Honourable Artillery Company 220 all out ECAD 1st XI 107-7 Scorecard

The new ECAD 1st XI team, sponsored by Involve UK, drew their first ever match at the wonderful Honourable Artillery Company's City of London ground.

Losing the toss, ECAD were sent into the field on a flat slow wicket which looked like it was going to be a bowler's graveyard.

The early exchanges appeared to confirm this after Edward Denton picked up opener King lbw for 11. Fellow opener Bax looked confident hitting through the line, including one calm clip for 6 over the shorter leg side boundary.

However the ECAD team dug in and the experience of Mike O'Mahony and captain Jake Oakes steered the innings back in their direction with a flurry of middle order wickets reducing the HAC to 123-7.

Choosing to make sure every player was involved in the game rather than going for the jugular, the ECAD spinners struggled to find the right length on the slow wicket, allowing the HAC to put 92 for the 8th wicket with captain Edwards scoring 50.

Oakes & O'Mahony returned to wrap up the innings in short order as HAC ended 220 all out, Oakes taking 3-27 and two wickets apiece for Denton, O'Mahony and off spinner Jason Talmer.

In reply ECAD struggled with Santimon's late movement and lost early wickets with Grabham, Sweeney, O'Mahony and Lofthouse all falling to the same bowler followed immediately by Umesh Valjee who played on to Parry from the other end, leaving ECAD perilously placed at 44-5. Denton & Macadam fell after a brief revival and at 65-7 ECAD were staring down the barrel (of many guns around the boundary edge too) of defeat.

However, captain Oakes was joined at the crease by off spinner James O'Connor and they confidently batted out the final overs, Oakes scoring 32 not out off 63 balls and O'Connor 21 not out from 74 balls of exemplary blocking.

An amazing occasion for the ECAD team which it is hoped will become an annual fixture.