Match Report vs Monkswood
02 August 2009 @ Monkswood (Skipper and Report Jam)
Amazed at the thought that we were actually going to play
some cricket, the Casz turned up at Monkswood to find a load
of spotty teenagers mucking about on the pitch. Before we
could tell them to sling their collective hook, we noticed
they were playing with a cricket bat & ball and looking
pretty handy … ah, that’ll be the opposition then.
To be fair, they did have some old guys in the side as well,
so we didn’t all feel left out.
I won the toss and decided to have a bowl first as we seem
to have done better when chasing this season, but also because
it was difficult to tell what a good score would be on a soft
pitch with a damp outfield.
Two of the aforementioned teenagers opened, one looking very
useful, and one not so. Andy H got rid of the latter in the
3rd over, whilst the former played some exquisite drives and
was keen to run everything. In the 5th over, he drove Andy
towards mid on where Shakes was prowling and immediately called
for the run: the councillor swooped to collect the ball one-handed
and in one movement, threw the ball underarm for a direct
hit to effect the run out – a terrific piece of fielding
and a big, big wicket for the Casz. Dan had their captain
caught at mid on by Andy F in the next over, so with Monkswood
24-3 after six, it was an ideal time to take the pace off
the ball and keep Andy & Dan for later.
Jeff Clapham bowled an immaculate line & length in an
unbroken spell of 8 overs, conceding just 13 runs. Dave and
Shaky were not quite so consistent, but with the field well
set, the run rate was kept well down. Pablo replaced Jeff
and was also very economical, keeping the batsmen guessing
by mixing up the pace and a variety of spin.
By now, the two youngsters had put on about 70 runs (even
if it had taken some 22 overs) so the captain turned to Dan
in the hope of taking a wicket - sure enough, he delivered
in his first over back, getting one of them caught by Pablo
at gully. That sounds really good, doesn’t it, even
if it was a leg side full toss that skewed off the back of
the bat!! (It’s a ‘w’ in the book, Dan).
The kid sloped off muttering some nonsense about a no ball
but it was clearly dipping below waist height.
This spurred his mate Malson into trying to up the pace
by playing some shots and running everything. Unfortunately
for Monkswood, he succeeded in running out two of his partners,
one from a sharp piece of fielding by Dave at cover (yes,
you read it right, by Dave) to Andy H at the bowler’s
end, and once by Winkie off his own bowling to JF behind the
stumps.
In between the two run outs, Andy bowled one about 40 feet
in the air over the batsman’s head, over the keeper’s
head and landing about 100 feet behind the stumps which led
to much amusement; then he bowled another of their youngsters,
leaving them 7 down, and then he got the big wicket of Malson,
going for another big shot but caught smartly by Jeff at mid
off for a very good 68 runs.
Their number 10 was not much of a batsman and in a desperate
attempt to get his partner on strike in the last over, he
hit the ball back to Paul and set off on a suicide run; Pablo
gathered easily to effect yet another run out and then clean
bowled their last man off the final ball. Monkswood 137 all
out off 40 overs.
Andy Hood 8-0-25-3
Dan Lewis 7-1-29-2
Jeff Clapham 8-1-13-0
Dave Thomas 5-1-15-0
Mark Stephens 5-0-17-0
Paul Stephens 7-1-30-1
It was a low total, but a few of us felt it would take some
getting on a slow pitch and an even slower outfield. Never
mind, tea was a fantastic affair with a variety of sandwiches,
pizza slices, quiche, sausage rolls (and some cheesy vegetarian
equivalent), onion bhajis, chicken dippers, mini scotch eggs,
sausages, loads of cake, tortilla chips etc. Even the fruit
was really tasty with melon, grapes and strawberries all on
show (though not for long). In fact, it was such a bounteous
affair, that there was quite a lot left over!! You could almost
hear people thinking, ‘Skipper, I’m available
for Monkswood next year’ and ‘if I’m not
picked I’ll come along and watch!’
Anyway, the Monkswood lot were out on the field and JF wasn’t
padded up and in need of a pee, so Ash went up the order to
open with Chris Ryde. The pair played steadily, putting on
20 before Ash was undone for 15 by one that stayed low - bowled
by Malson, the kid who had scored half their runs and who
now set about trying to take half our wickets swinging the
ball prodigiously. However, it was Easy who fell next at the
other end caught well at mid on for 2. Malson then accounted
for the skipper (5) caught low down at slip. Pikey (7) played
a glorious shot for 4 before becoming Malson’s next
victim, bowled through an immaculate looking forward defensive
shot! Shaky followed next ball, also bowled not moving his
feet and at 35-5 off 16 overs, the Casz reply was looking
a bit sick. The only saving grace was that Malson had bowled
out with impressive figures of 8-2-13-4.
Jeff & Pablo set about rebuilding the innings, taking
no risks but punishing the bad ball. JC was hampered by a
muscle injury, so there weren’t many twos taken, but
the pair batted intelligently for 16 overs and put together
a partnership of 59 vital runs before Jeff cut one straight
to backward point for a well made 25. 94-6 after 32 overs
and the Casz were back in the game.
Disaster struck two overs later when Dan, thinking the ball
had passed the keeper, called Paul for a run when the ball
had in fact only squirted about 5 feet from the wicket. Paul
set off, immediately turned back and would have been out by
a yard but the keeper missed the stumps: unfortunately, Dan
had already run past him and claimed the ground at the keeper’s
end, so the backing up fielder lobbed the ball to the bowler’s
end and Paul (26) was run out by a mile.
Although he managed to club a couple of boundaries, the
run out was still playing on Dan’s mind when he was
bowled round his legs for 17 (off 11 deliveries) off the first
ball of the 37th over with the score on 114-8.
DT joined Andy H and after playing and missing at three
in a row, managed a two before another dot ball. 116-8 after
37 overs, 21 needed off 3. Winkie took a single off the first
ball of the 38th, Dave went dot, two and then a lovely outside
edge between slip & keeper for four! 7 off the over, so
14 needed off 12 deliveries.
As the bowler stepped up to bowl the 39th over, the scorers
shouted that he’d already bowled his 8 - their skipper
had miscounted. Instead of coming back on himself, he called
up one of the guys who’d been minding his own business
on the boundary. First ball was a long hop which Winkie dispatched
for 4 through wide long off – 10 runs needed off 11
balls.
Second ball was flighted up so Andy went down to meet it
and smacked a high 6 over long on – 4 needed off 10
balls. Next ball was dragged down again and Andy pulled it
through midwicket for another 4 and just like that, the game
was over, the Casz winning by 2 wickets with an over and a
half to spare.
Easy caught 2
Ash bowled 15
JF bowled 5
Pikey bowled 7
Jeff caught 25
Shakes bowled 0
Pablo run out 26
Dan bowled 17
Andy H not out 16
Dave T not out 8
Andy F dnb
A tense finish and good game all round, but the victory was
set up by that superb partnership between Jeff & Pablo
which brought us back from the brink.
After the game, we retired to the adjacent pub to have a
pint and tuck in to what was left of tea (honestly!). I had
a word with their skipper who asked if we would go back next
year and I said we’d love to: he suggested we try to
get in two fixtures next season, one early and one later in
the season. I mean, come on – great tea, pub on the
boundary and a decent game of cricket played in the right
spirit against a good bunch made up of youth & experience.
What more could you want from a Sunday? Over to you Mr Fixture
Secretary …
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