Given the usual amount of “fuzzy-logic” needed to arrange anything with the cricketing monegasques, the Euratom lads all breathed a sigh of relief  as the Oz Travels & Kangaroo Wine convoy hove into sight over the Taino horizon.

Proceedings were quickly under way with ECC asked to bat  & Paul Voizey started to pick up runs steadily. Tony Sample struggled though & he lost his stumps for just 1 in Gil Clark’s second over. His replacement Sumith Dias looked to be in a hurry & hit his usual series of boundaries in quick time before O’Brien bowled him for 16 in the 6th over. Sumith Katunayake picked up where his compatriot had left off & quickly took the score to 82 before he was caught by Sirus for 26 off  Earl Sorensen’s last over. Paul Voizey steadily notched up the runs at the other end while Nana Tawiah & Shalan Chetty went for 1 & 4 respectively, followed by Sathya Dasarathan who grasped Mario Mallard firmly with both hands in an uncharacteristically short stay at the crease. Then, in Tysoe’s next over, Voizey finally capitulated after 100 minutes in the middle & was stumped for a valuable 25.

Just as the Euratom innings seemed to be drawing to a natural conclusion, the normally diffident Shamith Mudalige stepped into the breach & started blasting the ball to all parts. Jamie Speed included a couple of boundaries in a useful 10 before he was caught by Nick Thomas off O’Brien but Mudalige had rattled the score up to 166 by the time he was caught off Parnell for 32.  In the dying overs Phil Cake managed a couple more until Bill Speed was also caught off Parnell, this time for 4.  Euratom closed on 169 just 3 balls short of the full 40 overs & knew they would have to bowl well to contain some lively Monte Carlo batsmen.

  And so it was to be after tea. In the face of some hostile bowling from Sumith Katunayake & Shalan Chetty, Nick Thomas & opening partner Greenwood struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking over. In only Chetty’s second over Greenwood was run out on his skipper’s call for a second run by a powerful throw from deep mid-wicket by Sumith Dias. Then, as Thomas looked to pick up the scoring rate in the 10th over, he was bowled by a shooter from Dasarathan for 4. Parnell, who was already on 12 & starting to look dangerous, was then dismissed by an amazing feat of dexterity from Sumith Katunayake. Faced with a hard drive on the boundary, the athletic Sri Lankan flicked the ball up into his hand with his foot & his return throw left the astounded batsman yards short. Parnell’s replacement Smith then lasted a scant few balls of Sumith Dias’ next over before taking  a canard back to Monte Carlo. At the other end Earl Sorensen was going well & helped himself to a series of fours & sixes off Jamie Speed who found it impossible to contain the big-hitter. It was not until the 22nd over that Euratom got the breakthrough with Dasarathan finally bowling the Australian for 41, & although Monte Carlo still had the solid O’Brien in the middle & were just ahead of the required run-rate, it began to look as though they were running out of wickets. And so it proved. When Euratom’s four front-line bowlers, Katunayake,Chetty, Dias & Dasarathan, came back for their second spells, the scoring rate virtually ground to a halt & wickets continued to fall. Tysoe hung around for nearly half-an-hour for his 3 but, when last man Gil Clark fell L.B.W. to Sumith Dias shortly after 6 p.m., Monte Carlo were still a good 60 runs short & the fat lady was heard to sing.

 All in all a comprehensive victory for Euratom due to good team effort both in batting & bowling helped by a few flashes of individual brilliance.

MOM:  Some good performances from the all-rounders & a patient innings from Paul Voizey, but I think the MOM should go to Shamith Mudalige for finally revealing his prowess with the bat & top-scoring with 32 runs. Sathya Dasarathan took the Bombay Duck in under 3 minutes but in the absence of a reliable witness no Golden Banana is awarded for this match.