Old Boys Cricket Club (New Delhi) v LD

15th February 2006

On the third day of their tour of India, the Light Dragoons played their first game – and lost their first wicket off the very first ball! Their batsmen recovered to post a score of 195 for 6 in their allocated 30 overs. Corporal Jamie Bower and Lance Corporal Adam Knox shared a second wicket stand of 103, each of them scoring 41.

Trooper Simon Moralee and Captain Will Jelf pushed the score along and, after some big shots, Trooper David Cameron was unlucky to be caught on the boundary. Trooper Zunze and Captain Keiron Atkinson were not out at the end of the 30th over with the score on 185 – a reasonable score on a dry and dusty wicket.

If the Old Boys had seemed rather pedestrian when bowling, it was clear that they were a team of high quality batsmen. Trooper Graham McBeth took the wicket of Shay Esh when the score was 26 but the Old Boys were scoring at over 8 per over. Zunze, Cameron and Moralee all bowled tidily but they all suffered at the hands of some extravagant stroke-making. Out of the first 130 runs, 98 had come from boundaries!

The Old Boys never looked likely to lose the run-chase but they lost 6 wickets in reaching their target inside 27 overs.

The match had been played in an exceptionally friendly spirit and the Old boys showed themselves to be the most generous of hosts.

The Light Dragoons had lost their opening game – but they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.