Sussex 2nd XI v Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers: Second Eleven Trophy – Part 2
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Young Cricketers team had set a solid target of 219 runs for the Sussex 2nd XI team in a match of the Second Eleven trophy at the County Ground, Hove in England on Monday, August 1, 2011.
The hosts had taken three wickets early, but conceded a lot of runs in the end. They would have been disappointed, letting the opposition score more than 200, but the team had the depth to chase down the target.
Sussex 2nd XI struggled throughout the innings, but managed to win the match in the end. Most batsmen failed to make a big impression, as wickets kept on tumbling at regular intervals.
However, the hosts’ opener Matt Machan played a sensational innings. He remained unbeaten on 133, guiding the team to a thrilling victory. There were only a couple of other batsmen to reach double figures in the innings with the second highest score of 32 runs.
There was not much change in the playing conditions. The pitch was still good for batting, as the ball was coming onto the bat with an even pace and bounce. However, the home team’s batsmen played some rash strokes, throwing wickets away carelessly.
The start to Sussex 2nd XI’s innings was a decent one, as openers Machan and Joe Gatting put together 42 runs for the first wicket partnership. The latter was unable to make a significant impression though, as he got out after scoring just 10 runs off 7 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper batsman Andy Hodd was the next man to be dismissed in the innings. He was unable to get going, getting out for 9 runs off 16 balls.
Just five runs later, William Adkin was sent back to the pavilion after managing just one run to the total. He was followed by the team’s skipper Will Beer, who collected just six runs in his short stay at the crease.
Harry Finch was the fifth man to be dismissed in the home team’s innings, as the side was in deep trouble at 84/5.
However, the innings was stabilised by Machan and Callum Jackson, as the pair put together a solid half-century partnership for the sixth wicket. They collected 85 runs before the latter was dismissed after contributing 32 runs to the total.
Three quick wickets fell after that and the Sussex 2nd XI team was struggling at 216/9. However, Machan held his nerves, guiding the side to a spectacular win. He remained uneaten on 133 runs off 144 balls.
MCC Young Cricketers’ skipper Paul Muchall bowled well, picking up a couple of wickets in the match, but the effort went in vain.