Match Report vs Whitchurch 27 May 2012

As I drove in past the medical wing and behind the chapel, a sight met me that made me think that I needed to retreat a couple of hundred yards and check in to the medical wing. The vision of a certain Mr. G Davies in whites had met me, though after a quick chat it turned that he found a new home with Whitchurch.

With another sunny day booked and the track looking as flat as a pancake, I won the toss and decided to bat allowing most of the cazh to recline in the shade.

Britpop and I opened the first looking to hold on until his kids arrived and the second looking for a bit of time at the crease. Whitchurch opened up with a young a left armer from the scrub end and normal from the chapel end. Neither was particularly quick and after their first two overs the length and line started to wavier with Britpop hitting a stylish cover drive and me carting them through point.

After 8 overs the score was a health 43 with out loss and the first change came on with a shortish run up and general relaxed air I thought this was going to be more of the same medium pace stuff. I knew I was wrong when the arm came over and about a second later Britpop registered the fact, 0.8 seconds before the yorker had hit his toe right in front of middle.

Tesh battled through the next five balls while I though about Boycotts old saying “the best place to face fast bowling is from the non strikers end.”
I counted badly in the next over and took a single off the last ball and had my off stump reeling by the third ball from the rather quick gentlemen plying his trade from the scrub end.

This brought JR to the crease for his first knock of the season and he set about what JR does best playing out the more dangerous bowlers ready to tuck into the ‘lesser’ bowlers. The next couple of overs a game of cat and mouse ensued with Tesh and JR looking to pick up runs where they could while keeping their wicket intact, with drinks on the horizon and JR having done the hard he was out caught trying club the ball away to the on side.

With Tesh and Trev at the crease run rate graph started on an upward curve moving the ball around and hitting the boundary with the bad ball. Tesh looking settled but then did his normal getting himself out and pushed a forward defence into the grateful arms of the bowler.

Goff strolled out with everyone in pavilion loudly applauding his arrival at the crease; this pair continued the steady approach with Goff getting more fluid in his driving as the innings progressed. After reaching 98 for 4 off 25 overs, there was an upsurge in runs with the cazh racing to 136 for 4 off 28 overs. This was mainly due to the massive number of wides coming from one end. After the 2nd legal of what end as 11 ball over, Pablo decided to only give wides for ones that did not land on the strip and Goff was doing his back in trying to reach the ones that did.

Nearing the next drinks mark of 30 overs Goff got expansive with his driving and was out caught for a fine 35. Ash joined Trev at the crease but with good bowling tying them down any shot that beat the infield need to be made the most of, one quick single produced a wild throw from the field and the batsmen were quickly on to it but misjudge the second over throw run and Trev was run out by a good 10 foot.

Maria was in next, Ash and him rotated the strike well until the opener sneaked one through Ash’s defences bring Shakey away from the tea table he was hovering around.

Maria clipped one to the long boundary and galloped off down the wicket looking to get full value for the shot pulling Shakey through for 3 after which he was told in no uncertain terms that that was not on and either put it to the boundary or settle for a single.

Maria was caught looking for that elusive boundary and Stephens brothers joined together for the last two overs.

With Shakey having to battle out a maiden in the 39th over, Pablo went after the bowling in the 40th scoring 8 including a particularly good square drive for four.

Cazh finishing on 190-8, great score but would it be enough on such a flat wicket.

Cheese; 30 (5x4), bowled
Britpop; 16 (2x4), lbw
Tesh; 12, c&b
JR; 7, caught
Bambi; 27, run out
Goff; 35 (5x4), caught
Ash; 15 (2x4), bowled
Maria; 10, caught
Shakey; 6 (1x4), not out
Pablo; 8 (1x4), not out
DT; dnb

Tea was excellent with overflowing plate of warm sausage rolls as the centre piece with enough sandwiches for 6 each followed by carrot and lemon drizzle cake though for once taking on much needed fluids was the order of the day with sunny still out it was going to be a sticky second innings.

Maria and Pablo opened from the hospital end and scrub end respectively and started off well trying to keep the run rate low and increase the pressure on the batsmen. This worked in the first couple overs we put down a couple of chances nothing straight forward but on our day they would have been snaffled.

After 10 overs, the oppo had reached 52 with both batsmen looking to get into their stride.

DT got the first breakthrough in the bowling the steadier opener and then bamboozling the number 3 who played down leg with the ball hitting middle. The hat trick ball was stoutly defended and with everybody thinking he would never have a better chance at a hat trick with Gareth facing.

Shakey continued the flurry of wickets with good thinking from Ash waiting for the batsmen to over balance before whipping off the bails.

DT struck again in his next over getting the number 5, who had missed the fielding, with Maria taking a catch with an unnecessary but highly amusing hitch kick.

Suddenly from the 57 without loss Whitchurch were 66 for 4 off 16 overs though the drinks break came just at the wrong time for us, as it allowed the batsmen to settle and the bowlers to cool.

The first overs from both bowlers after the break were in sharp contrast to the ones that the proceeded those, neither DT nor Shakey could recapture the rhythm from the first spell and the batsmen started to look for runs after 10 minutes early battling just keep there wicket intact.

Bambi took over from the DT and started with his stock in swinging ball that had the batsmen floundering for the first 3 overs unfortunately then the opener who had kept his wicket during the pre drinks mayhem floored the accelerator and went after everything hitting a couple sixes and even his mishits finding the rope. Though Bambi kept his head and got one past the bat after the batsmen had left his crease and Ash behind the stumps did the rest, finally we had the batsmen who had scored 113 of there 176 runs (we dropped him on 0 as well). Bambi bagged another in his last over pitching the inswinger in the right area and hitting the middle of leg.

After a couple of fruitless overs from me, Pablo returned from the chapel end and got stuck into the tail enders with Goff snaffling an excellent catch at a kind of short mid off that was pasted him before he reeled it in. Pablo bowling his next victim who did not get the bat anywhere near the ball before it clattered into the stumps.

Maria had replaced Bambi storming in from the scrub end polished off the number 8 comprehensively beating him on the front foot and taking the out side of the off stump.

With 1 wicket left and 5 runs to win, the caz closed in to make the finale as tough as possible for Whitchurch though the number 10 had different ideas and smashed the first ball for 4 in the 37th over and then hit a lovely cover drive running through on the miss field that the shot had produced.

Cazh lost by 1 wicket

Maria; 7overs; 1 maiden; 23 runs; 1 wicket
Pablo; 7.3, 2, 30, 2
DT; 6, 0, 27, 3
Shakey; 7, 0, 40, 1
Bambi; 6, 0, 43, 2
Cheese; 4, 0, 14, 0

I do not think I will bore you by going into the if onlys but. almost….almost.

Great knock from Goff and with the help of Bambi after JR had steady the ship after a good start. The spin twins Shakey and DT brought us back into and no one posting terrible figures on what was a batsmen track.

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