Plymouth College’s 1st XI match against MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) brought rare sunshine and a real sense of optimism that they could beat the oldest and most prestigious cricket club in the world.
Batting first, MCC were under immediate pressure from Ben Pearson and Tom Dinnis resulting in the early breakthroughs Plymouth College were searching for. A superb spell of off-spin bowling from James Degg, allied to tidy outfielding and catching, left MCC 5-97 at lunch and Plymouth College in a very strong position.
The momentum of the match swung back to the opposition after lunch with a quickfire 100 being posted leaving Plymouth College 202 to chase in 34 overs. David Ackford and Aaron Richards got the chase off to a positive start but wickets at inopportune times saw the Plymouth College innings falter at the halfway point resulting in the boys requiring 80 runs with only 4 wickets remaining and overs diminishing rapidly. James Douie and Thom Leman came together at this point and after a nervy start both players began to play with a real freedom that was pleasing on the eye.
Despite a rather confusing and unexpected reduction in the amount of overs left, the boys remained calm and confident and finished the game with an over to spare. Final result: Plymouth College 203 for 6; MCC 202 for 6.
Plymouth College Head of Cricket, Matt Byrne, said: “All members of the squad can be very proud of their efforts and should take real belief moving forward into the 2015 season.”