The Rotherwick ITW bounced back after the disappointments of last week with two fine performances over 
the latest weekend.

Saturday’s hosting of Crown Taverner’s started with skipper Buckingham losing the toss and being invited 
to bat first by the visitors.

After the batting failures last week it was important to get off to a good start and that is what happened 
with openers Orange and Buckingham putting on the first 50 partnership in the league this season, 
a startling fact given that this was the 7th league game of the season. Orange was the first to fall for 
31 with the score on 57. Vallis joined Buckingham and the score moved steadily to 77 before Vallis fell 
for 5. Jasper Morris joined his skipper and continued his fine form after a match winning fifty in midweek.
The score was forwarded briskly to 108 before Buckingham fell for a fine 45. Adams then joined  Morris in 
a short partnership before losing his wicket for 5 with the total on 124. Shaun Appleton’s run of cameo’s 
continued with a bright and breezy 13 and his departure was quickly followed by the fall of Morris’ wicket,
the innings was at a crossroads at 146 for 6. Newcomer Ian Finlayson scored a brisk 20 before holing out 
on the boundary for 20 with the final assault in full flow. Hooper (7) Paul Appleton (7no) and 
Cordery (2no) shepherded the innings to a close on a respectable 182 for 8, a competitive score with a 
slow outfield giving that score a slight boost.

The visitors response started with strike bowler Payne removing both openers in the fifth over with the 
score on 10 and the squeeze was applied perfectly by him and his opening partner Adam Cordery. It was 
Cordery that took the third wicket in the 14th over with the score on 23. Crown Taverner’s mounting a 
strong recovery from this point with Rees, top scorer with 52, and Walter taking the total up to 92 for 3.
Finlayson (4-0-26-0) and Adams (5-0-27-0) tried unsuccessfully to break the partnership but it was left 
to skipper Buckingham to bring himself on to break the deadlock, the slowest of slow, slow balls 
(‘pies’ was one report received) was enough to fool Walter as he watched agonisingly as the ball had just 
enough velocity to remove a bail and change the momentum in the game once again. Buckingham snapped up his
second wicket thanks to a diving catch by Paul Appleton to remove Rees and leave the visitors at 108 for 5
and apparently in control. Hodgkinson (30) and Panda (13) rested the control back from the home team and 
after a brief serving of pies from Hooper (2-0-18-0) Orange was brought into the attack with the score on 
147 for 5, he answered his captain’s call straight away by removing both of the batsmen, Hodgkinson caught 
on the boundary by Shaun Appleton and Panda a sprawling catch by Buckingham in the deep, in his first over 
before ending with figures of 3-1-11-2. Orange and Buckingham will soon be claiming allrounder status, a 
label that will not be given lightly!!! It was left to the returning Cordery to mop up the tail claiming 
the final three wickets of the innings to finish with the outstanding and league career best figures of 
11.3-2-16-4.

A fine victory that lifts Rotherwick ITW back into the top half of the County 4 North table with a 3-3 
record.