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88 from Hepburn proves too much for Largo 2s in close defeat in Falkland.
Sloppy performance in the field doesnt back up good performances with ball and 50 run opening partnership as Largo cant get back to back wins.
On Sunday Largo 2s looked to build on their first win of the year last weekend as they travelled to Falkland to take on their 3rd XI. Captain Brent Bentley called wrong at the toss and his side were asked to field first on a pitch that produced a lot of runs in the national league game the day before.
Largo opened with Ahmad and MacDonald, and accompanied for the first hour by techno/dance music from the adjacent forest in surely a Largo first the pair started well bowling a steady line and length and going at less than 2 an over before Ahmad made the breakthrough bowling J Forbes for 5 as part of his impressive spell of 8 overs for just 8 runs. Sandhu and Bentley replaced the openers and despite Sandhu looking the most dangerous carrying on his form from last week it was Bentley who managed to get the wicket, bowling Denney for 6.
Drinks were taken and soon after came the 3rd wicket with Sneddon taking a good caught and bowled of Ruben Forbes for 11 in his first over. This wicket though brought Ryan Hepburn to the crease and immediately the game was changed with Hepburn showing the power and skill he had with the bat from the start finding the boundaries missing so far from the innings and giving the home side the momentum in the game.
The following overs were all around trying to keep Hepburn quiet at the non-strikers end after disappointingly giving him multiple lives through dropped catches as the innings went on. MacLeod would do this well taking 2 wickets for just 9 runs in his 4 overs before Sandhu, MacDonald and Bentley would all return to the attack with Bentley taking 2 further wickets but Hepburn continued on to a hard hitting 88 not out in his innings and take Falkland to 142/7 in their 40 overs.
In reply Largo opened with Tooze and Slade and the pair managed to score the first 50 run opening partnership for the 2nd XI in over 2 years taking the score to a half century before on the point of drinks, Slade was dismissed by O.Cutler for 12. Looking to push the score along with wickets in hand Largo’s middle order were unable to back up the work done earlier with Brown bowled by Wang for 3 followed soon after by further wickets for Cutler of Tooze for a top scoring 25, Sandhu (3) and MacLeod for a duck as Cutler finished with impressive figures of 4/9.
With Sneddon skying a catch off Hepburn for 4, Largo were now in real trouble in the chase with Bentley and MacDonald at the crease looking to inch the side towards the target. Bentley managed to find the first boundaries of the innings and the pair manged to keep up with the rate of now above 6 an over as they moved towards 100 but Bentley couldn’t keep it going for his side with the returning R.Forbes dismissing him for 16. MacDonald and Allan did what they could from there with MacDonald unlucky to not find more boundaries with some powerful drives but with his dismissal for 18, Largo were always coming up short and were defeated by 20 runs.
Largo will be disappointed for the first time this season with their fielding with near double digits drop catches in the innings of various levels of difficulty at fault for the chase being well above what looked likely and, despite Hepburn’s innings being the obvious difference in quality and performance on the day the Largo side will feel this is one that got away. Largo 2nd XI now has their final bye week of the season and return the week after with a home match vs Strathmore 2s.