Cirencester Cricket Club > News > June 2003 > Banks' career best score is in vain for 3rd X

Banks' career best score is in vain for 3rd XI [Wednesday 25 June 2003]

Cotswold District Cricket Association Division 3
Cirencester 3rd XI - 211/8
Tetbury 2nd XI - 285/6
Tetbury 2nd XI won by 74 runs

The second home game of the season for the third team found them bringing in new faces following unavailability and calls from the senior teams. On winning the toss Tetbury elected to bat and the home team were facing the Tetbury openers in good form. Evans in particular took to the opening attack and at 55-0 after 6 overs it was Tom Putney who applied the necessary brake with Craig Hitchens.

Wickets started to fall including a run out from Tom Traish. At 78-3 Cirencester had steadied the ship but the partnership of Evans and Price took the game away from the home team. A commendable performance from James Denyer with the ball deserves special mention as he tested Evans who, by this point, was well set.

A final score of 285-6 was a daunting task and Evans' chanceless innings of 110 was particularly notable.

In reply Cirencester started slowly and after a run out which saw Steve Harris back early, the innings was constructed around the partnership of Tom Smith and Ian Banks. Smith's second good score in successive games was brought to a conclusion by a boundary catch but Banks was joined by newcomer Dukes and Cirencester continued scoring at over five runs an over.

Dukes departure for a well made 32 saw his U16 colleague Alex Harris come to the crease to join Banks. A further partnership followed taking the score past 175 with both striking the ball cleanly through all sides of the wicket.

Banks stayed until the end with a career best 78 not out and the team concluding on a season's best 211-8. The team showed its resilience and once again the 3rds continues to provide a pool of players from within its ranks for its two senior sides to consider.