Brad Mitchell our overseas player wasted no time showing his mettle in a pre-season friendly at Foxhole on Sunday against Stoke Gabriel.
Stoke fielded a powerful line up and posted 205 for 7 in 40 overs. Josh Dowling top scored for Stoke with a brutal 49 before being dismissed when Jono Colegate took a fine catch on the boundary. Brad did a good job for 20 overs behind the stumps before giving PT a much needed chance to practice his keeping skills. Brad then impressed in the field with some ferocious throws. The bowlers had a good run out against some good B division batsmen. Cliff Lowe took a fine catch and startled himself.
When we batted Cliff was looking very useful before being caught behind. Thanks to Brad we were up with the run rate despite losing Mike Syms and PT cheaply. Stoke’s new man, Davis, came on to bowl and Brad walloped his first delivery back over his head, “six”, shouted the chairman, but he hadn’t spotted the Stoke fielder who took a good catch dismissing Brad for 38. Davis then took his hat trick as Andy Bligh and Sam Gornall were bowled off successive balls. We were then saved by the rain on 58 for 6, to everybody’s relief on a day which got increasingly colder.