Match Report vs Usk 21
August 2022 @ Usk (Skipper Richie, report Will)
Usk was the venue for what would prove an historic day for
the Casuals. After the midweek match with Glenwood was aborted
by a heavy downpour (a first for your author this season)
predictions for a similar outcome for the weekend fixture
proved unfounded, with Usk luxuriating in a beautiful late
summer Sunday. The Casuals arrived in their normal dribs and
drabs - “heavy traffic” (in Leckwith) inevitably
delaying Steve O. Without a full complement at the toss, Skippers
agreed that it suited everyone for us to bat first, as they
had more bowling, and we had five players. The pitch was on
the far-side of the strip by the tennis courts, meaning one
very short boundary, and one longer one but across the square,
so the potential was there for a decent total.
Usk had a genuine Sunday side out, some thin youths, some
older, less thin clubmen and a 16-year-old girl, but the openers
from each end were both pretty tidy; one tall, quick and full,
the other a bit slower but left-arm and thus a bit awkward.
Rhys and Alex opened up, with Alex’s lady-friend and
in-laws watching on attentively/with half an eye/with a complete
lack of interest (Alex please delete as appropriate). Both
batters were watchful at the start, but some extras through
the keeper got the scoreboard going, and then not long after
that the batsmen followed suit, with Alex, as we have seen
him do routinely this season, latching on to the rather plentiful
short/overpitched bowling and hitting a number of boundaries
through the leg side.
Rhys kept the fielders on their toes with some assertive
running, and with a boundary ball in most overs the score
raced along, and after 10 overs stood at 71 without loss.
At some point in this opening 10 we also witnessed a run being
taken off a direct hit to the stumps, as it was decided no
balls would results in free hits, and after getting a chest
high beamer Rhys attempted to ramp the left-armer’s
next ball only to be clean bowled for a single (it’s
an increasingly confusing game, cricket…). The Usk skipper
cycled through his bowling, with some slower seam and leg-spin
replacing the openers, but not much changed – the boundaries
continued to flow, and combined with some Sunday eleven fielding,
the Casuals passed 100 in the 13th over, and motored on towards
150 before just short of the mark Rhys was dismissed, bowled
by the leg-spinner by one that kept a bit low, 147-1 in the
19th. Will was in next and he and Alex saw the casuals past
150 and through to drinks at 156-1, an excellent platform
to build on.
And build we did, keeping the run rate up around 8 an over
the score moved towards 200 and Alex moved within sight of
his first Casuals ton. It was not to be however, with the
slow seamer from the pavilion end getting one to hurry through
a little, flick the pad and onto the stumps to remove Alex
in the 24th over for an extremely well-made 91. This bought
VC Luvvers to the crease, and also saw the introduction of
the young girl to the bowling attack. She bowled a slow but
very accurate line, and both batsmen were content to work
the singles and wait for the only occasional very short or
full delivery to take advantage of. At the other end, a right
armer with a long run-up and follow-through, reminiscent of
a Rhiwbina player of years past, came on, but again, with
little risk Luvvers and Will kept the scoreboard ticking over
nicely, the 200 coming up in the 27th over, and by the 32nd,
when the opening bowlers were reintroduced, it had moved up
to 243. A chat in the middle about a realistic target from
here mentioned 300, and with this in mind Luvvers and Will
both looked to be more aggressive.
After a couple of good overs, this approach eventually led
to Will’s dismissal, who having already twice narrowly
avoided being out – once dropped at mid-off, before
seeing the long-on fielder take a fantastic diving catch only
for his momentum to carry him over the boundary for 6 –
picked this same fielder out again with a steepler off the
opening left-hander, which was taken very easily, but only
after the score had been moved up to 281.
After success with the short ball to remove Will, the bowlers
tried the same tactic to Luvvers – a bad idea as it
turned out, as the next 4 and a half overs went for 50, Luvvers
hooking a pulling some big sixes to either side of the ground
to take the Casuals well past 300 and on to their highest
ever total, but not without some intervening drama. This began
with skipper Richie, who had gone in at 5, but didn’t
last long as going for a quick single he set off only to collapse
in a heap, his achilles twanged, resulting in a retirement
which brought ‘historic’ Steve O’Reilly
to the crease – historic not just in age, but in deed,
as it was Steve who hit the runs to take us past our previous
all-time highest score of 314 in the 39th over. There was
still time for some more big hitting from Luvvers before his
dismissal in the final over for a devastating 80, going for
another big hit over midwicket, only to pick out the gun fielder
who’d done for Will, who took a fantastic one-handed
catch running back towards the boundary. Hands joined Steve
O and finished the innings with a ‘textbook pull shot’/’agricultural
slap’ (delete as appropriate) to the midwicket fence,
seeing the Casuals up to a very unlikely, but extremely handsome
340-4 from 40!
Casuals Batting
R Davies, bowled, 38 (3x4s)
A Heath, bowled, 91 (11x4s)
W Mason-Wilkes, caught, 66 (7x4s, 1x6s)
G Loveridge, caught, 80 (12x4s, 3x6s)
R Holliday, retired hurt, 4
S O’Reilly, NOT OUT, 6
J Hodkinson, NOT OUT, 4
L Warren, DNB
D Lewis, DNB
P Stephens, DNB
Extras: B14, LB7, W27, NB3, Total 51
BYOT: I had the remains of a Baba’s Jumbo Wrap (available
here: https://www.babasindian.com/)– would highly recommend
to any hungry Casuals.
With 340 on the board, skipper Richie took the sensible decision
to ice his Achilles on the sidelines, as the remaining Casuals,
led by VC Luvvers, took the field. Dan and Liam opened up,
against the tall opening bowler and the keeper, using a bat
that we learned had belonged to Joe Root(!). He made some
good use of it initially, slapping a couple of boundaries
and a six straight into the sight screen, but in the fourth
over this aggressive approach proved his undoing. A full ball
from Liam was drilled low to mid-on, where stood a well stationed
Steve O, who planted his feet, and with just a slight bend
in the knee, tilting like a crumbling sea stack, the Old Man
of Usk stooped and claimed the catch. His 112th catch for
the Cazh, this drew him level in the all-time list with leaders
Dan and Will, a fact Steve was clearly unconcerned with, if
his characteristically understated celebrations were anything
to go by.... Most annoyingly, Steve managed to repeat the
trick just a couple of overs later, with a short ball this
time, again from Liam, looping gently to him in the same position
for an undroppable 113th pouch, and outright all-time lead
– reports suggest Steve’s celebratory roar continues
to echo around the Usk valley.
Dan struck next, getting what looked like the key wicket
of the other opener, who feathered one through to Jim ‘safe’
Hands behind the stumps. A couple of balls later he’d
got the number 5 bowled, leaving Usk reeling at 47-4 in the
9th. This bought a change at either end, with Pabs replacing
Dan and a rather jolly Steve replacing Liam. Pabs’ first
was a wicket maiden, the number 4 LBW from the final ball,
deceived by a swingy one that looked very adjacent. There
was a wicket in the following over, but it’s really
not worth reporting here either who took it or how it was
out (editor’s note: C&B O’Reilly).
Brief resistance was mounted by the number 7 and 8, who took
Usk through towards drinks, before in the 19th a leg-sidey
one from Pabs was well-taken by Jim who whipped the bails
off and his optimistic shout for a stumping led to a triggering
from the opening bat now umpiring (he’d had 2 or 3 pints
at that point and looked like he was ready for home). This
brought the young girl to the crease, but in the next over,
correctly spotting the scoring opportunities provided by Steve
O, she only managed to chip a sweep to Pabs at square leg,
who took a good low catch. Drinks were taken with USK 94-8,
and the next over, Pabs’ last, brought the wicket of
the number 10, who clipped one straight to Luvvers at midwicket.
The final pair saw off a couple of overs from Alex and one
from Rhys, before in Rhys second over a push to Will at mid-on
led to an optimistic call for 2, with Will getting the ball
in quickly enough to run out the number 11 and bring the innings
to a close. Usk 127ao, with the Casuals winning by a mammoth
213 runs!
Casuals Bowling
D Lewis 5-2-13-2
L Warren 5-0-34-2
P Stephens 6-1-24-3
S O'Reilly 5-0-16-2
A Heath 2-0-17-0
R Davies 1.3-0-15-0
After some pastings in recent years at the same venue, this
was a comprehensive victory for the Cazh, with a record-breaking
batting performance backed up by good bowling and fielding.
Post-match celebratory pints were enjoyed my most outside
the clubhouse bar, except those who had to dash off and leave
half their kit behind (@Rhys and @Alex).
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