The Lashings International XI

Tuesday 3rd August saw return of Lashings International XI to Jubilee Park in Woodhall Spa (their last visit was in 2008).

The day enabled the local club to showcase their wonderful ground; the junior teams started the proceedings with a friendly game against some of the stars.

It was great to see the famous West Indies’ player Ritchie Richardson fielding in the slips! Before the game began players took the time to sign shirts, hats and other cricket merchandise, as the crowd waited for the three o’clock start.

Philip DeFreitas found time to talk to everyone and remind them that he was in the last England team to win the ashes on Australian soil and that was nearly a quarter of a century ago!

The next two hours saw some excellent cricket providing wonderful viewing for all spectators. The start of the match saw Lou Vincent (New Zealand) and Ian Harvey (Australia) from the Lashings team open, and the first few overs were steady, boundaries were not uncommon and no wickets fell in the first ten overs.

Things were going smoothly until the sixteenth over when Ian Harvey was run out. The New Zealand player James Marshall then went out to join Vincent and continue the Lashing’s batting success. However, the real highlight of the first innings was really the performance of Lou Vincent.

Batting until the thirtieth over, the New Zealander managed to secure a whopping 242 runs, the best a Lashings player has ever scored in a thirty five over match.

The crowd stood to salute his amazing skill and talent. The Lashings team ended their innings with a final score of 413 for 8, a great score, but could it be beaten?

With such a tall order on their hands, Woodhall Spa came out with fighting spirit. The crowd saw some excellent play from their captain Jack Luffman and Sam Evison, but unfortunately the challenge proved too tough with the team finishing 203 all out.

One of the highlights was an amazing catch by Henry Olonga, who was the first black player ever to play for Zimbabwe.

The day closed with an awards ceremony highlighting all the hard work that had gone into making an occasion like this possible. We can’t wait for the next meeting of Woodhall Spa and the Lashings International XI.