As the troops congregated in Leatherhead for a second consecutive day of cricket we were immediately met with a dilemma, who had grown the better lockdown moustache Fergus or PEJ? Not much to split them in truth, both could have accompanied Muttley and not been questioned. A quick inspection soon confirmed we’d be playing on a Michelin starred pitch. The captains from both sides met in the middle to agree that we’d be bowling first, in that relic from a bygone era, the dodo of cricket, a timed match. As we limbered up, creaking could be heard from some of the bowler’s joints who’d exerted themselves the day before at Great Missenden as well as at several Buckinghamshire taverns.
Opening up for a second time in one weekend were Brown and Newlove, both of whom induced some false shots from a very organised opening batting partnership. After a strong start by our opponents it was our former captain, who now back on his full run-up, made the break-through with one that snuck through the batsman’s defences and rattled the timbers breaking their opening stand of 67. King’s Road sniffed blood and like La Roux were going in for the kill. Brown snared another wicket and Andrews got one wicket, then another the next ball with a celebrappeal LBW, much to the disgust of cricketing purists and Middle England. This left a hat-trick ball and faced with the prospect of King’s Road immortality and buying a jug, Mandy chucked in a wide that left the cordon of slips scrambling.
The admiral bowled a tight line and length and was unlucky not to get a wicket. However with clouds beginning to close, a slightly wet ball and not a lighthouse in sight; one loose delivery came out above waist which the batsman headbutted – you always see something new in cricket, it’s why we love the game. Rossi and Sham came on to spin some webs and get the batsman caught. Despite some playing and missing and almost catches, the batsmen were already set, and a few lusty blows prompted a 15th over of the weekend from Brown. The over brought action; two dropped catches (both of which came down with snow on) and a couple of big hits. This led to a declaration, and after 63 overs in a row of fielding during the weekend, it was the Road’s turn on the dance floor.
The opposition opening bowlers were sharp and accurate, with Pinkney snicking off first ball. He may currently be lying dormant like Smaug in a mountain, but he will be awoken soon, and an unsuspecting bowling line-up somewhere is going to have a long day fetching the ball from the boundary, he was our Batsman of the Year in 2019 and averaged 47 with good reason.
This brought together Sherman and Eastwood who blunted the lively attack and complemented each other very well, Sherman rocking back cutting and pulling, Eastwood planting that front foot forward and driving imperiously. This was the point I had a moment. After the darkest depths of lockdown and talk of a year without recreational cricket, this afternoon was something to savour. I took a deep breath, leant back in my chair, the odour of outdated sun cream hanging in the air, the sound of leather on willow ringing in my ears and the sight of two batsman with high elbows and straight bats building a partnership. We were back where we Roaders belong and long live cricket.
Meanwhile the Sherman/Eastwood partnership took losing off the table and made the game binary, it was now only a draw or win scenario. Eastwood, who’d hit some glorious cover-drives, perished when trying to up the rate when an old-school daisy-cutter snuck under his bat and had him stumped. This brought Sham to the crease who started to up the ante with some nice shots and quick running between the wickets. As Kings Road went full charge for the win risks had to be taken and this culminated with the run-out of Sham.
Andrews came in and started with a few agricultural hacks, presumably picked up from lockdown in rural Berkshire. Sherman rotated the strike to bring up a well-deserved half-century, he had anchored the innings superbly which was a great reaction to our only other innings of 78 all out just two weeks before, just what the doctored ordered. Strong and stable. If compared to a dish Sherman’s innings was a slow-roasted lamb, it was wholesome, cultured and one for the purist. By contrast Andrews’ was a Saturday night kebab, it was fast-food, all happened in a flash and the memory of it is a little jaded. There were a few hefty blows in the partnership (one of which rattled the tiles of the Leatherhead pavilion) and all of a sudden the equation was 22 to win off the last over. Could this be a Roy of the Rovers situation? Unfortunately it was too much of an ask, and with King’s Road having one less over than Leatherhead it left us wondering what could have been with 13 runs required.
The team had been well led by Skipper Keating and as we scratch our heads and ask the what-if’s at work this week, we peer out of the window into the sunshine and look forward to the weekend ahead with fire in our bellies to bring home that first win of the season. Allez le Road!
“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” (J. Keating, 2003)
Scorecard: http://kingsroadcsc.play-cricket.com/website/results/4233641
Tantrum: Moany moaning about the format
Champagne moment: Mandy’s six over the club house
Embarrassing: Keats rugby tackling PEJ as he tried to take a catch
Mandy of the Match: Mandy
Mortal of the Match: Sherman