PCA Masters v Sussex Academy
PCA Masters v Sussex Academy, Sunday 8th July 2007
On an unusually sunny day in the magnificent grounds of Lancing College the Masters set about playing the first non rain affected game of the summer.
PCA Masters captained on the day by Paul Prichard won the toss and elected to field on a very slow low wicket. The masters starting well with a tight spell from Martin Bicknell and the usual prodigious swing bowling of Joey Benjamin soon had the Academy behind the rate. Bicknell picking up two wickets in an accurate first spell of seven overs.
The Sussex Academy rallied after the new ball attack and upped the rate to around 6 an over. However once spin was introduced through the experience of Raj Maru and the youthful skill of Mitchell Stokes the brakes were applied to the Sussex innings with Mitchell Stokes picking up three wickets.
The Academy's innings gained some momentum in the last ten overs for them to set the PCA Masters 220 to win at the end of their 50 overs, which was about a par score on a very slow wicket.
The PCA Masters reply got off to a bad start losing opener Paul Prichard in the first over. Steve Marsh and Jono Maclean steadied the ship but then lost both in quick succession with Maclean being dubiously adjudged LBW for a well made thirty.
The middle overs saw the Masters suffer a mini collapse which resulted in Martin Bicknell and Martin McCague giving the Masters some hope with some well placed hitting. Unfortunately the asking rate was a little too high and McCague perished looking for another boundary. Martin Bicknell finished with a well made fifty not out to go with his three wicket haul, which surely gives him the MOM award but left the Masters short of the target by thirty runs.
The other performance challenging Bicknell's on the day came from the fast bowlers union of McCague and Benjamin, who were spotted prior to the first ball of the game struggling to move the white sightscreens into line with the wicket, whilst realising that the balls being used in the match were in fact also white.
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