batsman tried and failed to hit over the top.

There were great spells from Fitzgerald, Kanchana and Connor Heaps whuch strangled the life out of the Kempston batting line up and when in the 16th over the tenth wicket fell, a target of 58 always looked too small when 100 would have been nearer a par score!

Kempston opened the bowling with their only two bowlers that had any penetration, R Holmes and S Ullah. Although curiously they made it easier for the Blunham batters by immediately posting two sweepers and showing no attacking intent with no attacking fielders or close catchers. Could they really defend 57 runs in this manner?

Despite offering advice to the batters about playing on the front foot and playing straight, both Rodrigo (5) and Darryl Hendricks (0) went early, stumped and bowled respectively playing across the line!

Heaps (10) got a good ball from Ullah that nipped away and was caught behind and at 27-3, Blunham had a little wobble. but Ed Davis (28 not out) and Fitzgerald (12 not out), saw them home with a mixture of confident batting, kamikaze running, overthrows and poor fielding.

Amazingly Blunham haven’t lost to Kempston Hammers in over a decade in all competitions and they now look forward to their first ever appearance in the Hospital Cup final on Ickwell Green against Bedford Pakistanis on Thursday, July 19.