The Badgers continued their promising start to the season with another win. This time over fellow mustelids, the New Barbarian Weasels, on a gloriously sunny day in Chiswick. Having won the toss the Badgers wasted no time opting to relax in the sun from the sidelines and openers Jinks and Marchant walked out to near perfect batting conditions.
The innings got off to the worst possible start with Jinks opting to defend a ball outside his off stump, yet only succeeding in giving a catch to the Weasel at slip who made no mistake, sending the Badger back to the sidelines for a diamond duck. The task fell to Marchant and debutant Foord to cautiously build the innings with some low risk stroke play. The next over saw Marchant dropped off the second delivery he faced before hitting the ball all over the park, smacking twelve from his next four balls as he clearly decided caution was not in his gameplan. Foord fell in the seventh over mistiming a drive and gifting a straightforward catch to mid-on. This brought Cloke to the wicket who, together with Marchant, piled on the second ton partnership of the season. Marchant finally lost his wicket for the first time this summer in the 29th over with the score on 152, and some attacking from the middle order pushed the total up to 191 from the full 35 overs. Cloke hit his maiden half-century with an impressive 59, and Marchant finished with 75 giving him an absurd season average of 200.
The Badger bowling attack, with a decent total to defend, set their sights on the Weasel openers aware of Michaels' impressive innings from the previous year. The Weasel openers showed their intentions from the first over with some sharp running to get the scoreboard ticking. Morse was charging in with his customary zeal, and was rewarded with a nick, only to be put down behind the stumps. Fortunately a similar success a few deliveries later was safely pouched, and the Badgers had their breakthrough. Foord replaced opener Maskell and bowled with control and pace, constantly asking questions of the batsman before he trapped the Weasel's dangerman, Michaels, lbw. The score was now 36 for 2, and soon after Devnani clean bowled two in two balls to leave the Weasels in trouble. However the two batsmen at the crease, Bishop and Percival steadily started accumulating runs and it wasn't until the Badgers' resident partnership breaker 'fingers' Cloke came into the attack that the next breakthrough came, removing Percival. Bishop soon followed him back to the sidelines as Shone came in to steal the limelight taking three quick wickets and leaving the Weasels' tail to block out the few remaining overs.
Three wins from three and the Badgers are on a roll. Next up old rivals the Kings Road.