Dev XI v Rayne (H)

This Sunday saw the development XI take on a Rayne side who had a mix of players from different sides, in a short 25 over game. Skipper Joe Osborne won the toss and elected to field, opening the bowling with youngsters Theo Sherry and Thomas Mellon. The Rayne openers came out with very different styles of play, with Adam Robinson looking to go large from the off, whilst Lee Crawford looking to get himself in and build the innings. However, the first of them to fall was Crawford, with first change bowler Joe Chaplin bowling him, leaving Rayne 52-1. New batter James Atkins came and went within the next over, as Calley Foyster had him tamely caught and bowled off a full toss. Foyster then struck again later in the same over, having Nathan Williamson caught by Harvey Castle-Hacker at square leg off yet another full toss, meaning Rayne were 56-3 after 9 overs. This brought Mark Dyer to the crease, who along with Robinson, built the game-changing partnership- Robinson cruising to 94 with thirteen 4s and four 6s, mainly all to the short legside boundary at one end. Robinson fell to a sharp catch from Foyster at cover off the bowling of Castle-Hacker, bagging the youngster his first ever wicket. Captain Osborne brought himself on at the death, along with the return of the openers, in order to stem the flow of runs, with Osborne eventually bowling Dyer for 45 with a yorker and running Bevet-Smith out on the last ball of the innings, Rayne finishing 181-6 off of 25 overs.
In reply, Braintree never really got going, with openers Nick Lockhart and Adam Westall setting the dolphins a solid foundation, but both got out looking to progress the score further, with Lockhart being bowled by leg spinner Crawford for 32 and Westall skying in the air on 15 off the bowling of Matt Vickery for keeper Robinson to take. Guy Walton gave himself one ball to get in before looking to go big, being bowled by Vickery without troubling the scorers. Captain Osborne also went large early taking on Crawford's spin only to get a thick edge to short third man for 1. Chaplin came in at 6, grinding out a technically solid innings before being bowled by Nick Alen. Sherry came in and looked confident, hitting a lovely four before being caught by Paul Sangster with a good, sharp catch for 8, in the last over, allowing Castle-Hacker to have a bat for the last four balls. Calum MacLeod finished on 26 not out, playing a few wonderful shots and staying there to ensure that the youngsters who came in were confident in themselves, leading Braintree to a total of 89-6 off their 25 overs.
A few lessons to learn and things to take to the return fixture for all of the team, but overall a good day out for all involved