Match Report vs Ponthir 17th August 2025 @ Ponthir (Skipper Jim, Report Goffy)

Weather forecast very good all arrived on time ready for action. Convergent Casuals also very buoyed by the fact that Ponthir are known for their decent teas and teas were being provided! Our captain Steve O, as usual, completely clueless about how to toss a coin and when he worked rhat out; was then clueless as to decide to what to do. As it was hot and sunny. The wicket was dry flat and hard and very encouraging for the batters. It was hot with no shade in the outfield so probably the easiest decision ever. He nailed it! Toss won and we were batting.

Opening partnership, after a bit of deliberation was to be Hasnat the Granville and Amir Hussein (the newbie). David White was due to open but unusually was complaining about something so he was dropped down the order as per his request.

But before this, we had to drop one of the team without a ball being bowled as we ended up with 12 named players so we dropped club captain Jimmy super hands as he wasn’t there to defend himself. That turned out to be the right call as he couldn’t be arsed to get there anyway!

Back-story for this game was the career catches between Will and Skippa Stevo. At the start of game, Steve O was one catch ahead. Watch this space.

So to the cricket, Hasnat and Amir taking the early bowling attack, of which was youthful but tidy on a very bouncy wicket. The opener from the football pitch end was getting a few to skip towards Amir's face a few times! Amir had one way of playing and to be fair both he and Hasnat did very well on a very dry and bouncy wicket. After five overs 27 without loss.

Amir was the first bat to go and after a couple of lusty blows for four was bowled bringing Jesus to the crease. Jesus was in need of a good knock following someone uncharacteristic dismissals this season. Would this be his day? 48 for 1 after 10.

Drinks taken at 15, but not before Hasnat managed to be run out. I missed this as I was in the bar securing a cold Thatchers, nonetheless a decent knock for 23. 65 for 2 at drinks.

Liam had joined Jesus, both ticked along nicely taking us to Treble figures and 50 before Liam was bowled. Another decent Knock for 22. 150 for 3 off 28 Overs. This brought young George White to the Crease.

Jesus had been going about his business looking in fine Fettle dealing in lots of fours and a few sixes really not keen to run too much in the heat. He’d moved through the gears to 77 before holing out. To be fair, I think this was the bloody good catch at midwicket.? Just after second drinks, 195 for 4, 34 overs bowled with David White joining his boy. Let’s see what the father-son partnership could produce?

At this point discussions from the boundary line were that with the very hard wicket and fast outfield, Par was looking at 250 / 260. With only five overs left, we needed to get on with it. Hence the 'get on with with it', shout from the sidelines. No prizes for guessing the source. Young George complied and then subsequently holed out. Giving yours truly a piece of his mind when returning to the hutch. That’s me told! 216 for 5 off 36.

Now while all this was going off, in the background Skipper SteveO was getting very agitated. Desperate for a bat in these very bat friendly conditions he generally thought even he would get some runs today but would he be given the opportunity?

Ed the Cheese joined the action. Fresh off the back of another big knock on Saturday. Would he "get on with it"? SteveO due in next.

Well that's a resounding yes. Cheese and Dave went about their business in the 37th 38th and 39th overs. Steve O Padded up gloves and all chuntering away with growing frustration after every ball. The fact that the Cheese was hitting nearly every ball he faced for four and the score racing along very nicely.!

By the fourth ball of the final over Steve O had thrown his pads off in his usual old man strop. The fifth ball Was dispatched for another four by the Cheese taking him past his 50 in rapid time. Cheese being content with another 50 made his way back to the pavilion in retirement. But hang on, Steve O Now not ready to bat had thrown away the chance of getting his first ever 600% strike Ratio. So Ed returned to see out the last ball.

A healthy total of 262 posted that would take some beating even on this track. What could possibly go wrong?

Hasnat run out 24 (2 x 4s)
Amir bowled 15 (2 x 4s)
WMW caught 77 (12 x 4s, 3 x 6s)
Liam F bowled 22 (3 x 4s)
G White caught 21 (3 x 4s)
D White Not Out 15 (1 x 4)
Ed Cheese Not Out 53 (11 x 4s)

EXTRAs 41 !!

The Long awaited tea was taken. The long awaited tea was not what we'd become used to... a disappointment based on past representations. We'll take it as a glitch.
Coffee club at tea was one of the best for a while. A very quaffable number a la Pablo. Nice!

Back to the cricket, it had cooled a bit so great conditions for the fielding team. Dan and Goffy to opened, Dan from the Railway end and Goffy the football pitch. Both very miserly, Their 10 overs going for only a few and Goff striking early from a catch taken at mid on by Whitey junior. 32-1 at 10.

Skipper SteveO and DT were first change and the next eight overs saw Ponthir's score race to 69! DT’s 4 overs only went for 6 of those so you do the math! However, SteveO bowling pies did manage to snaffle a wicket. Another catch to Whitey jnr. 69-2 after 18.
Keeper change, Goff to take the gloves as Jesus was feeling a bit stiff, bless him!

Hasnat up next and took two wickets in his first over for only one run! One of which was Whitey Junior Completing his hat-trick of catches and Jesus taking a decent one at 1st slip. Career catches league table now joint between himself and Steve O! Hasnat’s bowling partner Amir not quite so lucky and went for 14 from his one over which actually included four dots again, you do the math. 86-4 at 21.

Ponthir batting line-up wasn’t great to be fair. The opener we should call 'rainman' seem to be struggling in the heat or just in his head nonetheless, he retired at this point.

And with Ponthir needing loads in 19 overs even Steve O still frustrated from his lack of batting and even more frustrated from his shite bowling first spell brought himself back into the attack maybe the strategy was to give the oppo a chance to catch up a little bit and make a game of it?

So Steve O & DT continued again. And SteveO's second spell of pies bought Will two catches And a clear lead in the career catches column.!!! But another 2 wickets for our fearless leader!

Dan was given a couple of overs as he was desperate to get a wicket. That worked out well for him in his last over. So in this mini session, Ponthir didn’t add many, Hasnat took another two catches and Goffy one. George bowled 3 good overs but with no luck. The retired Rainman came back in and then retired again game over and an emphatic 100+ win for the Casz.

Dan 8 - 1 - 17 - 1
Goffy 5 - 0 - 22 - 1
SteveO 8 - 1 - 43 - 3
DT 8 - 2- 8- 2 (star figures of the day)
Hasnat 2 - 0 - 2- 2 (pretty good too!)
Amir 1- 0 - 14 - 0
Georget 3 - 0 - 10 - 0

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