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Match report vs White
Hart 17 sept 06 @ Caerleon (skipper Shagger, report
Shakey)
Match report vs White Hart 17 sept 06 @ Caerleon
When we turned up early, as normal, it was clear that the
match lacked a certain something before it had even begun.
Namely a pitch. Due to some breakdown in communication with
the Council the normal pitch (so suited to spin that our team
was packed with slow bowlers) was being scarified and was
totally unplayable. Moreover, much of the playing area seemed
to be taken up with the pointless spectacle of something called
football between two youthful teams of questionable intelligence
- well they weren't playing the great game of cricket.
After a little debate with the oppo we decided on a 35 over
game on the artificial. Captain Dan won the toss and we decided
to bat. After Tesh departed for 3 in the 3rd over a second
wicket partnership of 65 between Kim and Smitts took the early
initiative for the Cazh. Kim was circumspect in his shot selection
but when he decided to go for it he proved very effective
with his innings of 38 interspersed with 6 boundaries. Smitts
played an equally invaluable knock, punctuated with some effective
hitting and well judged singles.
But after their sudden departure in mid-innings the Cazh lost
valuable momentum. Goughy and Shakes, eager to outdo each
other in the season long run chase, couldn't hit a cow in
the arse with a banjo for the next 10 overs. The score moved
along but there were few shots of note (one nice on-drive
from the Goughster sticks in my mind) and a lot of streaky
runs all round the wicket against an attack which to be fair
was very accurate.
After 29 overs we were 131-3 but with Goughy out for 31 and
Stevo undone by a straight yorker length ball things didn't
look good. It got worse when shakes ran out Dan for 2 and
Paul was caught to a wonderful catch at the long-on boundary
going for a six. Fitzy played a brief but entertaining cameo
to leave Kevin and Shakes not out at the end with a very disappointing
16 coming from the last 5 overs.
As Tea was still being prepared we went out for a 5 over
stint in the field. Dan and Paul bowled very well but with
no luck as they reached 17-0 including 3 boundaries.
My personal highlight of the day was Tea. There was pizza,
sausage rolls, sarnies, twix, cake and old fashioned tubs
of ice cream that I thought had been discontinued years ago
(an idea for us next season I'm sure). It was washed down
with a cuppa. Then something wonderful happened. The oppo
upped and left leaving large quantities of tea on their table.
Sensing that I wasn't going to bowl after running the captain
out I decided to stuff my face with what was left - bloody
marvellous.
Paul got a breakthrough as soon as we started with a catch
at backward point. But that was our sole success off the next
14 overs. Dan bowled very well (7-1-16-0) but with no reward
and runs came at a steady pace off Kevin (7-0-38-0) and Tesh.
Fitzy missed a hard chance at wide mid-on when he seemed to
be claiming a mark rather than catch a high steepler and Tesh
was unlucky early on with numerous edges in gaps between the
keeper and backward point. White Hart hit well and deserved
some luck as we had it in abundance during our innings.
Tesh took a career best 3-48 including a good high catch
from Kim to get rid of the freescoring opener but with the
unlucky dan failing to get a wicket we were really up against
it. A brisk 5th wicket partnership of 47 took them home with
20 balls to spare.
We tried hard in the field but in hindsight we knew that we
were 20 runs short of a decent target. No complaints about
the result. Thanks should go to Smitts for supplying me with
quantities of twix during our spell in the field.
Where on earth the next win will come from is all that we
discussed in the Red Lion
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