After two days, 12 hours of play, a lot of tantrums, tears and Chris Fish-related puns there was nothing to separate King’s Road and the Battersea Badgers as the 2012 Super Test ended in a draw.
The match kicked off on Saturday at Haydon’s Road in Wimbledon with the Orange Caps hoping to avenge two heavy defeats in the annual champagne fixture to the Olde Enemy over the last two years.
And by the close of play on day one that looked a distinct possibility with The Road having put 199 on the board before leaving the Badgers tottering on 78 for 6 in the evening session.
But a Badger fight-back the following day followed by a disasterous start to the KRCSC’s second innings after lunch left them fighting to save the game.
In the final session, the match – which remained on a knife-edge throughout – petered out into a draw but not before all hell broke loose in the last six overs when the Badgers were left chasing a near impossible 120 to win.
@krcsc win the toss and elect to bat. #southlondonashes pic.twitter.com/ag8FZAfX
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) September 1, 2012
The match started with King’s Road skip James Couldrey winning the toss and putting his side in to bat on an overcast day in south west London.
Eight balls in, with the score on just 4, the Badgers struck with ninja warrior Robin Mackrell bowling The Road’s beanpole opener Mark Isham for a duck.
James sent in tail-ender Matt Small at number 3 to weather the storm and he lasted until the sixth over before he to was bowled by Mackrell for 1 with the score on 15.
It was not the start The Road had wanted, and when 6 overs later this year’s run machine Sham de Silva also had his stumps shattered by the on fire Mackrell it was time to dig in.
With Sham gone, the visitors’ hopes were pinned on the fast-scoring Matt Glover. Yet he too fell cheaply, trapped lbw by Allen Blake for 15, to leave the Badgers sniffing blood with the score on 59 for 4.
What followed wasn’t pretty, but it was needed. Middle order batsmen Matt Cocken and Leon Watson dropped anchor and safely navigated The Road past lunch and into the afternoon session.
@philtufnell Great last session from @KRCSC leaves @badgerscricket 78/6 chasing 199 1st innings. Need good morning #southlondonashes
— Shermles (@Shermles) September 1, 2012
@KRCSC @BadgersCricket Oh dear – pick it up boys!
— Phil Tufnell (@philtufnell) September 1, 2012
The cake at tea was delicious. Best thing @KRCSC have done all day. Arf arf. #supertest #fb
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) September 1, 2012
The pair put on 71 in 22 cautious overs to steady the ship and take the score to 130 before Matt, the main aggressor of the two, became Paul Cole’s first victim of the day bowled by a loopy one for 39 off 84 balls.
On 154, with Dan Sherman also in the middle, Leon’s resistance finally broke when he snicked it behind to Stuart Barker off the leg-spinner Cole’s faster delivery. He had scored 29 off 86 balls.
With 6 down, The Road were wobbling again but still had plenty of batting to come. But Cole, who bowled an incredible 14.4 overs on the spin, started to twist the knife.
Fifteen runs later the big-hitting overseas player Shailesh Joshi couldn’t contain himself and was bowled for 11 trying to smash one, to become Cole’s third victim.
A further 10 runs later, Jamie Keating fell for three, caught and bowled, and then on the same score Dan S, who had been looking comfortable, was caught off Fish for 22.
Only an unlikely last wicket partnership between the skip, who equalled his career best of 15, and number 11 Amir Alipour lifted The Road to just one short of the 200 mark.
The first innings didn’t go to plan for The Road but they did bat through to tea and left the Badgers, having fielded for 58 overs, facing batting in the awkward evening session.
Cole ended his marathon spell with figures of 5 for 44 and Mackrell took 3 for 27 off his 11 overs. Blake and Fish shared the other two wickets.
What The Road needed now was an early break through and in the sixth over a roar erupted around the field as Matt S bowled former Badgers skip Pete Warman for 1.
The cake at tea was delicious. Best thing @KRCSC have done all day. Arf arf. #supertest #fb
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) September 1, 2012
KRCSC bowled out for 199. Paul Cole the star with 5 wickets. Badgers beginning their innings with Cloke and Warman at the crease. Game on!
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) September 1, 2012
It was a tense start but the Badgers responded and kept The Road’s little and large strike bowlers out until the 12th over when Cloke followed his fellow opener back to the pavilion after he was trapped lbw by the big man Glover.
At this point the Badgers had nothing to worry about, chasing a modest first innings total they had to safely negotiate the evening session and look to pile on the runs in the morning.
But after 8 overs of solid play by Pete Jinks and Marchant a day in the field started taking its toll and as the light began to fade they collapsed. Shailesh started it off bowling Marchant for 7.
Without a run being added Matt C castled Jinks for a speedy 38 off 46 balls. Shailesh then got Barker, again bowled, for 2. And the double act continued with Matt C getting Louise Hirst caught behind off a top edge by Dan S to grab his second.
At stumps the Badgers were in dire straits 6 down and still 111 behind with Shone and Fish not out overnight. The Road were daring to dream.
Day two started much the same as day one, it was warm, overcast, a bit of moisture in the air and there was an early wicket – Matt C making the all-important early breakthrough getting Fish caught down leg.
Great last session leaves @badgerscricket on 78/6. Cocken & Joshi tearing into Badgers. Will look to clean up in morning #southlondonashes
— King's Road Cricket & Social Club (@KRCSC) September 1, 2012
remember @KRCSC greatness is within reach today…go get it #southlondonashes
— Rossi (@RealRossi) September 2, 2012
It seemed crucial, and a further sign that The Road were on top. But Shone had other ideas.
In a dogged fightback innings he pulled his team out of trouble with the support of the dangerman Mackrell, who hit a six in a quickfire 42 off 58 balls before falling to Small, and Cole who finished on 26 not out.
Shone eventually fell to Jamie for a dogged 55 off 95 balls having stayed with the tail to anchor his side’s innings and take them past King’s Road and put them 20 ahead.
It meant the Badgers were back from the brink of conceding a first innings lead and had seized the initiative. Game on.
Matt C was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 18 off 7, Shailesh got 2 for 31 and Smally bagged 2 for 56 while Glover finished on 1 for 49 and there were wickets for Keating and a first of the season for Isham at the end.
The match was now roughly all-square with 60 overs left it turned into a straight one day contest, with The Road needing to pass the Badgers’ score and set them a total.
All three result were still possible – but not for long.
For the third time in the match there was an early wicket, then there was another, and another. Mackrell opened from one end but at the other it was Barker, who kept wicket in the first innings, who did the damage.
He had the luckless Mark caught at fine leg off a top edge for his second duck of the match then Sham couldn’t resist chipping one up into the covers on his third ball to go for 1.
The normally lower order Matt S had been sent in for his second “day watchman” stint of the match, and when Matt G was caught behind by Marchant to become Barker’s third victim the situation became desperate.
Having dreamt overnight of taking a first innings lead, The Road were still one run behind the Badgers and three wickets down. Matt S however was managing to block up one end and when he was joined by Matt C King’s Road found themselves digging in for the second time in the match.
Smally survived a gallant 46 balls before falling to the medium–pacer Fish, bowled for 5, with the score on 29 – a lead of 9 but with 4 wickets down.
Maybe it was tiredness, lack of concentration, complacency or just great bowling from the Badgers, but all hopes of a first Super Test victory had now evaporated with the away side trying to bat out a draw.
With the home side due to bat last however, they were still going for the win if they could knock over The Road for a small lead with enough over to make it up.
When Matt S fell right on the stroke of the afternoon drinks break it brought Leon Watson to the crease and, like a repeat of the first innings, he and Matt C found themselves battling for survival.
In 21 crucial overs the pair put on 54 to drag their team out of the mire this time with Leon the main aggressor. The pair passed tea keeping out Mackrell, Fish, Blake, Jinks, Hirst and Cole before the partnership was broken when Leon fell to Cole again, lbw.
The watchful Matt C went the following over to leave the score on 85 for 6 – a lead of a mere 65 with around 23 overs left in the day’s play. By now it was as much about time as it was runs and as the Badgers sought to bowl out their opposition with enough time to spare.
At that point a flurry of wickets would make them nailed on favourites, but yhe middle-order recovery had started and from then on it continued with Dan S coming to the crease followed by Shailesh.
With Shailesh taking matters into his own hands by trying to bludgeon every ball and taking a particular liking to Mackrell’s pace, the pair took the score to 123 and the overs to 45 before Sherm departed for 15 off 25, caught out by Mackrell off Martin Cloke.
By now the Badgers were throwing everything at The Road in an attempt to bundle them out and as the scoring rate increased, mainly thanks to Shailesh, the match got safer and safer for the visitors.
The loss of Jamie to a hoik off Cloke that went straight up in the air was mitigated by Shailesh’s aggression as hit blasted a much-needed 42 off 45 balls, including 8 fours, to pass the final drinks break and enter the final 15 overs.
With 10 to go India’s number one finally holed out to Warman off Jinks leaving The Road on 147 for 9, with captain Couldrey and Amir at the crease.
Four runs and four crucial overs later The Road were all out for 151 leaving the Badgers just 6 overs to rack up the near-impossible 131 needed to win.
The draw was virtually nailed on.
With 6 overs to go and needing to hit three runs every ball there was no hope – or was there?
Tantrum Overload during #Supertest after today. Count up to 4: Gloverman x2, Mackrell, Jinks #southlondonashes
— King's Road Cricket & Social Club (@KRCSC) September 2, 2012
Want to play a super test every week. KRCSC are magnificent and worthy foes. Bring on next year….
— All reasonable humans detest the Tories (@RobinMackrell) September 2, 2012
For a brief flicker Mackrell lit up with the ground smacking 41 off just 18 balls including 4 fours and 3 sixes before a belter of catch in the deep by James had him out off Matt C.
Shailesh then had Marchant, Jinks and Warman bowled in one over, three in four balls as the two-day marathon match came to a close with a six-over slog-fest.
There was just time for captain James, who until that point hadn’t bowled himself, to bowl Barker for 5 leaving Blake not out on 17 and Fish at the other end on 0.
The match ended in a hard fought and competitive draw with neither side able to claim enough dominance to force the win. It ebbed and flowed with both teams having periods when they were favourites.