Swardeston’s Sunday XI, having won the league title last season, kicked off this time around with a comfortable 31 run victory away to North Runcton.
Winning the toss and choosing to bat, Swardeston’s openers immediately took the game to Runcton with Joel Abraham (37) and Jordan Taylor (29) putting on 51 for the first wicket. Runs continued to tick over through the middle overs, while contributions from Ben Hogg (29) and James Pearson (49 not out) helped take the score to a competitive 226 – 6 off the allotted 40 overs.
North Runcton struggled to keep up with the rate from the outset – Tim Price bowling a good line and length, and Sam Thelwell beating the edge on a number of occasions. And when James Pearson’s off spin was introduced, wickets started to tumble and Swardeston’s grip on the game really did begin to strengthen.
James Pearson finished his spell with 5 wickets, but in reality, a good overall team performance meant the game was over long before the finish.
