Beaumont are Dunn-fer, as Dan shines with bat and ball in scintillating performance

Walsall Health (255 – 4) beat Beaumont (134 ao) by 121 runs

On a glorious day, that had initially threatened thunderstorms, the Health welcomed Beaumont to Carter Park in a game that has always been played in the right spirit. The first sign that it might have been the Health’s day was that skipper Alex Nunns won the toss and decided to bat. A positive decision as we will soon find out.  

Jack Stenson (23) – Jack began his innings with a calm assurance as he set out to make a big score. He and fellow opener Dan got their eye in and by the end of the 4^th over, the two had got the Health up to 30 without loss. He, very quickly, found his rhythm and started scoring fluently as on a couple of occasions he found successive boundaries. Unfortunately, he went for one-to-many and was caught off the bowling of Grainger for 23.  Not bad for someone “… who is small”.

Dan Dunn (102* & 2-11) – Right! Where do we start? Dan seemed to be involved in every aspect of the game. He batted – superbly. He bowled – superbly. He fielded – superbly. He and Jack set the tone very quickly, but where Jack came up short, Dan prospered. His patience at the crease is making him one of the most consistent batsmen for the Health this season and with this 100 added to the 50 he got against Wellington and 66 against Romsley, it could be a season to remember for the young man. What was even more impressive is despite the worry from the clubhouse that he might run out of deliveries, throughout he kept his composure and ended up with a deserved ton – his first of the year. When it came to his bowling, he made an impact there taking two wickets (including the final one of Percieval for 0) and to add to that took two superb catches. He later admitted “I quite enjoyed it today”. Well played Dan. Top performance.

Alex Nunns (39) – After last week’s disappointment, skipper Alex Nunns was aiming to get back to what he does best – and that is to score runs. That is exactly what he did and in doing so, ably supported his vice-captain in helping the score move forward after the somewhat surprising departure of Jack Stenson. His grit and determination began to affect the bowling as he and Dan moved the score on, but just as they were closing in on 100, Alex was trapped lbw by Stokes for a well played 39 to leave the score on 97-2 after 18 overs. To be fair, with bowlers with names like Stokes and ‘Trueman’ bowling from each end, Alex had played very well to take the score to almost 100. Not only that, but he skippered as well as he always does. His decision making in the field always seems to be the right ones and it can be seen in the results.      

Mac Perager (13) – Mac came into the game in an unfamiliar role. Usually, he would be asked to wicket-keep (and for a very short stint, he did), but with the selection of Andy Gorton, Mac was asked to field. When he came to the crease, Mac, like always, batted with an air of calm and steadiness, which helped Dan to carry on in the way he had been. His mixture of tickles down leg-side and precise shot selection put him in the same solid mindset that previous batsmen had gained whilst in the middle. That was until Alex Nunns had made the point that “Mac is batting really well”, followed by Mac being bowled by Stokes for 13. A great cameo with the bat Mac, but he wasn’t as happy as when a sequence of unfortunate events forced him to take the keeping gloves from Andy three-quarters of the way through the innings. To add to it, he got himself a stumping when Dan Dunn got Stokes charging forward, missing it and giving Mac an easy stumping. Great stuff Mac. Well played.

Jack Lester (0 & 2-23) – Jack’s luck with the bat has to change some day. This season, he has batted twice, and scored 0 runs. It has happened too many of us and you start wondering when the next run is going to come from. However, it wasn’t a totally wasted day for Jack as he quickly bounced back and when the Health were fielding, “Mo” as he has been christened came up with goods with a good bowling spell, firstly to remove R. Crowhurst for 37 as a big partnership was definitely on the cards and then followed up by removing Percival for 5 after he was caught by Bickerton.  

Ian Chuck (52* & 2-19) – Ian ‘Dale’ Chuck, who was making his season debut, felt he had to make up for lost time. While he was batting, he showed off his full repertoire of batting skills. Scoring 1’s, 3’s and 4’s, he was determined to get his 50 whilst aiming to help Dan reach his century. At one point, there was some concern that he was ‘hogging’ the strike. The thought in his head might have been “Everyone else has had a bat this season. I want to get as many runs as I can”. But towards the end of his innings, his sole aim was to support his partner. He did that superbly and rotated the strike when it was needed. He deserved the red inker that he eventually got. When it came to bowling, it looked as though the old Chuck had been replaced by a newer faster one. It certainly did the trick. His first wicket was to remove Burrows for 10 after it flew past the batsman into the safe hands of the man of the day, Dan Dunn. This was later accompanied when he removed Price for 8 after he was bowled that saw the bails go miles. Great game Chucky. Hopefully, not the only game we will see you at this year.       

• Andy Gorton (dnb) – Andy was making his season debut and it was straight behind the stumps for the man who has broken all sorts of records with gloves in hand and on this occasion, it looked like he’d never been away. He was the wicket-keeping version of Steve Smith. He was always on his toes; never content with taking a breather. On several occasions, balls were fizzed into the batsmen that when the ball came towards he was knocked over. But he was straight back up as though this was normal. Unfortunately; Andy had to vacate the wicket-keeping position after a ball bowled by Will Lachlan that bowled J Grainger, veered off and caught Andy in the eye. A potentially distressing moment passed with no lasting damage and a few minutes later, Andy was back on the field, but not back behind the stumps. A true professional. Great to have you back Andy. Hopefully it won’t be the only game for you this year.  
  
  
• Paul Bickerton (dnb) – Unfortunately, Paul was not needed to bat or bowl today, but he certainly made up for that with his excellent fielding. Using every part of his body, he stopped everything that came his way, whether it was hands or knees (and there were a few cracks to the knees throughout the day). He even got himself underneath a high ball of Jack Lester’s bowling to help dismiss Percival before he got himself in. With a bit of luck, he could have grabbed a couple more catches for the day, but it just wasn’t to be.       
  
  
• Will Lachlan (dnb & 2-29) – Will once again provided the goods for the Health. A brace of wickets and a super catch to remove D. Grainger early on helped to set the tone. His dive forward was something special. But when you think of Will, the first thing that comes to mind is wickets and his figures of 2-29 off 8 overs, shows not only can he take wickets, but he can tighten up an end if needed. Well bowled Will. Keep taking those wickets and you will be up near the top in no time. Ifr England are still looking for Jack Leach’s replacement, then they need look no further. After all Will seems to take wickets every time he bowls. Well played Will. Listen out for the phone!  
  
  
• Dave Stephens (dnb & 1-36) – Dave Stephens must be one of the most consistent bowlers the Health has. Constantly taking the new ball, constantly putting it in the right areas, constantly being ever so close, Dave never seems to get the number of wickets he deserves. His figure of 1-36 off 8 overs, on the surface, doesn’t look great, but on another day, he could have got more wickets. Better luck next time DS and hopefully you get the more in the wickets column and when it does, it will be deserved.    
  
  
• Jonathan Preece (dnb & 1-41) – Jonathan has been hit and miss with the bat this year, with a sequence of 2, 0, 2, 0. However, due to the efforts of the top order, he was not needed despite the early signs that he might be needed. A part from the first game against Springhill, where he took 4 wickets, JP has struggled to find the consistency that brought him so many wickets last season. Which is why, when he eventually got his first wicket after dismissing Owen (twice) for 4, the yelp he let out was more to do with relief than anything. Hopefully, this one wicket will give him more confidence for the rest of his season. 

All in all, a great day was had by both teams. A game played in the right spirit and one that I am sure will be played between the two teams for seasons to come.

JP