Darcy Lever won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitchthat looked in excellent condition, especially after the dreadful wet winterwe’ve endured.
Clifton’s opening bowlers, Worthington and Thorpe, started alittle loose but quickly found their rhythm and lines. They claimed a couple ofearly wickets and set the tone for what became a very disciplined teamperformance in the field. The other bowlers used in Jones, Keogh, Dorseyand Dunn, all took wickets as well, contributing to an excellent all roundbowling display.
Darcy Lever scored at a steady rate of around four an overbut were never able to accelerate. Clifton chipped away with regular wicketsthroughout the innings.
The standout for the visitors was Toseef Khan, who played avery competent innings of 95. Had he been dismissed early, things could havebecome very difficult for Darcy Lever.
In reply, Clifton chased the target down quite comfortably,though there was some early season rustiness with the bat.
Skipper Steve McManus opened the batting and made a solid 40before chasing a wide one, while the middle order showed a couple of poor shotselections. Owen Hogben and Lewis Keogh then saw us home, both finishingunbeaten on 22.
Whilst it was a good all-round team performance to securethe first victory of the season, there is still room for improvement in thefield. Clifton dropped three chances and I’m sure we will look to tighten up onthis in coming weeks.
A strong start to the campaign nonetheless, well playedlads!