JAMIE Keating bagged three, Matt Cocken was tight and Leon Watson batted OK (despite running out a partner).
These were the only positives The Road could take from another humiliating defeat – this time to the only team they’ve beaten this season.
The London Itinerants burst out of the blocks in Thursday’s T20 ready to wreak revenge on the boys from Battersea after losing a close match back in May.
And The Road made it easy for them, barely putting up a fight as they collapsed to a comprehensive 77-run loss at Wandsworth Common.
Right from the start the Orange Caps were poor and failed to take advantage of either the new ball or a misbehaving pitch.
Paceman James Couldrey had a nightmare opening spell with the ball conceeding 23 off just two overs which included six wides.
At the other end Matt Small failed to reproduce his stunning spell against Grace Church last week to go for even more – 29 off three overs.
It took until Itinerants had scored 58 – and opener Tony Mahoney had retired unbeaten on 25 – for the breakthrough to come.
Matt C bowled Danny Beaumont for 6 with a looping delivery and then the next over Leon got opener Jon Tennison for 12 with another slow one before the total had moved.
Ten runs later Jamie K snapped up two in an over bowling Keith Sohl and having Edward Price caught by Shailesh Joshi.
It wasn’t enough though. Daf Howells and Michael Behl eased the score to 106 before Daf fell to a catch by Andy Saker off Shailesh.
Behl became the second Itinerants batsman to retire when he stood down on 27 with his side coasting along nicely.
In the final over Jamie bowled Itinerants skip Ben Tanner and last ball Alan Hutchinson ran out Andy. It made no difference though, by then the Itinerants had scored 142.
In response, The Road were a shambles.
- Matt … takes a big stride
Shailesh and Leon opened but the partnership that lasted just three balls before Shailesh looped one up to Tanner at mid on off Behl.
Jamie K lasted 5 balls for his 7, and then with the score on 22 big hope Tom Barnes was run out in a catastrophic mix-up with Leon.
Gallantly, Tom sacrificed his wicket as Leon went for an ambitious run after flicking a ball straight to a fielder behind square on the leg side.
Next up, Dr John Gledhill was dismissed second ball after a ball popped onto his gloves and was caught by the bowler Behl and Leon fell soon after.
Tom Parnell hung around for 14 balls, Matt C scored 4 off 10 balls, Andy fell on 4 from 6 and Adam Majeed had a late flurry with 19 off 20 before James C went for a duck off 3 to close the innings.
Matt S – having faced a torrid spell from Itinerant bowler Helen Wilson – was left not out on 1.
The Itinerants, who play in the newly-formed London Premier League, shared the wickets around with Tanner the pick taking 2 for 8 off three, including the wickets of Leon for 18 and Matt for 4.
It was another horror show from The Road who couldn’t even reproduce this season’s improved level of fielding as dropped catches creeped into their game.
The only highlight was an (apparently) comical collision between big Jamie and Leon as they went for a ball on the square leg boundary.
That pretty much summed up the evening for The Road. Next up Matt’s team take on the Full Tossers on July 4.