WATCH: Stokes in the runs again to shoot down 'local' MCC
RED ball, white clothing, steady rain – there is nothing quite like good, old-fashioned cricket.
It might be a rarity for the players in the GCB XI to don their whites these days, but they made the most of it on Saturday as they cruised to a seven-wicket win over the MCC with the sun making a welcome appearance by the time CJ Peatfield drove the winning boundary in the middle of the afternoon.
The damp conditions earlier in the day did not stop the MCC batsmen from taking guard on time at the College Field, but the moisture favoured the opening bowlers Luke Bichard and Matt Stokes who made early inroads.
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One ball after being sumptuously driven for four by Zak Damarell, Bichard got his revenge by skittling the left-hander.
Tim Duke then survived an enquiry for caught behind first ball but in the following over James Wilkes-Green was heading back to the pavilion with his defence having been breached by Matt Stokes.
The runs initially added by Ollie Newey and Duke were mostly edgy and it was refreshing to see Stokes adding slip after slip until there were four in the cordon for a decent period but the skipper did not need a fielder to help him remove Duke as he clipped the top of his stumps.
Batting did not get easier as the rain continued to fall without really threatening play, but the MCC did not help their own cause when a mix up saw Newey and Andy Biggins at the same end following a fumble in the covers and the right-hander was run out leaving them 56 for 4.
The fifth-wicket stand of 30 between Biggins and Mark Jefferies proved to be the biggest of the innings and they were made to work for those runs, particularly by Adam Wakeford and Jamie Nussbaumer who forged a good partnership with the ball.
Nussbaumer got his reward coming around the wicket when trapping Biggins on the back leg in front of the stumps while the Griffins seamer managed the no mean feat of matching Stokes’ figures of 2 for 16 bowling eight overs straight through, claiming the scalps of Mark Clapham and Will Peatfield.
The tail tried to wag with both Tom Veillard and Johnny Bailey reaching double figures, but Martin-Dale Bradley picked up a couple of wickets with his leg-spin and Bichard returned to claim the final wicket as MCC were bowled out for 140 with four balls of their 40 overs remaining.
Having done his job with the ball, Stokes opened his account with the bat with the shot of the day in the opening over of the reply.
The combination of poise and timing with which he drove Peatfield to the long on boundary drew purrs of admiration from even several fielders and just for good measure he stroked the next delivery through the covers for four, too.
From watching he captain do that from the other end, Lucas Barker was soon making a pretty good attempt at mirroring him with a sweet on-drive of his own and Duke came in for some harsh treatment from the pavilion as well, with his third over costing 11 as Barker deposited him over deep mid-wicket for the first six of the innings.
The openers wasted little time in bringing up a 50 partnership and were looking set for more until Barker chopped a Peatfield delivery onto his stumps in the 11th over.
Waleed Jami gave his captain support for a little while before attempting to cut one from Veillard that was too straight for the shot and he fell for 15.
The younger Peatfield then joined Stokes in a third-wicket stand of 51 that took their side to the brink of victory and included a sharp acceleration after the drinks break that saw Stokes lose a ball in a neighbouring back garden with one six off Bailey and then put the replacement ball on the roof of the scout hut a couple of balls later.
Peatfield got in on the act with a six of his own in his rapid 35 not out, but by the end he had a new partner as Stokes was trapped leg before trying to sweep Bailey shortly after bringing up his half-century.
Tom Nightingale made the most of his two-ball innings by defending the first then launching the second for four over mid-on before Peatfield applied the coup de grace at the start of the 27th over.
On Friday, Damarell’s half-century at the top of the order laid the foundations for the MCC’s 67-run victory over the Elizabeth College First XI.
The Old Elizabethan hit six fours and a six in his 54 from 70 balls with other useful contributions coming from Duke, Newey and an 11-ball cameo from skipper Mark Jefferies as the away side racked up 210 for 5 from their 30 overs.
Several of the students got a start in the reply, with opener Fintan Ridgwick and captain Charlie Clapham adding 41 for the second wicket as their side reached 55 for 1.
But once that stand was broken with a second wicket for Newey, wickets fell at regular intervals as the hosts were bowled out for 143 with Veillard picking up three cheap victims with his slow left-arm spin.
