Match Report vs Cavaliers
17 June 2021 @ Pontcanna(Skipper Rob, report Jim)
When sitting down to write this report, my third of 2021
featuring the Cavaliers, some three and a half months after
the game was played, I contemplated coming up with a creative
format. Perhaps some kind of story about Indiana Jones unearthing
a lost match report, or Doc Brown travelling to the future
in his DeLorean…then I remembered that I was shit at
creative writing in school, and don’t have the attention
span for such an effort! Therefore, this report will be a
factual (ish) account of the game, based on pictures of the
score book and memories of the event which, while decent,
have naturally faded over time…
11 days after a resounding Casuals victory in a Sunday friendly,
both teams once again converged on Pontcanna Fields Pitch
2, on a warm(?) and overcast(?) evening for a Willow League
fixture. As is customary for this club, availability fluctuated,
with skipper Rob initially having more than 11 available,
then less than 11, then some frantic scrambling that resulted
in a team being put together, plus James volunteering to score
the game, having not been needed as a reserve – a set
of coloured pens were present! The Cavs won the toss and,
as they had in the Sunday game, elected to bowl.
Will strode out to open the batting alongside Rhys, who was
fresh from his unbeaten century against the Cavs in the previous
game. Scoring was difficult, with the Cavs bowlers looking
sharp and accurate on a bouncy wicket, and plugging gaps in
the field well. In the 5th over, with the score on 27, Will
was out bowled for 5, missing a straight one (assumption from
the type of dismissal). Kiwi Sim came out to join Rhys. It
was during this period that the Cavs brought on a big rugby
player, who was bowling wheels that fast, Rhys called for
a helmet and Will declared that he was happy he wasn’t
batting against it! Despite the speed, and the chin music,
he was giving away some runs, but the familiar Mr McVeigh,
on return from injury, was keeping things tight at the top
end, including a double-wicket maiden where both Sam and Steveo
(2 balls, not sure who won) were bowled. 46-3 off 10 overs.
Richie was next in and found himself, rather unfortunately,
facing the fast bowler with nearly every ball he faced, limiting
his opportunity for runs, whilst Rhys was also struggling
to find rhythm and run-scoring shots. Luckily, the Cavs had
bowled a string of extras (8 wides in the 13th over), allowing
the Cazh to get up to 84 before Richie was caught behind in
the 16th over, sending the ball high into the heavens. Rhys
started to find the middle of his bat, though, and started
to push runs with new batsman George (the original volunteer
to write this report) and nudge the score past 100, before
George was caught looking to go for a shot. In came the skipper
and, alongside Rhys, found 14 runs off the final over, to
give the Cazh a respectable final total of 115-5 off their
20 overs – Mr E. X. Tra top scoring with 49!
Will b5
Rhys no38
Sam b10
Steveo b0
Richie ct4
George ct4
Rob no8
DNB: Naren, Goffy, Maxy, DT
Goffy and DT opened the bowling for the Cazh, knowing that
early wickets, and restricting scoring opportunities, would
put pressure on the Cavs. Indeed, things went to plan for
once, with DT bowling the opener for 1 with just his second
delivery, whilst Goffy would pick up 2 wickets in successive
overs. The first saw Steaders caught behind by Will, presumably
attempting to run the ball to third man, whilst the second
saw the rugby player, less imposing with the bat, caught by
Steveo stood somewhere in the field – precise position
escapes me, I just know it wasn’t wicket keeper! The
Cavs, then, found themselves 22-3 off 5 overs. Could the Cazh
maintain this momentum? Well…no, not really…the
4th wicket pair for the Cavs remained resilient, seeing off
the remainder of Goffy and DT’s spells, upping the run
rate in the process to take the score to 55, before Rob bowled
McVeigh in the 10th over, leaving the Cavs 4 down with 61
runs required.
It’s at this point that the exciting action finished.
Despite probing, the Cazh bowlers couldn’t take any
further wickets as the Cavs batsmen tucked in, including a
couple of big shots down the ground and over mid-wicket. Naren
was particularly expensive, struggling to find his line and
length, resulting in some extras being bowled. There may have
been a dropped catch somewhere (again, an assumption being
made), or some kind of funny mis-field, but ultimately the
batsmen played well, with the number four retiring on 50 with
3 runs required for victory. George bowled what would be the
final over, his last playing for the Casuals, but couldn’t
complete it as a wide sealed a 6 wicket win for the Cavs in
the 17th over.
Goffy 4-0-20-2
DT 4-0-27-1
Maxy 4-0-24-0
Rob 2-0-8-1
Naren 2-0-26-0
George 0.4-0-9-0
Catches – Will, Steveo
Post-game drinks were had at the Pontcanna Inn, where Steveo
struggled with ordering through the app, orders were brought
to the wrong table, and a fond farewell was given to George
as he embarked on the start of his career, following the completion
of his studies!
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