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Five ducksters: from left, Steve Keenan, John Griffiths, Paul Pearce, Martin Dewhirst, Gary Cronin. Other pix from top: JG, Troy swings, scorer Gary Burrell looks on in despair, Gavin's classic forward defensive, Arran scuffs and is bowled and the run scorers: from left, Lui, Troy and Gavin
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Medical update: Troy in plaster for several weeks after Monday morning tests show he's broken his fibula above the ankle. Which would explain the crack several fielders heard and the immediate swelling. Sorry mate - put your foot up and watch England get ready for the Ashes
Not a headline to be proud of, but it only partly tells a tale of two halfs. Or three quarters, as an earlier-than-predicted finish recounts.
This was a new fixture for LSSC, which in our 25th year took on a team playing its 56th year on a tiny square owned by the National Trust high above south Dorking in Surrey. Many commentators suggested that the outcome was due to oxygen shortage on our part. Many more suggested otherwise.
The early good news for LSSC was that stand-in captain Pete Berkeley (third game as skipper, previous record Skippered 2, Lost 2) won the toss in what has become a unrelenting series of 30-degree Sunday games, therefore avoiding us standing in the field for two hours in the blazing mid-afternoon sun. The bad news is that we lost our first four batsmen for nought, and one over from Lui Patel withstanding, failed to score. Hence, 13-4 afer four overs.
John Griffiths fell to an early mishit, caught in the covers, followed rapidly by Gary Cronin (first ball, huge LBW appeal, second ball, bowled driving wildly), Martin Dewhirst was next (bowled, driving wildly) and Paul Pearce capped a disastrous start (slashing wildly, caught excellently in the covers - see John Griffiths).
At this point Peter Berkeley (see previous captaincy) lost it, having retired from umpiring duties after four overs as the team sought to regroup (and pad up, the normal umpire's tour of duty being 10 overs. Suffice to say, Dewi and Cronin's ears were bent, while PB's wife, child and friends carried on completely oblivious with their picnic high above the Downs.
PB then went into a sulk, calling absent skipper DT from the changing room to complain about Moanin Cronin' and Dewi's shots (the caught batsmen were largely exempted the wrath, but Dewi heard his dressing down from his umpiring position) - before recovering his normal sanguine approach largely due to Lui Patel (1,6,4,4,6,4 out) and Gavin van Marle gaining some semblance of middle-order stability for LSSC.
After Lui's premature demise (caught behind off a rising corker from Coldharbour's excellent South African ringer Mr Hart (final figures 3-1-4-4), GVM and our Aussie Troy de Ruyter (TDR) went into recovery mode, and raised the total from 25-5 to 62-5 before TDR failed to middle and was out caught even before his strangulated cry alarmed air traffic control at Gatwick.
Thanks to GVM, however, whose excellent choice of shots (coupled with the fact that Coldharbour took off their opening two bowlers) was complemented by Gary Burrell's astute decision to play no shots, we put on another 47 before a classic LSSC tail-end collapse left with us a woefully inadequate total of 106.
Our innings finished at 4.10pm, 50 minutes before the scheduled tea break, so LSSC had to take to the field earlier than expected on empty stomachs. To cut a long disaster short, the two solid openers then put on 50-0 before tea - eg, roughly half their required total before we'd had a sniff of an egg sandwich and jam tart.
(Now to put in a word for the opposition here, their two openers were Tony Dawe, 50-ish, who kindly set up the fixture, and Jimmy Clarkson, who is in his late 50s, drove 30 miles for the game, was Coldharbour's most improved player last season and whose wife provided the best tea of the season to date) Well played boys - even though your edges were streaky, Tony, apart from that cover drive) (And you made Troy's 118 118 outburst of last season look like 236 236 this time around).
Two fours from Clarkson immediately after tea effectively sealed the game, although credit to Pete for his wicket (T. Dawe caught by TDR) and TDRs' shooting ball to bowl Clarkson. The game was wrapped up by T. Dawe's son James (a six for his first scoring shot) and their No 4, whose first scoring shot was a boundary which, in the process, did for TDR's ankle in trying to prevent the boundary (those competitive Aussies, eh).
It may sound like a rout, and it was, but as ever it was all forgotten after a pint or two in The Plough. It was no disgrace to a team that has scored 436 off 50 overs on the same ground, and LSSC was weakened by a lack of recognised opening batsmen. Coldharbour snapped up seven catches (two or three of which were excellent), and the chances didn't come our way.
CHAMPAGNE MOMENTS
Gavin van Marle being polite enough to swear in Spanish at his lack of bowling success: TDR being upset enough by Tony Dawe's edges to swear in Australian. Loudly.
Arran Frood leaving his bike tied to the Millennium Bridge the night before the game, waking up late, not getting to John Griffiths on time and causing JG to miss lunch in The Plough. (Pissed, bike, late - that's OK Arran - but don't make John miss his lunch).
Pete Berkeley's broadcast rant to Gary Cronin, loud enough to reach the wicket, and possibly Gatwick.
The prawn sandwiches, egg and cress sarnies, strawberry tarts with foam cream and jam tarts.
The Plough.
Good female and family turnout, a good fixture and great setting.
Gary Cronin for his first and second shots, and failure to react to a catching opportunity (5pm: it was six feet away. 8pm: it was at least 12 feet away).
Pete's rant, apology, and then getting out for one and everybody saying hard luck skip.
Pearcy and John Griffiths being told they wouldn't get a bowl - while umpiring in their innings.
Lui's two sixes, and one from Gavin.
The winner: A crashing four from Troy, straight over square leg, who collapsed to the ground without attempting a catch. Gary Burell and Arran then mocking square leg for his Ronaldo-style dive to the ground before realising it was John Giffiths, the umpire, getting out of the way.
MAN OF THE MATCH:
The contenders:
- Gary Burrell's first match as wicketkeeper, keeping to Lui and Troy's fast spells and only letting through three boundaries.
- Troy for his Aussie enthusiasm, his batting, bowling and attempt to stop a boundary off the last ball of the match which did hid ankle
- Pete Berkeley for his winning the toss, wicket and passionate/voluble encougement/critique of the team's strengths/weaknesses
The winner: Gavin van Marle. Not for his enthuasistic bowling, but on a difficult day, his keen appreciation of every bowl he faced and his choice of shots - including two clever nurdles for four, and two cracking drives for more boundaries, ending up 36no
SCORECARD
LONDON SAINTS
J Griffiths c b Kornrompf 0 BRONZE DUCK
G Cronin b Hart 0 SILVER DUCK
M Dewhirst b Hart 0
L Patel c b Hart 25
P Pearce c b Hart 0 BRONZE DUCK
G Van Marle NOT OUT 36
T de Ruyter c b Foster 23
G Burrell c b Smith 3
P Berkeley c b Hopper 1
A Frood b Hopper 4
S Keenan c b Farmener 0
Extras:
No balls 1 Wides 9 Byes 4 14
TOTAL 106
Kornrompf 4 0 29 1
Hart 4 1 4 4
Foster 6 2 19 1
Smith 4 0 28 1
Farmener 2.4 0 21 1
Hopper 2 1 1 2
COLDHARBOUR CC
I Clarkson b de Ruyter 31
T Dawe c de Ruyter b Berkeley 40
J Dawe NOT OUT 13
A Staples NOT OUT 4
Extras:
Wides 1 LByes 8 Byes 12 21
TOTAL 108-2
De Ruyter 6.1 3 17 1
Keenan 4 1 7 0
Patel 5 0 21 0
Frood 4 0 14 0
Berkeley 3 0 16 1
Van Marle 3 0 12 0
