Email This Article To Someone!

The MCC tour to Gibraltar on 9th & 10th October proved a great success with two closely fought matches, the Gibraltar XI winning the Saturday fixture and MCC gaining revenge in the day/nighter played at the Victoria Stadium on the Sunday.   On the Friday, the Minister for Sport, the Honourable Clive Beltran hosted a lunch-time reception for the visitors and presented the tour manager John Emburey, ex England and Middlesex spinner, with a Rock Model.    On the Saturday evening the GCA in turn hosted a dinner and presented the MCC with a suitably engraved Gibraltar Crystal vase.

Heavy overnight rain delayed the start to 12 noon and reduced the game to a forty overs per side game instead of the originally scheduled fifty overs.  MCC won the toss, batted, and suffered an early blow as Cooper was caught in the slips.  Hicks and Yates then put on 44 runs for the second wicket before the visitors were in some trouble on 76/4 after 21 overs.    Clarke batted well and with the help of the middle order managed to push the score along to 144, but Young then took three wickets in as many overs and McCoubrey finally dismissed Clarke just after he had reached his half century, and MCC were all out for 156 in 39.2 overs.    Rocca and Young opened for the Gibraltar XI with a stand of 99, scored in 21 overs, and an easy victory then seemed a mere formality.  However, when Young gave Emburey a return catch just after reaching his half century and Rocca fell 25 runs later, also just having reached his fifty, the run-rate slowed right down.  Gonzalez, however, was standing firm and it was he who hit the winning runs off the last ball of the 29th over.  

Play stated on time at 4.30pm.  The GCA Chairman’s XI won the toss and chose to bat first in natural daylight, Rocca and Young started well with 37 runs in the opening seven overs.   However, 3 batsmen were then dismissed and the local side then suffered a severe blow when Rocca, on 39 and looking dangerous, was run out to a direct throw at the stumps, and at 85/4 things seemed to be going MCC’s way.   Bacarese and Buzaglo then fought back with a fifth wicket stand of 36 before Fellows-Smith struck two quick blows to account for Buzaglo and  Balban, and although Bacarese went on to make 32, the whole side was dismissed for 143 in 38.1 overs.

Balban struck an early blow for the Chairman’s XI, Morgan and Hicks then took the total along to 43 before being dismissed by Young and Cary.   At the twenty overs half way stage the total had progressed to 66/3 with MCC requiring just under four runs an over for victory.   At this stage the players were introduced to His Excellency the Governor, Sir Francis Richards and the Minister for Sport.  Six overs after the break Cary struck again, bowling Jones with a perfect yorker, and the run rate dropped dramatically in the ensuing overs.   The MCC total had slumped to 95/5 and the required run rate had risen to almost 5 _  runs an over, and excitement mounted as Young bowled Yates six runs later.  Runs continued to be in short supply and with just four overs remaining, MCC still required 28 runs for victory.    The next two overs proved crucial as first Aswani conceded nine runs and then Young went for fourteen, and although the former bowled Lemmey in the 39th over, MCC were home and dry;  Fletcher’s 23 runs off 28 balls had turned the tide his side’s way.