Cannock finally up and running
Captain Adam Benton watched Cannock record their first victory of the South Staffs County League season and then declared: “That was a long time coming.”
Saturday’s 30-run win in a rain-affected clash at Brewood saw the Premier Division’s bottom club open their account for the campaign.
Benton believes it was all his team deserved after another strong performance in a season where fortune has not always favoured them.
He said: “The main emotion at the finish was one of ecstasy.
“There was a definite feeling we had got one back after being hard done by in some of our earlier games.
“The previous week was our poorest performance of the season, no question. This one was well-deserved.”
On a weekend when the weather wreaked havoc across the league, Cannock found themselves in a 25-over shootout with a Brewood team firmly among the promotion contenders.
Batting first, the visitors posted 127-9, Faizan Khan top scoring with 26.
It proved more than enough as Azfal Hussain (4-24) and Ravan Chahal (2-18) made early inroads into the Brewood reply.
The hosts were eventually dismissed for 97, suffering only their second defeat of the season and missing the chance go top, with leaders C&R Hawks out of action due to rain.
“At the break we thought we had got enough,” said Benton. “The batting conditions weren’t easy by any means.
“We decided from the start we weren’t going to treat it like a T20. Seeing the new ball off was important and allowed us to hit out at the end.
“Brewood did attack it like a T20 and Azfal and Ravan bowled very well, taking early wickets to put us in a strong position, before Daniel Wood and Eddie Martin cleaned up the tail.
“It was a real team performance. Everyone played their part.”
Benton hopes the result will provide his team with confidence, ahead of this week’s visit of Whittington for a game the skipper has billed as ‘must-win’.
He explained: “Ourselves and Whittington were the last two teams to make it into this division last season. We have always had this game pencilled in as a must-win.”
Whittington’s match at Beacon was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Hawks remain top of the pile despite not seeing any action as their clash with Wombourne was rained off.
