Match Report vs Barry Wanderers 16 May 2010

I write this match report with little detail due to some knob head forgetting to bring the scorebook to the game , apologies everyone. The day started with changeable weather, it never full out rained but we did get that spitting rain that can get you wet through.

To most peoples surprise there was a game and I won the toss and decided to bat and sent Ash and Darren in to start us off. And start us off they did, the pitch was uncommonly hard and a little uneven, a full ball from a bowler pitched and shot over the keepers head for 4 standing about 12 yards back and the odd ball was popping. Ash played a great know of 37 off 51 balls (thanks for the stats Andy), along with some massive spanks for seven fours Ash played straight and correctly playing and missing every now and again outside off before a misjudged back foot swipe in the 15th over lost him his wicket bowled off the inside edge.

Darren at the other end was playing steadily hitting four 4’s in his 27 in an excellent 70 run partnership with Ash, he showed great common sense leaving the good balls and scoring off the bad ones until our excitable number 3 Stevo ran him out going for a suicidal 2nd run after Darren said NOOOOO which had no effect on Steve setting off and Darren sacrificed his wicket. Steve did start off well, his 1st scoring shot was a flat 6 over square mid wicket but the looming of Mr Ashton and a chip back to Mike 1st ball which was caught and then dropped as he landed made Steve doubt himself against the wily spinner. He scratched around against Mike but hit another huge 6 and a 4 front the other bowler before skying a catch to mid off Ashton for a 23 ball 21.

Ed joined JR at the crease and seemed to struggle with his timing, JR at the other end was steering prodding and thwacking the bowling before Ed was bowled trying to get on with it for 13after hitting a single 4. I joined JR who informed me he was knackered and couldn’t run much. So I decided to have a swipe to up the rate a bit, I edged 2 4’s before hitting a decent shot over mid of for another boundary. I then miss timed a slap off a long hop to cover for 20 off 21 balls. At this point we were on about 150 off 34 overs and Scott joined the tired JR to hit a quick fire 19 off 16 balls including 2 4’s and JR was 32 not out off 52 balls leaving us with a good total of 192 for 5 wickets off the 40 overs.

Tea was good and plentiful as usual at the Wanderers and we entered the field with my intention to give as many people as possible a bowl. Digger and Shandy opened the bowling and they both bowled well but the odd loose delivery was dispatched for 4, Shandy finished with 4 overs 0 for 13 in a good spell and Digger had a spell after his 1st 4 overs bringing Jeff and Dave on to replace them. Jeff bowled his usual few loose balls to start his spell before the 1st wicket fell to a stunning catch by Digger diving forward at mid on of a flat well hit ball, a brilliant catch. Dave couldn’t get a consistent line or length going but didn’t go for many runs.

Tesh and I were the next pair of bowlers and Tesh accounted for the other opener bowled with a ball that looked like it moved down the hill a little. The number 3 bat was now in full stride and took me apart at the other end, my 4 overs going for 36 and quite a few 4’s and 6’s. Their 3 and 4 took the score past a hundred, number 3 hit 60 of about 40 balls before a well hit ball to mid wicket was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Ed off Tesh. I think only Ed could have made that catch for us and thank god he did or we would have had no chance in this game.

4 and 5 were now in and they seemed to be in complete control of the situation, I think I looked over to the scoreboard and they were on about 143 off 28 overs, they should have done it easily. I brought Digger back on from the forest end and he quietened the scoring rate a lot, the batsmen did go into their shell a bit and Digger finished his 8 overs with 2 maidens for only sixteen runs. He bowled well enough to get a wicket although there was no actual chance missed off him. Ed came on from the old Hospital end and bowled a good 4 over spell for 24 runs. They were on about 160 odd at the stage where I brought Jeff and Dave back on to bowl out the match.

Then all hell broke loose and things started to go our way. Jeff bowled their number 4 with one of his patented 2-inch floor clingers, off stump. Then Jeff got their number 5 to sky one to backward square leg, we all held our breath as Daren settled under it and took it with the ball thudding into his chest. Dave then had the oppo skipper caught at cover by Darren again with a simpler catch that still took some catching.

Next the oppo wicket keeper was brilliantly run out by Ed throwing to the bowlers end from point with a direct hit. Jeff then got his 4th wicket bowling a youngster for figures on 4 for 20 off his 8 overs. Dave had the last over, they needed 13 from it, we were all a bit stunned at the collapse and the fact that they needed so many runs off the last, Dave’s 1st ball was a half tracker cracked for 4 by the new bat, my encouragement from square leg may have been a bit blue in content and the next ball went for a single leaving another youngster to try and play out the rest of the over which he failed to do when Dave bowled him last ball of the match.

Casuals oddly winning by 7 runs after being behind the 8 ball and a Wanderers collapse of Casual like proportions

Well done all 2 in a row

Batting – Ash 37
Darren 27
Steve 21
JR 32*
Ed 13
Pablo 20
Shandy 19*

Bowling- Digger 8 overs 0 for 16, 2 maidens and a catch
Shandy 4 overs 0 for 13, 1 maiden
Jeff 8 overs 4 for 20, 1 maiden
Dave 7 overs 2 for 33, 1 maiden
Pablo 4 overs for 36
Tesh 5 overs 2 for 29
Ed 4 overs for 24, 1 catch and a run out
Darren 2 catches

back