After a week in which World Cup games were being rained off in record numbers (2!), and twitter alighted with complaints of fans seemingly ignorant of what ‘summer’ entails in England, the mighty Road left the sanctuary of the city for the wilds of Surrey to play Leatherhead CC, in the hope that cricket could get one over the weather just once this week.
On arrival, as the covers were removed, the wicket looked in surprisingly good nick, if not without a distinct squelch under foot from the surrounding square. After negotiations between stand-in captain Keating, the opposition captain and an understandably reluctant groundsman, it was decided that the game would proceed, albeit with a delayed start.
So with what turned out to be a nearly 2 hour delay to fill, and in a strange moment of professionalism possibly inspired by some rather lovely new stash, a coordinated trip to the nets took place for some extra practice. SPOILER ALERT: the people who batted in the nets accumulated a grand total of 7 runs between them in the game…
Finally, a reduced 30-over game began! Despite underfoot and overhead conditions, Leatherhead CC chose to bat first. The Road began with legendary dot ball machine Brian Stuart, who opened up with a characteristically tight 6 over spell for just 20 runs. From the other end the story was a little more loose. Opener Matt Dunne saw through the tactic of opening the bowling with a medium-pace dobbler nipping it away on a damp surface by smashing Pinkney off a length through extra cover whenever the feeling took him.
Robinson came on and bowled better, but not by much. It was becoming clear that the pitch, despite all the rain, was a belter. What was needed was a moment of brilliance and Matt Andrews delivered the first of a stellar day for the most handsome man in South London, and maybe the entire world. A bullet throw from the deep into the gloves of Paterson meant danger man Dunne was run out for 28.
But the Road’s problems were only just beginning. To the crease came Donald Sutherland, proving intent on smashing anything not on a perfect Brian-like line and length to the leg side boundary. Matt Small provided some SPIIIIIIN from one end as Oscar Newlove ran in from the other. Newlove finally broke Leatherhead’s potentially match-defining 80 run second wicket partnership as he managed to nip one back through Peter Crossman’s gate to send him back just short of his half century (46).
As Newlove finished his allotted 6 overs with 1-33, Matt Andrews was trying to control the onslaught from Sutherland, with Pinkney brought back to replace Newlove. Despite stemming the flow of boundaries, with the pair hanging the ball as wide outside off to Sutherland as legally allowed, first with Alex Friend (1) and the with Jamie Mead (16*) Leatherhead managed to push the score up to 202-3 off their 30 overs with some excellent running.
The chase was on, over a run a ball required. Could the Road make it? Disaster struck immediately: bowler Friend – by name but not to opener Tom Birch – removed the off stump 2nd ball of the innings. From the other end Leatherhead opened with Callum Sutherland – and he bowls spin? What is this? Having crunched Friend through extra cover for 4, Paterson (6) was caught off Sutherland the younger, having to be informed the ball looped off the back of the bat to gully as he was unaware where the ball went. Shortly after, Pinkney, still confused by the dastardly tactic of opening with spin, was bowled (1) trying to cover drive off middle.
As the top order folded, leaving the Road 24-3, Lewis Robinson and Captain Keating began the rebuilding process. After seeing off the opening bowlers, with Robinson playing some lovely shots down the ground, the trial by even more spin began. Both Batsmen pounced on anything short and loose, Keating bringing out his trademark slash to the boundary. The pair added 46 despite the extreme amount of pace being taken off the ball. The bowling eventually got so slow from Paul Dolan that Keats managed to run past one 5 yards down the pitch and still beat the ball back to be safe from a stumping.
The rebuilding process came to an end when Robinson chipped one to mid on, and the boys in orange were back in trouble at 70-4. To the crease strolled Matt Andrews, cheered on from the boundary edge by teammates who declared themselves desperate for some ‘cheeky Mandos’ magic. And so the fight back began proper!
Captain Keating finally ran out of lives and was bowled by Dolan, bringing everyone’s favourite extra-terrestrial, Oscar Newlove, to the crease. And the pair truly did manage to pull off something out of this world. Anything in Newlove’s orbit was given the full hockey swing into the legside as the pair ran for their lives, putting the fielders under incredible pressure. Infield = 1, Outfield = 2. Any width to Mandy and bang, 4 runs.
The pressure was now firmly back on Leatherhead CC. Rob Hitchcock’s 6 over allocation went at 8.8rpo, Jonny Williamson, bowling in tandem, going at over 10s. As the pair brought the Road to within 7 of the target with a full 4 overs left following a brutal assault, Leatherhead brought on their second quick, Matt Dunne. Trying to keep the pressure on, Newlove went again, but Donald Sutherland wasn’t done making the Road suffer and plucked the ball out of the air at mid off.
Not to worry, regular opener Matt Small strolled to the crease to see the Road home. However, Dunne wasn’t finished yet. First ball Smally got a beauty pitching just outside off and jagging back to cut him in half and take the bails off the top of middle stump. After all of his hard work, was Mandy going to be stranded at the other end, unable to finish his heroics? Raju Mazumder had other ideas, seeing off Dunne and the returning Friend, allowing nothing to pass his defences. #WandworthWall
2 to win off the final over, Andrews on strike, the nerves beginning to die down. First ball from Dunne was wide of off stump and Matt slashed it down towards deep backward point. The batsmen ran through but OHH MANDY! He collided with Raju and ended up on the turf. The crowd held their breath – would they make it back? Was there still time for a tense finish? Happily, the ball went through the fielder on the fence, the batsmens blushes saved. And Matt Andrews, in partnership with Oscar Newlove, had taken the men in orange to their second win of the season.
Awards:
Man of the Match: Mandy
Champagne Moment: The winning runs to the third man boundary
Tantrum: Lewis Robinson post-dismissal
Embarrassing: Keats running past a moon ball and inexplicably not being stumped
Full scorecard here:
http://kingsroadcsc.play-cricket.com/website/results/3890200