Bank Holiday's in May have been travel bonanza's for the 3's this season, following on from the May Day trip to Swanage there was another traffic battle to get to Portland for the week 5 fixture. With a slightly rotated side from last weeks win over Ashmore, skipper Rochford won the toss and decided to have a bat despite a slightly green top to the wicket. Openers Matt Hobbs and Ben Wright took to the middle in confident mood and gave a positive account before Wright played all around a full toss and was given out LBW for 18 bringing Nick Williams to the crease. Another partnership started and finished before Hobbs fell to a stunning full length catch by James Potts off the bowling of Jodie Lock, walking back to the pavilion with 17 runs to his name. In form Chak Beagley joined Nick Williams to the crease, with the latter starting to look comfortable on a tricky wicket, Beagley resumed from last weeks knock in his usual swashbuckling style, but paying respect to a difficult pitch. With both batsmen becoming set and picking up the run rate they reached their 50 partnership reached just before drinks. The two carried on looking to build runs, with Beagley hitting a tennis serve 6 to an above head no ball (2 points - one it was completely accidental and slipped out the hand - two I've given up trying to fully explain the shot, you had to be there to witness it) before Beagley was clean bowled by Nathan Cornish with Poole now 123/3 after a wonderful partnership of 81 off 65 balls. Craig Rochford joined the now set Nick Williams and again once settled looked to keep the run rate climbing and with Williams passing 50 both looked to push on. A flurry of boundaries mixed in with some good rotation of strike saw the pair push the score past 200, Williams always looking in command despite tiring in the Bank Holiday sunshine and now fully in attack mode, before chipping a ball in the air to the secure hands off Potts and falling for 95. A partnership of 98 runs off 78 balls, but few in the ground would have begrudged the Chairman his century. Rochford was joined by promising youngster Pat Reynolds with 4 overs remaining who looked to go after runs quickly and departed for 5, with Dan Griffiths being the next to bat. Skipper Rochford moved past 50 in the final over as Poole Town set a commanding total of 259 from their 40 overs.
After refreshments and a swift sandwich the 3's set about bowling on the platform given by the batsmen. Matty Williams, now fully recovered from the nose bleed of being on the batting scorecard at 9 charged down the Portland hill, with Dan Griffiths deservedly being made to run up it, Williams junior claiming the first and rather fortuetous wicket of Ray Emery, who played on with the help of gravity giving the ball it's final revolution to just dislodge a bail. With Williams and Griffiths toiling in the heat the ball was given to Lawrence Brindley, who brought heat of his own dismissing Jack Marsh with his first ball, caught sharply behind by Ben Wright. Joe Cornick began his shift downhill and helped the miserly Brindley build pressure, Brindley again the recipient of the reward as Dan Griffiths chipped in with a catch and Portland were 62/3 off 16 overs before Brindles brought about an early drinks break claiming another wicket, this time bowled and the skipper headed to his phone to google how early someone can hit the male menopuase and if teenage fast bowlers blowing up for no reason was a symptom. Google proved to give little answer and it was all put down to the reappearance of the lesser spotted large orange orb in the sky, but Brindles calmed everyones mood as another fortunate wicket fell as Wright stumped Portland skipper Cam Midgely before completing his fiver for with the last ball of his spell, Riley Marsh the victim clean bowled. Oli Baker and Pat Reynolds were brought on to mop up the tail, with Reynolds claiming 3 for 3 from 3.4 and Portland finishing on 95 all out from 27.4 overs.
All in all a good shift, and with man of the match a toss of a coin between the both brilliant Nick Williams and Lawrence Brindley it was the Chairman who took home the honour from a classy team performance, summarised in wonderful detail and with huge thanks to Glynn Brindley for scoring.
Poole Town 3's 259/5 (40)
N Williams - 95
C Rochford - 53*
J Locke - 3/67
Portland RT 2's - 95 all out (27.4)
C Midgely - 20
L Brindley - 5/11
P Reynolds - 3/3
