Played 1 Won 1

MATCH 1 V NELSON CRICKET ACADEMY COLOMBO


2 APRIL SARAWANAMUTTU INTERNATIONAK STADIUM

Having had one day to acclimatize it was down to business on the second day of the tour with an early start from the hotel at 7:15am in order to make the start time of 9:45 am at the Sarawanamuttu International Stadium. The boys were in good spirits and full of expectation at the prospect of their first game and when they saw the ground they the level of expectancy and excitement certainly increased! The stadium was the location for Sri Lanka’s arrival on the full Test scene when they played England in their first 5 Day test in 1982 and is regularly used by visiting teams for warm-up matches and ODIs.

Having won the toss Josh Habergham decided to bat and Josh Audsley and Christiam Rice took to the field to mark the opening of the 2010 tour. Our opponents were Nelson Cricket Academy, one of eight in Colombo which draws its players from the local schools and clubs, and who like ourselves were a side comprising U17-U14 players. The early exchanges were certainly in the bowlers favour as the new bal swung viciously in the hot, 39°C, and humid 95% atmosphere. Josh Audsley succumbed to the outswing falling to a sharp catch in the gulley for 5. Christian Rice battled on when he was the next to fall to a late swinging yorker which took his off stump. Captain Habergham looked very comfortable and was striking the ball well; however. a little rush of blood to a short pitched delivery sent him back to the pavilion following a fin e catch in the deep for 11. This brought Fred Kamstra and James Wainman who took the score on to 117 with some positive shots. James was caught for 38 and was soon followed by Fred who was dismissed from a fine catch on the long on boundary also for 38. At 137 for 5 we were bogged down but Mike Wren-Kirkham stepped up to the crease and began to take on the now dominant spin bowling. With a series of quick ones and twos the heat finally got to Mike and he had to retire on 20. A final flourish by Fred Roberts and Andrew Ward together with Mike returning to the crease we were all out on the penultimate ball of the innings for 172.

James Wainman and Jonathan Hardman opened the bowling and both struggled with the new ball and conditions, however James soon made amends in his second over. A fine in swinging cutter removed the off stump of the opening to dismiss him for 0. James repeated this in his next two overs and Nelson were reduced to 28 for 3. The batting side soon recovered and al our bowlers were punished as they moved on to 94 before we turned to the spin bowling of Fred Kamstra and Rajvir Dutt. Both bowlers flighted the ball well and supported by some fine catching from Christian Rice (3) and Josh Habergham (2) the home side collapsed to 110 all out after 24 overs. Rajvir finished with figures of 4 wickets for 10 runs off 4 overs and Fred 3 for 16 off 4.2. All in all a fine recovery and excellent start to the Tour.