The Mavericks finally clinched that play-off spot, which had been on the cards for the last month or more. The game against the London Marauders was a must win for the Mavericks, as due to a couple of forfeits by Bracknell and Braintree, Southampton had suddenly found themselves a game ahead of Guildford, despite having been swept by the Mavericks this season.

The game started slowly with only 2 runs scoring in the first and 1 in the second, as result of a couple of London errors, that allowed Jeremy Abel to score from 2nd in the first and Stuart Ellis in the second. Although the Marauders had tagged on a run in the bottom half of the first inning, whilst Kevin was still finding his zone, Guildford extended their lead in the third inning, scoring 4 times. First Jeremy Abel and Matt Bruce got on, followed by a bases clearing double from John Kristensen. James Guerra then walked, before Jazz Brown drown in a further Maverick run.

With a 7-2 lead after 4 innings, the Mavericks had a bit of breathing space, and Kevin Zanes, as usual, was mowing down the opposition batters, on his way to striking out almost two-thirds of the Marauders on day, as he fanned a total of 17. The 5th inning proved the decisive one, as far as the Mavericks were concerned. The team batted round, as 5 runs crossed the plate, giving Guildford 12-2 lead, and one that effectively finished the game as a competition. The 6th and 7th innings, also saw the Mavericks tack 5 runs onto their lead. Rob Wheeler walked in the 6th, and base hits from Kevin, Jeremy, Matt and John Kristensen, further demoralised London, before the team batted around again in the 7th.

Defensively, it was a quiet day for the Mavericks, as with Kevin in such dominant form, very few Marauders reached base, and as is often the case, in situations like this, it becomes very hard for the opposition to stem the flow of runs in the other direction, when the result has become obvious from early on. With the bat, Jeremy Abel had an excellent day, going 5 for 6, and is coming on leaps and bounds this season. Matt Bruce and John Kristensen also swung the timber to great effect, and what is always pleasing, is to see the bottom half of the order contributing, as it gives the opposition pitcher no respite.

So ends the regular season for the Mavericks. Finishing at 9-4, is sufficient to clinch the runners up spot in the division, behind Richmond, and the play-offs will begin with a road trip next weekend, to either the Old Timers or Braintree, depending on the outcome of games in the other division. Having soundly beaten all the top teams, the Mavericks must be confident of going deep into the play-offs, and with a bit of luck, being present on finals day, on the first weekend in September.

 

Thanks to Thom Doggert for the report, and Phill Nathan as usual for the stats