KRCSC won a thriller by 7 runs after an opponent miscount meant they batted only 34 overs.
In the penultimate game of the season, but the last one played in Summer weather, KRCSC travelled to Raynes Park and were hosted by Old Wimbledonians at their glorious ground.
For the second game over a double header weekend, top tosser Captain Keats elected to bat first.
On what initially appeared to be a good looking wicket, the familiar opening pair of Sherman and Small confidently strode out to the middle. By the second delivery all confidence in the pitch had disappeared as the ball pitched and refused to bounce.
The opening bats battled the opening bowlers, until Matt Small was skittled for a well-earned 16. Charlie Twyman, elevated to No.3 after his Paddington pyrotechnics, immediately picked up from where he left off the previous week, crashing the ball into the boundary rope with ease. As the run rate lifted, even Sherman started to score more freely, helping to build a 60 run partnership, before a quick single ended their fun. A direct hit straight from wrist of 16 year old with a very strong right arm, drawing a close to Twyman’s enterprising 29 off 30.
Next to fall was Sherman on 38, caught behind (and also stumped for good measure). The Orange caps were 92/3 and nicely poised to push on, with leading run scorer Matt Andrews and Fergus Jones – returning after his maiden 50 last time out – at the crease.
In only his second innings of season, Fergus swaggered in the middle as he set about a belligerent and yet urbane knock. His innings was characteristic of the man whose warm up consisted of provocatively feeding himself stuffed vine leaves whilst reclining, wearing just sliders, a barely fastened Hawaiian shirt, dark teashades and very high cut, loose fitting shorts.
Keen to show he was big in the game, Jones went on to biff 7 fours and an enormous 6, racing to 43 off 33 balls. However, his innings (and partnership of 80) came to an end when he threw his head back, the ball neglected to bounce, but opted to carry on to the stumps. Fergus was the first of five scalps for OWCC debutant Eleana Doherty.
A subdued Matt Andrews was soon added to Doherty’s list, caught at cover after scoring a tentative 36; ending a spectacular season for him with the bat, averaging upwards of 70.
Having witnessed Doherty’s destruction from the side-lines, Captain Keats reluctantly walked out to the middle mumbling under his breath, “I hate facing slower bowlers…”, only to shuffle back three balls later.
Doherty snaffled her 5for in the 35th over, bowling Peter Sainthouse and Oscar Newlove with the first and third balls respectively, both dismissals action replays of Fergus’ earlier removal. Nikhil and the diesel-powered Chris Brown added another 9 runs from the other four balls, setting a total of 201/9 and leaving Doherty with an impressive 5 for 46 from 6 overs.
Target set, KRCSC took to the field, full of confidence and bathed in a bright orange glow from the low hanging sun in a clear blue sky. Intent on striking fear into the opposition, Chris Brown took the new ball in hand, puffed up his chest, adopted a Wonder Woman power pose and set his field.
Field set, stares deployed to batsmen and umpires, Chris entered into his run up and so started the transmogrification of man into machine. Akin to a cold starting diesel locomotive, CB 104-136 started clattering, spluttering and snorting as he gathered momentum, powered on by arms and legs pumping their way to the crease.
Short of billowing smoke and sounding his horn, CB 104-136’s intimidation was near complete, but… ALAS! The momentum he had gained was too much. DERAILMENT!
Upon releasing the ball (a dot), Bristolian shunter CB 104-136 transmogrified back into Chris Brown and fell ar*e over tit. First ball aside, Chris Brown bowled well, with real intent and intimidation, but it was his opening partner who got the initial breakthrough.
In the 8th over Pete Sainthouse added to his first season wicket tally, snicking an aggressive cut shot that was taken behind. Brown struck in the 11th and OWCC were 51/2, with the game evenly poised.
As the late Summer sun slowly started slipped down the sky, seeing the ball as it went skyward was becoming increasingly difficult. So strong was the glare, even sunglasses (not even Fergus’ teashades) could save you from burnt retinas. Although those in the field were struggling, the batsmen were not troubled by such a thing. The combination of some beautiful stroke-play and power hitting, including a clean hit straight 6, swung the game in the favour of OWCC as the third wicket partnership put on 82 runs.
2020 leading wicket-taker, Oscar Newlove probed for 6 overs, but was not rewarded for his efforts. Michael Rossi was bludgeoned out of the attack and Matt Small uncharacteristically struggled for control.
But not for the first time this season, KRCSC enjoyed watching the late late show starring Oscar Newlove. Oscar took his first wicket (third of the innings) with four balls left in his 7 over spell. OWCC dangerman Joe Bell cruising on 50 (5 4s, 3 6s), gloved the ball down legside only for Sherman to willingly collect the gift of his wicket. At 133/3 in the 22nd over, OWCC were still on top.
After conceding one more run Oscar struck again with his penultimate ball, dislodging the other set batsman with a delivery that kept low, jagged back, and thumped into the base of off stump. At the end of the over Oscar had taken 2 for 33 from 7, OWCC were 134/4 and KRCSC were back in it… but more than they realised.
With two new batsmen in the middle, Matt Small started to build pressure, controlling the ball as if it were on a length of string. Small struck next, trapping his first victim LBW with a ball that stubbornly refused to bounce. 152/5.
At the other end Nikhil Venkatesh was gracefully drifting in to deliver his swinging left-arm deliveries, taking the well-deserved 6th wicket clean bowled. With the score now 170/6 and the light fading fast, KRCSC could sense the momentum shifting back to them. With Small bowling a wicket-maiden to finish his spell, he signed off a Man of the Match winning performance with 2 for 22 from 7.
Despite being 175/7 in the supposed 32 over, OWCC and KRCSC both knew they were in a battle and the result was far from obvious. With OWCC keeper-batsman/captain/all-round great bloke, Trevor Evans joined by Doherty, fresh from her bowling heroics, anything seemed possible. But it was the unlikely that determined the result.
Conscious that we were entering extra-time in the squeakiest of squeaky bum time, focus soon turned to death bowlers and the overs remaining. Cool, calm, Captain Keats, repeatedly queried the overs on the scoreboard, correctly assuming the game would end at the wrong end. Batting away the protestations with nonchalance, the scorers insisted the overs were correct. Unfortunately for them, they were not.
The chaos that ensued following the Oscar late late show in the 22nd over, meant the scorers added the Fall of Wicket to the overs column. That one erroneous swish of the pen, lost them an over, and quite possibly the game. It was literally a schoolboy error.
Patience tested and convinced the scorers were wrong, Keats did the only gracious thing you’d expect to do in a friendly game of social cricket. In failing light Captain Keats brought back the opening bowler Sainthouse for the ‘34th‘ over. With just 4 runs conceded and the OWCC total at 187, they needed 15 runs off the final six balls.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Nikhil held his nerve and bowled the final six deliveries well and true, as both batters swished and swung in the dark attempting to connect with the ball in a hope to dispatch it to the boundary.
The game ended with OWCC 7 runs short, but the real result was that cricket had been played on a hot Summer’s day; a prospect that seemed so unlikely six months earlier.
Full scorecard here: http://kingsroadcsc.play-cricket.com/website/results/4522243
Awards
Most Embarrassing:
Chris Brown derailment (obviously)
Champagne moment:
Daniel Sherman’s catch down leg
Tantrum:
Peter Sainthouse for chuntering after not getting a LBW decision
Man of the Match:
Matt Small