Dazzlers Comeback on Pondsworth Common, Dazzlers @ Kamikazes, 1 June 2010

Some came by train, some came on moped, some maybe even paddled there in a canoe and certainly they came two by two, either way the Dazzlers team that played on Tuesday night pulled together to produce a gritty performance in terrible conditions, culminating in a thrilling reversal of the lead at the last minute to seal another victory.

Torrential rain in the late afternoon had eased off to light drizzle by the time the game started, but the wet ground and ball made all disciplines difficult. The Dazzlers scored some early runs in the top of the first innings, taking advantage of some weak spots in the Kamikazes’ field. The Kamis responded with a run of their own, despite some excellent fielding, particularly by Nikki in right field who was making some very clean pickups of difficult skidding line drives. The Dazzlers struggled to make clean contact with the bat for the next couple of innings before the Kamis applied some real pressure with five runs in the bottom of the third. At this point previous Dazzler teams might have given up, but inspired by Cap’n Chicken’s tidy work at short stop the team upped its game.

Erin and Isaac took some outstanding catches in the outfield to prevent runners getting home at key times, Maggie moved in at third to make some sharp plays to Amy at first, Paul played some good defence at second and Rob added to his solid batting performance by keeping up the pressure when pitching, only allowing one walk in terrible pitching conditions. With the field tightened up, we turned our attention to batting where Nicole and Jack pulled off a squeeze manoeuvre to kickstart a 4-run haul in the fifth innings.

This gave the Dazzlers the lead and the momentum, and by the time the game was cut short due to the rain getting heavier in the top of the sixth we had scored another three, with a runner on second and two outs in hand. Even with the scores reverting, the Dazzlers had already done enough to secure the victory.

MVP: TBA

Stop press: After the game Steph had some exciting news – she is pregnant! Congratulations Steph. Of course as a sign of respect Don Rob Tona was asked for his blessing, which he duly gave while saying something about family being important...

Dazzlers 7 (2 x x 1 4 - -)
Kamikazes 6 (1 x 5 x x - -)