How to stop the seamer with 12-21 in two weeks (From This Is Local London)

Cross batsmen braced for Morrick

10:40am Friday 22nd June 2012 in Sport By Alan Feldberg

THE Gerrards Cross batsmen appear to have found some confidence just in time.

Tomorrow they will pad up against arguably the most deadly bowler in the league, on form and on his own track.

Aston Rowant captain Wes Morrick has taken 12 wickets for 21 runs in the last two weeks, returning breathtaking figures of 6-12 and 6-7 to sweep his team to a couple of wins.

If he is on song tomorrow, Cross will do well to build on their first win of the season, against Falkland last weekend.

Captain Steve Rimmer said: “Most of our lads have faced Wes before. We know he’s a good bowler, but there are lots of good bowlers in the league.

“If he’s on his game we know it will be tough, but we’ll find a way, and we have to look at it as if the conditions are good for him, they’ll be good for our seamers too.”

Rimmer can afford to be sanguine after his team realised their potential fully for the first time this season in a five-wicket victory over Falkland.

Cross were bottom of the table at the start of play, but their 25-pointer has lifted them four places.

Rimmer said: “If you can get on a proper run, who knows? Momentum is a great thing and we’ve haven’t been playing badly.

“Those 25 points have made a big difference. We’ve shot from bottom to mid-table and all we’ve got to do is keep doing our disciplines and stick to our gameplan.

“You don’t want to go chasing things, but there are sides at the top not expecting to be there and maybe they’re waiting for the bubble to burst.”

Paul Muchall was the key in last Saturday’s win. He finished with figures of 4-19 from 16.3 overs and with Tom Hampton chipping in with three more Falkland were back in the hutch for 123.

Rimmer said: “It was a good toss to win. With the weather we’ve had in the last week the wicket was favouring the bowlers.

“But they all bowled with discipline and patience and put a lot of pressure on their batting order.”

Muchall was again instrumental in the Cross reply, top-scoring with a breezy 36 to take his team to the brink of victory.

After signing professional terms with Gloucestershire, Muchall might not have expected to be playing at Dukes Lane much this season.

Rimmer said: “We only expected to have him for a half dozen games, tops. But so far he’s played all but one.

“His availability hasn’t lapsed and that’s good for us. He’s a talented lad and with a fairly young side it’s good to have a player like that.”