Match Report vs Wick
10 July 2022 @ Wick (Skipper Richie, report Pablo)
What a day! It was hot but not heat stroke hot (thank God).
We assembled, at the village green in Wick for a 1pm start
(I know, never going to happen) with a car from the previous
days village fate still parked on the outfield, it was at
deep long on, nobody would have hit it but their skipper was
very wary of the potential calamity. It was moved before we
started.
Now the lie of the land is important here, the Goffster had
brought a massive umbrella like contraption which got pegged
to the floor and offered some shade, the various chairs brought
by us were set up in the shade and Dave was never to be moved.
The quickest he moved all day was to claim a vacated shady
chair (those who know of Dave know this is utterly factual
on all counts).
Then the best bit of the day, the skip won the toss and decided
to bat, we don’t know if the oppo booed their skipper
because whatever happened was drowned out by the spontaneous
and almost touching applause by the whole team on learning
that he had finally won a toss and decided entirely correctly
to bat.
We had a debutant opening the batting with Luvvers, Bash
is an 11-year-old left-handed batter and bowler with a good
technique and looked very correct with a few good tucks off
his legs.
The pitch was odd, some balls off a good length bounced alarmingly,
after Gareth put two loose deliveries away for 4 a ball that
bounded sharply from a length, caught the shoulder of his
bat and lobbed to slip. He was gone for 11. Next to fall victim
of the bounce was Bash, caught at the wicket for 4.
This brought Steve Biggs to the wicket with Will and the
plundering began. Steve and Will put on a 131-run partnership,
before the departure of Steve for a very well made 55. He
was eventually out caught, I must admit I can’t remember
off hand where, it may have been at the wicket but I may be
wrong,
Steve hit seven 4’s along the way. The square leg boundary
took a hammering after the tricky period at the start of the
innings where the bounce was a big issue. This period was
well navigated by both men.
The skip joined Will at this point (147 for 3 in the 27th
over) and quickly got sent back for a single bowled neck and
crop as the old saying goes.
Finchy was in next and looked to settle himself in before
a silent gunshot to the hamstring dispatched him. He was helped
off the field by two Casuals who needed a rest and a rub down
for their exertions (he’s a big lad you know). Finchy’s
day was done, we got his car and bag for him and he had to
drive home to the certainty of a dressing down from his other
half, I hope neither was too painful mate.
Jim was in next, an interesting day for Jim had already started
as he had a game of football which meant he didn’t arrive
until about 2.30pm and he joined Will but quite quickly departed
for 6, also caught.
At this stage we were 160 for 4 off 31 overs.
Will went next for a good 77, below average for him at this
venue and we let him know he had let the side down. He was
caught by the wicket keeper on the sweep that hit his gloves
a bit and lobbed to the keeper. Will hit 9 4’s and a
six (according to Dave’s scorebook, I know, no comments
needed there).
Rob was now in with the Goffster in nosebleed territory at
number 9 in the order, I was padded up as I have seen him
bat before and even Dave was padded up as he knows I am just
as bad but thankfully we were not required to do any exercise
as Rob, 12 not out with a 4 and Goff 16 not out with 2 4’s
saw us to tea with a final score of 209 for 6 off the 40.
I neglected to say all of their players apart from the keeper
bowled 4 overs and did a decent job and we were to share our
overs out as well but of course, we were going to be a man
down without the stricken Finchy.
Luvvers 11, Bash 4, Will 77, Steve 55, Rich 1, Gareth 9 (Rt
Hurt), Jim 6, Goff 16 no, Rob 12 no.
Unfortunately, the open air, do it yourself tea is the norm
now and we settled down behind the massive brolly to scoff
what we had and load up on fluids for 25 minutes.
Dave and Goff opened our bowling effort and with much aplomb
by Dave I must say, he had one opener caught at slip by Will
(after a long discussion about if we needed a slip was had
it must be said, well done Luvvers and Will for winning over
the skipper).
Nought for one in the first and then a maiden for Goff next
and then Dave took a wicket with his 7th ball, bowled as the
ball was traveling down the leg side the batter got in the
way, the ball deflected off his pad to dribble onto middle,
0 for 2 quickly became 4 for 3 in Dave’s next over as
the number 4 batter lobbed a catch to Luvvers at mid-wicket.
At this point everything was going swimmingly but at the
back of my mind I was thinking this opener that we haven’t
got out yet looks rather good. Also, He has middled every
ball so far and he can’t half hit it. All this was going
through my mind when Goff bowled a ball that crept a bit low
which was unusual for this pitch and an almighty appeal for
LBW was turned down. Mr. Day was not happy at this stage (understatement
alert).
Rob and I were the next tandem up to the plate, Rob bowled
very well I thought and stemmed the massive bleeding of runs
coming from my bowling. The fielders were quite rightly dispatched
to every boundary possible for my bowing and eventually their
number 5 mistimed a shot which was not easy to catch but was
caught well by Will at deep mid-wicket for a well slogged
26.
Steve and the 11-year-old Bash were next to bowl. Steve had
problems landing the ball on the wicket for his first two
overs but he didn’t get punished that severely. At the
other end, the left arm spin of Bash did for the number 6
and 7 batsmen, both bowled middle stump in an excellent spell
of bowling by the young man.
You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned the opener
since the controversial LBW shout, that’s because at
this stage he was carving us all up like a Christmas turkey
on his way to 92 with 15 4’s and a 6, was he going to
win the game on his own? Could anyone stop the onslaught you
ask, which of the Casuals stepped up and did their duty and
fired him out?
The answer is none of us but our cunning plan of Finchy pretending
to have a torn hamstring and getting the oppo to lend us a
daemon bowler came to fruition in the name that will go down
in history as Kenny Thomas.
Kenny, for all that know him, is seemingly NOT a secret weapon
if you see him bowl but a strange sequence of events got the
opener out. Dave was “fielding” at mid-wicket
on the single. “Fielding” could not be a worse
description though, standing would be more accurate so we
decided to move him out of the way and Luvvers would be put
there and the opener miss timed one and it went quite sharply
to Gaz on the first ball of Kenny’s 2nd over, out!!
Another was to follow, also caught by Rob this time. Kenny,
two wickets in two overs, we had to take him off because he
was due to bat for them at 11 and he had to pad up, his replacement
on the field dropped a sharp chance a bit later to the cries
of “Kenny would have caught that”.
It’s the 27th over at this stage and they are 158 for
8 and our last two bowlers saw out our bowling effort, Luvvers
down the hill and Will with his tweekers. Their skipper, who
can bat was in at 10 and he was the danger man and the number
8 batter was actually keeping things out and hitting a few.
Gaz bowled him off stump in the 32nd over and Kenny strode
to the crease to keep his skipper company.
You notice as well our skipper has not bowled, “best
skipper we’ve ever ad” some would say.
Well, the ending was interesting, especially for the aforementioned
Jim who was having a bit of a day of it. Their skip was trying
to get it down to the last over and accumulate runs and keep
Kenny off strike all at the same time but we are getting down
near to the wire now and he needs to score a few. A huge swipe
to leg followed, Jim ran to claim the catch at short mid-wicket
and got there and dropped it, they were in the 37th over at
this stage on 187.
The 38th went for 6 runs, with a well struck straight drive
by their skip off Gaz, 193, 17 runs needed off two overs.
Will with the penultimate over, another swipe across the
line by their skipper, not as high this time and Jim barely
had to move, dropped again. Only 3 runs off the over though
so the last over was to be bowled by Luvvers, they needed
14. A great over followed and they only got 5 off it.
Wick, 201 for 9 off 40overs, Casuals win by 8 runs in a bit
of a tense one. A really good game was had by all but mostly
Kenny!
Dave 4-2-16-3, Goff 4-1-29-0, P Stephens 4-0-28-1, Rob 4-0-19-0,
Steve 4-0-20-0, Bash 4-1-16-2, Kenny Thomas 2-0-18-2, Gaz
8-1-32-1, Will 6-0-17-0
Catches – Rob, Luvvers 2, Will 2
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