Match Report vs Cavaliers
09June 2011@ Wenvoe (Skipper Muff, report Ed)
Wenvoe was bathed in sunshine, a couple wispy clouds with
a light breeze to chill the inactive making it a lovely evening
to play cricket. Muff won the toss and elected to bat with
the cheese and himself opening and a strong middle order of
Kim, Napalm and Steve-O. With the rules for cup games of maximum
of 2 overs a bowler and batsmen retiring at 25 the caz had
a strong team out.
The opener for the Cavs liked to drop it short and after
Muff and Ed had seen him off tucked into the change with their
numerous half trackers; muff was struggling to get some of
the fuller pitched bowling away but a couple of nicely worked
singles kept the strike rotating.
After 5.1 overs, Ed retired on 27 after heaving one to mid
wicket. Kim strolled out to crease had a quick chat to everyone
and followed with his unusual off side dab and caz brought
up the fifty by the end of the over. Muff’s running
had been good so far with quick singles and one’s turned
into two’s but he was undone by a ricochet off the keepers
pads that came out to the vacant midwicket area after a bit
of yes, no, yes, no the run was finally attempted only for
a direct hit to come in with muff couple feet short off his
ground, I have never seen someone run 30 yards and get run
out attempting a single, tough luck muff!
As much as the Cazh mourned the loss of the captain this
brought Napalm to the crease with everyone wondering how long
it would take him to get to 25, this must have been on Napalm’s
mind was well, wanting to get his two pounds worth started
quite slowly until he clipped one of his pads to midwicket,
everyone started to look to boundary only for the short mid-wicket
to spring out of his stance and get a hand to the ball; lucky
he could not hold on but it certainly saved 4 runs.
Kim and Napalm made short work of the bowling with boundaries
mostly on the leg side and another huge 6 from Napalm leading
to the inevitable lost ball. Napalm retired after long off
missed judged a catch and the ball went through his legs for
four. This left the caz on 88 -1 off 9 overs with two men
back in the hutch ready to go again.
Steve-O joined Kim at the crease and after his pre delivery
routine, that would not look out of place at an audition for
a medieval fantasy film, hit a classy on drive for one and
got off the dreaded duck. Kim looking to move on to his 25
and retire, started to play expansively, though this was his
un doing as to a ball he would normally have waited on and
put round the corner, he tried to drive on the up, missed
and his leg stump was left on the floor.
Goff wandered out to the wicket looking at quick singles
or as quick as his hamstrings would allow. While not too many
boundaries during this partnership the runs kept flowing with
singles and the growing number of extras from the part time
bowlers. Goff after a couple overs starting hunting the elusive
boundary and was caught out of his ground, stumped for a pacey
8.
The two Steve’s started to build a partnership with
Steve the older carving the ball to the boundary and Steve
the younger turning ones into two’s, this amount of
running was having an effect on the older Steve and with his
pre delivery routine getting longer by ball, it was with certain
amount of relief that Steve the younger scampered back for
a final two and Steve the older could retire back to the dressing
room and the oxygen tent.
This brought James “look at my strike rate”
Roach to the middle with only 28 balls in the innings left,
Steve the younger hit a crisp cover drive for 4 and then was
run out in the charge to get runs with the innings drawing
to a close. Paul sauntered out for the remaining 12 balls,
facing the opener, the first three balls went for a dot, two,
single bring JR back on strike. JR tried to drive off his
back foot to a just short of a length ball but only managed
to snick it to the keeper. Andy was next out fended off the
last ball and we were into the final over with the score at
162 -5.
Dot, dot was the start of the over then Paul was out similar
to JR and trusty DT jogged out to the crease, the first ball
he faced was a no ball and a run after the keeper spilled
the ball, this left Andy to finish the innings with three
twos to mid off masterfully picking out their weakest field
enabling DT to get back.
With the caz finishing on 170 for 6 with only 24 dot balls
M Foote; Run out 18
E Stewart; Retired 27
K. Swain; Bowled 21
N. Lal; Retired 26
S. O’Reilly; Retired 26
G. Day; Stumped 8
S. Read; Run Out 7
J. Roach; Caught 5
P. Stephens; Caught 3
A. Hood; Not Out 6
D. Thomas; Not Out 1
The caz took to the field knowing that if they kept the early
runs down then the pressure would be on the Cavaliers.
J. Roach; 1-0-8-0, opened the bowling, good off side line,
coupled of scampered two’s, good solid over.
N. Lal; 1-0-3-0, Excellent over, really attacked the stumps,
a drop by the wicket keeper but was a tough chance.
S. Read; 2-0-24-0, took the hammering after a slow start from
the batsmen, though most of the runs were from outside edges
to the short third man boundary, off side wides seemed a little
harsh but there we go.
D. Thomas; 2-0-15-1, two solid overs only conceding one boundary,
drew Steadman out of his ground for a stumping though dropped
a dolly off his own bowling.
S. O’Reilly; 2-0-20-2, bit of a mixed bag four good
balls two of which took wickets, one bowled; the other a top
edge caught by JR at mid wicket, though the other 8 were dropped
short or down the leg side, no extras though.
At this stage the cavaliers were 63 for 3 off 8 overs with
no retires and caz well on top with the fielding crisp and
clean withstanding the fat little idiot [ED - this has been
identified as the Cheese] bellowing obscenities when the fielding
dropped slightly par and even when it didn’t.
P. Stephens; 2-0-6-3, The figures speak for themselves, bowled
the number three cue mad celebrations from the bowler peeling
off his top, swing it around his head while dashing down the
wicket to jump in the arms of the keeper, err well no this
is Paul, a rye grin and criticism of the batsman’s shot
was it, good wicket though. Dots and singles continued until
and last two balls of his spell; Steve-O took a good catch
at short cover and the new batsmen smashed it back at Paul
who took the catch comfortably, so Paul’s on a hat trick
next time he bowls.
A. Hood; 2-0-14-0; Bowled steadily, the cavs only batsmen
to retire managed to get away a four at mid on. Nice and steady
did not allow the batsmen any easy runs.
E. Stewart; 2-0-14-1, first two balls were down leg one well
stopped by the keeper, one stopped by Napalm on the 45°,
6 runs saved in the first two balls! Bowled low full tosses
from then on, one jumped up to Steve-O who took a good catch
on the jog in the covers. Paul dropped one heading for a six
so I say 4 runs saved.
K. Swain; 2-0-16-0, couple of wides but nice and steady at
the end of the innings nothing dramatic but we did not need
it.
M. Foote; 2-0-16-2; First ball went for four down to square
leg unfortunately just where the man had been brought up from,
then a wide though only three singles after that. First two
balls of the second over were two wickets both bowled. Then
in came their only batsman to retire, who had a heave at the
hat trick ball but ended in a dot. The next three balls took
the gloss of muff’s figures going for 2,4,2.
Caz won by 34 runs, great game everyone involved and everyone
making a telling contribution with bat or ball.
As Shakey says we are on a cup run!
Now before this report finishes I must just elaborate on
Muff’s hat trick ball, I have just been handed the blue
paper from my lawyer with the super injunction not to name
the wicket keeper although those among you who did not play
might have a clue. There was a bit more to say between the
batsmen’s heave and the scorer finally putting down
a dot. The fact is the batsman was well out his ground the
keeper dropped the ball on the way to breaking bails and deigning
our fearless leader a hat trick. Bad luck Skip!!!
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