Royal Navy Cricketers Take On England International Before Lord's Showdown

The Royal Navy's cricketers have lost by 68 runs to a strong Hampshire side featuring England international Liam Dawson.

With limited preparation time ahead of their T20 showdown with the other two services, the Royal Navy was looking for a battling display against the Hampshire XI.

The clash served as a final warm-up match for the Senior Service before next week's Inter-Services T20 Championship at Lord's.

It took place at the Ageas Bowl's Nursery Ground, which has helped nurture some of the best cricketers in the country.

One such man is Dawson, who ambled out into the middle after Navy man Jon Parker bagged the wicket of Felix Organ.

One of Hampshire's top players and with a top Test score of 66 not out against India, the Navy knew they were facing a talented operator.

Dawson joined Calvin Dickinson at the crease and the partnership proved an impressive one as they pushed the score along.

South African-born Dickinson is set to feature for Hants in this season's T20 Blast and displayed his ability with the bat.

With Dawson in form and the number of boundaries hit rising rapidly, things looked ominous for the military side.

Just as Hampshire threatened to run amok, however, Chris Turrell claimed the wicket of Dickinson, thanks to Parker's well-taken catch on the boundary.

The home side were now 99-2, while Turrell's gentle pace was causing his opponents problems.

Tom Scriven was the next to go, the England Under-19 batsman caught by the composed Rob Wigley.

Wigley proved useful bowling too. His spell with ball in hand accounted for three home batsmen, including Jack Wood. The score was now 139-4.

Dawson blasted his way to top score for his side, taking his team beyond the 150-mark.

The England man eventually fell on 68 after Liam Dixon and Leo Buscombe, behind the stumps, combined.

A late flurry of wickets saw the hosts end their innings on the very useful score or 187-9.

It was down to Navy openers Ben Kohler Cadmore and Jack Harris to get the Navy reply underway.

They suffered a less-than-perfect start, however, when Kohler Cadmore was run out in the first over.

Harris didn't hang around long either as the Navy slipped to 8-2. With Radfold also departing early, it was clear the Navy was going to struggle.

However, it did give Alvin Pollard crucial time at the crease. The Royal Marines corporal blasted his way to a half-century, while Buscombe also made a contribution with the bat.

But by the end, with Pollard and Buscombe gone, the Navy meandered their way to a 119-6, well short of the target.

Despite the early exodus of batsmen, however, there were plenty of positives for the dark blues to take from this performance into Lord's.

The Royal Navy's captain, Royal Marines Sergeant John Grasham, said:

"They always field a strong team against us. I think that shows a lot of respect... and today, I can genuinely say that was probably our strongest performance."

"I think we all hit our areas very well," he added.

This year's IST20 takes place at Lord's on Thursday, June 14.

It's been revealed, meanwhile, that this year's tournament has chosen Blesma, The Limbless Veterans as its benefiting charity for the second year running.

Last year, the day raised £15,000 for the organisation, and this year it's hoping to match that total by having bucket collections selling merchandise.

Blesma is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependents, with its membership including those who have lost the use of a limb, an eye or the sight of an eye.

Gates will open for the IST20 at 9am and the first match will start an hour later with former Corporal Gam Gurung, who lost his arm while serving with the Royal Gurkha Rifles, doing the coin toss.

Play is expected to last until around 7.15pm. Tickets can be bought online at https://tickets.lords.org/ or by calling 020 7432 1000 and are £17 for adults, £8.50 for over-65s and £5 for under-16s.

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