Match Report
12 May 2007 ESCL DIV 8
LOSING CAN BE FUN
Starting the day with only 8 players isn’t a great way to
look forward to a match against strong opposition. After many phone calls and
cajoling, the team numbers increased to 12. Some of the bodies had to be
literally dug up from the WG vaults of yesteryear. Huw’s dad (David’s brother)
hadn’t played since Meldrum was a lad. David himself tried to crawl out of the
crypt where the undertakers had placed him after last week’s marathon bowl.
Colin Watts was off flying to exotic locations (
A trip to the cashpoint by a near-terminally depressed
skipper resulted in £50 quid from the ATM and a chance meeting with Mrs Richards
in her waxing and preening shop. Fighting to get through the front door of the
Still Room that had been locked due to a visit by a nutter, the pathetically
begging captain obtained a phone call to long-lost Lawrie. Despite overnighting
in
Anyway despite the difficulties and the threat of rain we arrived in good spirit and immediately lost the toss…doh! The plan had been to put the opposition in and then knock off the runs with the reasonably strong batting line-up. Alas it wasn’t to be and with the pitch resembling unrolled porridge it was very difficult to score.
Despite a slow start, Healey and Knight weren’t too troubled by the bowling until a marginal run out decision against the skipper began the slide. It wasn’t to be a classic collapse with ducks flying everywhere, but more of steady stream of disgruntled batters who had got themselves in only to get themselves out.
Lawrie Richards looked fluent until inexplicably missing a straight full toss and Huw Williams effortlessly stroked some big sixes Aussie style until hitting one vertically skyward a long way to be caught and bowled.
Colin Watts missed a chance of batting but arrived in time
to see Chris Saunders rock the top of the
The home side resumed on 33-3 and struggled to score anything other than the occasional boundary. They were assisted in that by some sloppy fielding, giving away precious runs that could be ill afforded.
Lawrie grabbed a wicket before being replaced by Martin
Fellows who strangled out his first victim with a leg side wide that was
spooned to Simon Bailey behind the timbers. He tightened up his line as the
match grew ever tenser and took two more wickets as an increasingly careful
Eventually, with the flourish of a boundary, the home side took all 30 points after 31 overs of epic struggle. Beers were partaken in the clubhouse and relations between the teams were cordial. Next week Little Common Ramblers, let’s hope they are what it says on the tin.
Jh
J HEALEY RO 6 CT1
T KNIGHT B 3
M
H
L RICHARDS B 17 9-1-34-1
J WELSH B 2
M FELLOWS B 2 7-2-20-3
M WILLIAMS NO 0
C