Match Report vs Tintern
16 August 2015 @ Tintern (Skipper Kim, Report Rob)
Casuals v Tintern.
Sunday 16th August. Tintern Abbey Green.
Team:
Dan L
Foxy
Kim (Captain)
Shakey
Pabs
PeteO
Rob
Richard
SteveO
Goff
Charlie
The day started on a positive note. We’d had a fair
bit of rain in the week leading up to the match. A quick look
on Google Maps shows just how close the River Wye was to the
pitch. We later discovered that the pitch had been under water
all day Friday. And later again found out that the football
season had started two weeks previously on the very same pitch.
But apparently it’s a bit like this whether under water
or not, and 250+ had been successfully chased on it this season.
At least the quizzical American tourists might make a bit
more sense of soccerball, compared to the mystery version
of baseball being played out in front of them. No mitts! We
must be mad. They might be right.
Tintern decided not to fill in the scorebook, theirs or ours.
How they managed to accurately track the score is a mystery.
Which leaves me with a mystery - how to solve the problem
of completing a match report with no over details, fall of
wicket and all the other gumpf required when doing this job.
I’ll give it my best!
Kim won the toss and decided to get a look at the pitch by
putting them in. Sound reasoning, but I bet he called tails?
Dan and Pabs opened the bowling. A nice mix of pace and spin
to test the pitch out. Answer - pretty low with the odd lifter.
The first 4 wickets fell quickly, all bowled. Dan’s
wickets were wrong line and having a swing to cow. Pabs’
wickets were the standard slow bowler flight deliveries. Bit
of air, short boundary, batsmen’s eyes lit up…
in their minds the umpire was already raising his arms to
signal 6, but no - swing and a miss. Strike – you’re
out. They had already been given a few chances. Pabs had several
catches dropped off his bowling, two by myself (Rob) at long-on,
and another through the slips (Kim Drop 5). No excuses, all
three should have been caught.
Tintern were 4 down for about 10 runs. Dan and Pabs were
taken off to give Tintern a chance, and replaced by Pete and
Foxy. Though this picked up the run rate, the wickets kept
on falling. Pete took 3 wickets with his Jedi mind-tricks,
one bowled and the other two caught by Shakes, who was doing
his best to keep out of the way - but no such luck. The catch
at square leg was a stormer. A pull shot, hit hard and flat
- Shakes didn’t have time to think about getting out
the way, which was the sensible choice when your fingers are
held together by blue tape and hope.
Foxy took two wickets - one a catch at mid-wicket by Steve,
which was going pretty quick, and another spinners wicket
- swing and a miss. The short boundaries had allowed Tintern
to put on some runs through these overs and get past 100.
Steve came on at the end for a few overs, conceding 8 runs,
but with only 10 men, things were wrapped up at the other
end. 112 all out in 20 overs.
With such a quick innings, tea wasn’t ready, so the
Cazh went out to bat on empty stomachs. The inevitable result
was thus sealed. Both openers were bowled with the ball keeping
low, Rob played on and Kim missing one that seamed and skidded
a bit. 1 / 2 off two overs. Extras top, and only scorer.
The openers were into their rhythm now, with scoring shots
rare, but Steve seemed to be seeing the ball well and started
putting on a partnership with Richard, who was making his
debut. A few dabbed singles off the pads from Richard, and
he was off and away. However, some indecision when looking
for a second run ended up with Richard being run out. He might
not have been aware of the recent trend, but plonking a Cazh
hat on had ended in the inevitable run-out. Steveo was then
out to the slowest of slow deliveries.
Pete hung about for a bit, scoring 6 runs, but like those
before him, was bowled. Pabs quickly followed, also bowled,
with Taylor taking his only wicket. This brought Dan to the
crease with a nice little period ensuing (21 runs) with Goff,
which was the only real partnership for the Cazh. You could
sense the concentration from both players, caused by some
chirping from the fielders which focussed the minds - perhaps
the umpires should try this in the future if the opposition
don’t pipe up? Most of it was friendly stuff until...
A delivery was no-balled for bowling over waist height -
which was questioned by the bowler who was also the captain.
After already needing the rules explained to him of how to
run someone out if the stumps had been broken, you’d
think he’d have learned to leave it, but sadly not.
If you’ve bowled 8 overs of medium pace off 10 paces,
not turned the ball once and your excuse is you’re not
a medium pace bowler but a spinner, then try again. Though
the rules are applied to all bowlers, whether spin or pace,
this fact was lost on the skipper.
Dan was out with a ‘pop-fly’ top edge to the
keeper, which brought on Charlie to bat with his Dad. He swept
his first delivery, with a nice contact and hit it straight
at the fielder, who hadn’t done anything for ages and
dropped it as he was half asleep! A few more sweeps and Charlie
was eventually caught by the keeper strangled down the leg
side.
Goff was next to fall -a hard pull (!!?) - he was caught
by the skipper after it appeared (by most) to have bounced.
He claimed it bounced off his wrist and Goff walked. Shakey
and Foxy following in the next two overs - all out for 56.
Top scorer was extras with 17. I was told to say that Foxy
stood undefeated and took 2 wickets. Well played Foxy!
This left us with a quick tea and a pint in The Anchor, where
we were accused of trying to steal someone else's chips even
though Goff had bought them. Perhaps us city folk look suspicious?
One of the opposition made a brief apology for the pitch,
but it was totally understandable as it was under water 36
hours previously. Of the captain, no sight was seen at tea
or in the pub, which was a shame but possibly for the best.
We could have bowled them out for 20-30 but let them have
a game. Sadly, this behaviour isn’t always reciprocated.
Tintern won by 56 runs.
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