THE Isle of Wight’s development team — a young side packed with talent and promise — put on a good show against the world famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in the annual Keith Newbery Memorial Trophy match, held at Newclose.
“It was a sunny Sunday of cricket that would have delighted the ground’s founder, Brian Gardener,” said Seaview-based MCC skipper Andy Woodward on receipt of the trophy, after they beat the Isle of Wight Development XI by 38 runs on Sunday.
The 40-over match followed a morning of girls’ cricket — part of the ECB’s Girls’ and Women’s Big Cricket Month — and which followed the MCC’s match against Ryde School on Saturday.
In Sunday’s game, MCC won the toss and batted first — scoring at the rate of about a run a ball, to reach 248-6, with Joel Walker (62) and George Grace (72 not out), the great-great-great grandson of W.G. Grace, top scoring.
The Island’s bowling attack was spearheaded by their captain (and Ventnor’s) Ross Whyte, who got 3-41 in his spell.
The Development XI innings saw the first three batsmen make significant contributions to the run chase.
Openers Dan Cox and Oscar Vandecasteele put on 80 runs before Cox (40), Newclose’s young player of the year in 2018, departed.
Tom Turney fared well against the MCC bowlers, hitting 57 off 41 balls, before becoming one of Woodward’s victims, in his spell of 3-39.
Vandecasteele, 14, was run out for 54, but his disappointment was offset by being declared man of the match.
However, MCC took control, with the Development XI eventually falling 39 runs short of their target, reaching 210-6.
Isle of Wight Cricket Board director, Kate Barton, presented the trophy and awards.
Whyte said he believed Isle of Wight cricket was going through a golden era by having 60 talented Islanders available in the under-25 age bracket.
Newclose trustee, Hugh Griffiths, echoed his sentiments and added that with no Hampshire pro cricket at the ground this summer, no-one could have asked for a more memorable day to brighten up the season, amid the pandemic.
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