Fresh from a record score against Western Province Cricket Club two weeks ago, the Rollers again perfectly illustrated the up-and-down nature of their 2018/19 season with a limp performance in Hermanus on Sunday.
Perhaps we should have known things were going to go south from the get-go: not only did we arrange this game on a long weekend (the drive back was fun …), but just as we took the field it started to rain, causing a 40-minute delay.
The result was a very wet outfield, but the game continued and the bowlers struggled with a ball which was hard to grip and had no swing. In fact, we changed the ball three times throughout the innings, though credit must also go to the Hermanus openers, who put on 74 inside 11 overs before the Rollers fought back.
Andrew Young was the destroyer-in-chief with brilliant figures of 7-2-14-3, ably supported by Ryan Cooper (7-2-22-2). Michael van Dewenter (6-1-24-20) came back with three excellent overs at the death – special mention to Leon Theron and Johann Roux for some outstanding catching – as the hosts posted 169 thanks to Otto's middle-order 48.
It was always going to be a tough ask on an increasingly up-and-down deck taking a lot of spin, though the Rollers' top order did themselves no favours.
Hannes Moore was gunned LBW for a duck, while Andrew Young (8), James Lamprecht (11) and Ryan (15) all had their timber rattled before the score had reached 40. Jarryd van Wyk was left fighting a lone battle, and was second last man out for 26 as the visitors crumbled to 89 all out inside 23 overs.
SCORECARD
Batting Hannes Moore 5 Andrew Young 8 (2x4) James Lamprecht 11 (1x4) Ryan Cooper 15 (3x4) Jarryd van Wyk 26 (1x6, 2x4) Neville Cooper 6 Michael van Dewenter 1 Ruan de Jongh 0 Johann Roux 0 Herman Carstens 9* (1x6) Leon Theron 0
TOTAL: 89 (22.4 overs)
Bowling
Michael van Dewenter 6-1-24-2
James Lamprecht 7-0-47-0 Ryan Cooper 7-2-22-2 Andrew Young 7-3-14-3 Jarryd van Wyk 7-0-42-1 Hannes Moore 1-0-14-1