Rolleston 1st XI started the 2011 campaign with an excellent team performance and a winning draw against Eckington at the Willows. Some solid top order batting combined with tight spells of bowling from the home attack ensured that skipper Alex Britton’s decision to bat first proved a wise one.

South African quickie, Ruhan Pretorius (5 for 35) made an inauspicious start when he several times strayed onto opener Gareth Marshall’s legs, the deliveries clipped sweetly to the boundary to get Rolleston off to a flier. At the other end, Paul Allen dealt similar blows to away skipper Tom Dawson as the score raced to 24 from four overs. Both bowlers eventually found their rhythm and Allen was fortunate to ‘chinese cut’ Dawson to the rope before mistiming a pull off Pretorius which offered Steve Nicholas the simplest of catches at cover which he inexplicably failed to collect.

Allen edged Pretorius through slips and then survived a loud lbw appeal, which encouraged the frustrated bowler to extend his follow through and offer advice regarding how the batsman should better enjoy his Saturday afternoons. To no avail as both opening bowlers were replaced and Allen (34) twice struck off-spinner Wayne Dye to the boundary before playing back to Andy Firth and being dismissed leg before.

From 60 without loss after nineteen, Eckington’s first change bowlers took a stranglehold on the game and only nine runs were added in the following nine overs.
The innings gradually regained much needed momentum and Marshall (55) claimed his half-century after two hours and 105 deliveries. Matt Ford had started cautiously, but accelerated to reach 40 before the returning Pretorius removed Marshall, a low catch by Dawson at mid-on.

From 133 for 1, the hosts suffered a mini-collapse as Eckington’s overseas player took a return catch from Rutter, then Ford left his crease to attack Dye only to be stumped by Staniforth, and Pretorius notched his third victim, James trapped leg before. Britton (23) and Cobley (7) shared a 23 run-a-ball partnership prior to the latter falling to a well targeted and full pitched ball from the rampaging Pretorius.

Britton looked in dangerous form but chanced a single which Usain Bolt would have deemed optimistic, the resulting run out leaving the hosts on 169-7 with three overs remaining. Australian fast bowler Zac Fried (8) was joined by the experienced Dave Tee (4) who lost his stumps and became Pretorius’ fifth victim in the process. The bowler’s second spell had earned him 5 wickets for just fifteen runs. Fried showed that he could handle a bat and scored at a run-a-ball until the last ball of the innings saw Karl Fields catch him out at mid-on off Dawson.

The target of 186 for 9 seemed far from daunting, but the run chase looked anything but comfortable when opener Firth (23) survived what should have been a regulation slip catch off Fried, and Britton, rediscovering his radar after several leg-side wides, quickly bowled Michael Spence (6) and nailed Fields (0) leg before to leave the visitors on 13-2 after six.

Pretorius took a good look at the bowling on offer, and had achieved just one scoring shot from twenty deliveries when he snicked Fried (1-33 off 15) to wicketkeeper Ford prompting an ecstatic team celebration to welcome the paceman’s first league wicket.

Nine overs and 25 runs later, wily off-spinner Tee successfully appealed for a leg before decision over Chris Ludlam (14). The following over saw swing bowler Andrew Cooper secure a similar decision over Firth and, two balls later, the youngster forced a false shot from Staniforth who gave James a simple opportunity at mid-on.

After thirty overs the visitors were in serious disarray on 69-8 following Tee’s cheap removal of both Nicholas and Allcock. The second of Rolleston’s debutants returned remarkable figures of 3 for 18 off fourteen overs which included eight maidens.

A determined partnership of Dawson (36 no) and Adam Leonard (10 no) dug in to save the game and, despite the home attack’s best efforts to make a breakthrough, the pair fought bravely to survive the last twenty overs. Leonard took forty balls to get off the mark but did what was required as the visitor’s reply limped to 116-8.

The hosts will be encouraged by a 17 points haul whilst the visitors worked hard to earn just 6.