Match Report vs Abercarn
14 June 2015 @ Abercarn (Skipper Jesus, Report Winkie)
Well it shouldn’t have happened but yours truly got
caught up in the velothon. I blame the Goff for only just
staying ahead of the broomwagon! Anways I got to the game
to find Jesus had won the toss and opted to bat first. Bit
of moisture in the pitch but a fine and improving day.
Tickle and Kim opened up against some slowish seam bowling.
All looked set for a couple of good knocks. Tickle had cut
one away for four but was cut short in his prime, given LBW
early in the next over, touch of controversy as you might
expect. 7-1. Time for a snooze, (sorry forgot to mention this
is a real time report, well it was when I was writing it).
Jesus glides to the wicket (ok probably more of a trudge…
poetic licence). Runs start to flow a little more quickly
– some iffy calling, bit of a language barrier? A few
swings from Kimbo… could have sworn just then that I
heard some banjo music up in the woods….a soft appeal,
not out, back to sleep. Oh here we go, change of umpires,
any words exchanged? 28 runs after ten overs. Need to go through
the gears - where's Clarkson when you need him? 36 off eleven,
run rate on the up! Oh no, Jesus miss timed a leg side flick
and it lobs up to mid on, 36-2, Jesus 10.
Cheesy to the crease…after recent innings, expectations
are high. Hardly time to look up before Kim is clean bowled
by a slow straight one, playing back instead of forward! 40-3
from 13. Kimbo scores a flatulent 20. Richie in to face, come
on the old guard! Jesus over heard to say “couldn’t
get into the rhythm, but in fairness they’re bowling
well..”
Oh oh, casual collapse mid flow, Richie goes caught well
at mid wicket, duck. 43-4, time to regroup… Pete into
bat. Cheese cover drives for four and adds a well run three
before launching at one but not getting a good contact, caught
for seven. Rob in now, wickets continuing to fall quickly,
run rate slowed to practically zilch. Pete and Rob hold it
together for a couple of overs but Rob too soon succumbs,
caught for four.
It's not looking good!
Shakes in, time for a resolute innings? No not this time,
a single added before forcing the pace results in a simple
catch to midwicket. 76-7 from 25 overs. Bowlers are really
wondering if they will have enough to bowl with...sorry, to
clarify they know it's not enough!
The rest of this report is not real time so is from memory
and liable to inaccuracies.
So I was in next and not really fancying my chances, I am
sure it was not pretty to watch but Pete and I hung around,
adding the odd run where we good and letting extras pile up.
We lasted 11 overs before Pete missed a straighten, 15 important
runs. Ameesh playing his debut innings for the Caz looked
to have a bit more skill than he was originally owning up
to and played some fine strokes. It was then my turn to get
myself out feathering one through to the wicky, 10, 118-9.
That left Luke to come in for the last few overs, we’ll
overlook the dizzy “stumped” moment (thankfully
the oppo also chose to give him a second chance), so we made
it through to close on 130-9, Ameesh 6 not out and Luke not
out 4. Extras top scored by a mile, 48!!!!!!
A low scoring innings, surely it was nowhere near enough?
Tea was plentiful, but that's another story…
The bowling was skilfully opened by Luke and Ameesh, applying
pressure by keeping runs down and creating chances. Luke had
one put down in the slips who looked a little surprised by
the pace and bounce. Ameesh was bowling good lines and took
the first wicket clean bowled in the sixth over 13-1. Luke
soon followed up with another, his pace having picked up (could
be something to do with the drop?), the batsmen skying a bouncer
high over Jesus only to be caught well by Ameesh at fine leg,
13-2 off seven.
A change of tack by the captain saw him turn to slow bowling
with Shakey from the top end and me from the bottom. The expected
flow of runs did not materialise, and pressure continued to
build. Shakey took his first in his second clean bowled, 43-3
off 13. There followed one of those moments where the batsman,
the umpire and the fielders all new he had edged one, he didn’t
walk and the umpire didn’t give it. In fairness we didn’t
take it too well! Kim especially vocal, chuntered for most
of the rest of the innings, which upset one of the other bats
but alls fair in love a war!!! The oppo did apologise afterwards
saying they hadn’t given it because they were giving
him time to walk, and because it took too long they felt it
was too late to give….that made us all feel so much
better…
Well I could go on in great detail but I am getting tired
and just been called in for tea, may resume in a bit….
…
….
That's better, where was I? Shakey took another wicket in
his fifth over and Rob one in his second, 67-4 and it was
getting interesting. Wickets continued to fall at regular
intervals, Shakey picked up two more for a grand total of
4, could have been more, Richie weighed in with one and I
also picked up one before a really crap over was spanked for
15. Their number 9 was well in now scoring freely, 127-9 with
overs in hand. A Jesus inspiration moment required and delivered,
back to our opener Luke to rough up their no.11, first ball
swing and a miss, second one nearly got him in the goolies
and the the third one hits leg… Perfect! Casuals win,
great effort, great fun. The argy bargy all forgotten a few
enjoyable drinks were had, and their captain even bought ours
a drink – good old tradition…
Worth mentioning that whilst we dropped a few half chances
there were a few good ones taken as well. Worthy mentions
go to Tesh who made up for a relatively easy drop and Will
who took a sharp one. Good to be on the right side of a close
one.
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