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Veteran London Saints, Keenan & DT, celebrate their milestones with a cheap lager
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
PLATT CC v LONDON SAINTS
9th Aug. 2 x 20/20 combined score
London Saints 125-9 and 151-4
Platt CC 150-4 and 122-5
London Saints win by 4 runs
1st innings : Mayhew 51no, Griffiths 17 - Keenan 1-16, Nanton 1-22
2nd innings: Chalmers 39, Berkeley 35no, Nanton 21no - Keenan 2-28
The two bottles of white wine tasted all the sweeter on the train back to London after a solid all-round performance landed LSSC our third victory of the season.
On the day that England lost the 4th test, pride was maintained in Kent in a glorious manner that saw at least one, nay more, LSSC players mooted for the 5th test at The Oval.
In the same fixture last year, LSSC lost by a narrow margin when Platt overturned a 30 run deficit on the first innings to win on the last ball. Today, we had our revenge - winning by four runs when it again came down to the last over.
DT duly won the toss and Trevor duly hit a 50 and retired, as is the local rule. So far, so good - Trev must be in the running for his first player of the season in 20 years, despite our resident marathon runner again pulling a hamstring.
An opening stand of 69 with John Griffiths (when he could get the strike) set the base, before JG and Keenan fell in the 11th over, the latter taking joint 1st in the duck trophy stakes thanks to a highly unquestionable first ball lbw from umpire DT (the biggest plumb I’ve ever seen, said Trev).
The makeshift Bopara (Keenan), Bell (Hotston) and Collingwood (Speedtwin) duly imploded - one run from three - to leave LSSC at 81-4 in the 13th before Dave Nanton and Pete Berkeley helped steady the leaking ship.
They added 20 before another three wickets fell in sharp order, with Wathan also a golden duck and Chalmers a diamond (out without facing a ball in a suicide run), to leave LSSC with a gem incrusted innings and a reasonable total of 125 off the first 20 overs (thanks also to Mr Extras 29).
(Not before, however, Paul Pearce cracked a glorious drive for an undoubted boundary, only for teammate Dave Nanton at the other end stopping the shot with his knee. Ouch.)
The Platt 1st innings
A good start with Keenan bowling Slater 2nd ball - but his yellow-helmeted son was an excellent offspring and after seven overs, the over/score rate was level.
Pete Berkeley chipped in with an excellent slower ball to bowl Carey, and Dave Nanton‘s quickie did for Gollum (20) - but then Slater junior and Richards got into an ominous stride. JG got tonked for 28 off two overs - one ball dispatched with the cry "Oh no, sorry!" as a warning to team mates before the ball sailed into a hedge for 6.
The couple put on 91, Slater retiring for 53 and Richards ending up 32 no. But there was still time for DT to take his 400th career wicket (alongside Keenan’s 100th earlier in the innings) and Platt to finish a very respectable 150-4, a lead of 25.
TEA
One of the marks of respect LSSC has for the opposition is measured by the fact that Platt, like Witham, is prepared to put on a BBQ. So thank you lads and also for the beer. The break also afforded opportunities to discuss who was sharing whose box and to discuss Jonty’s potential new nickname (we thought Monty - Panesar - most appropriate for his pants fielding).
LSSC second innings
A very helpful stat is that Platt’s J Woodhams took two wickets in the last two balls of our innings - and so he got to bowl the first in this, in pursuit of a hat trick. And his over went for 17. JW came off the field after his first over, but was there any need for two-can Griffiths to taunt "Thanks - that got us back in it!"
The next over (while JG had disappeared to apologise) went for 10. So we were in credit by two runs (keep up) after just two overs. This was largely due to Damian Chalmers, the batting revelation of the past two seasons, who went on to score 39.
Paul Pearce clubbed a couple and suddenly we were 40 off four overs thanks to Sachin and Mildred, as they are known. In retrospect, those first overs won us the game - despite the bizarre nature of the next 10.
Skipper DT and Pete Berkeley came together after Damian was caught in the deep - and proceeded to play and miss (most) for an hour. Pete took 14 balls to get off the mark (and failed to score off 23) but ended up 35no.
Dave had no strike for ages but finally was out for 18, a spent force leaning on his bat to stand up. Meanwhile, a fusllade of wides and no balls contributed 25 and the score went on to 110-3 before DT (having tried and failed to lose his wicket several times) departed to a top edge and catch off Dewi. What an odd spell.
Dave Nanton then came in, clubbed a glorious 6 (as had DT and Damian) and we ended up with 151-4, a lead of 126. Credit to Platt, who used 10 bowlers, to Pete for 35 and blocking one with his arse and to ex-Jonty Nanton, who after his 6 saved the umpire the bother by raising his own arms skywards to signal the boundary.
Platt 2nd innings
With 127 to defend, the skipper DT made the radical decision to open with two bowlers who had thrown down precisely no balls between them all season. And what a decision.
Paul Wathan and Trevor Mayhew (pre-hamstring) bowled six overs for just 27 between them - as important in the context of the second innings as the Chalmers/Pearce opening partnership). Dave now has Chapter 69 of his book.
After 8 overs, Platt had just 35 - leaving them 92 to win off 12. From there on in, it never looked likely. The decisions by Pearcey and Dave Nanton to drop catches early on - and prevent the young batsmen coming in - looked inspired -as inspirational as Pearcey’s triple somersault on the boundary to prevent a four. In the mayhem, Speedtwin also took his 50th stumping.
Despite a couple of expensive overs from Keenan and Berkeley, a maiden settled nerves and good bowling by Griffiths and Thomas meant 11 were needed off the last over by Nanton. There was never any doubt, ex-Jonty bowling tight to seal the game.
Man of the match: Trevor Mayhew, for leading from the front with a 51no, his two overs for 12 and two run-outs while stricken with a hamstring.
Champagne moment: Pete, having cross batted and missed several balls, finally plays a sensible edge to the boundary, admires the shot and doesn’t move before realising it hasn’t gone and scampers up the track for a single.
LONDON SAINTS
Mayhew retired not out 51
Griffiths c Dewhirst b Wills D 17
Keenan lbw Thomas 0
Hotston c Wills T b Smith 1
Speedtwin b Wills D 0
Nanton c Healey b Dewhirst 12
Berkeley c Richards b Woodhams 13
Thomas b Woodhams 9
Wathan b Woodhams 0
Chalmers run out 0
Pearce not out 3
Extras 29
TOTAL 125-9
Bowling
Slater C 4 1 19 0
Smith M 3 0 28 0
Wills 4 0 22 3
Smith 4 0 11 1
Slater 2 0 19 0
Woodhams 2 0 11 3
Dewhirst 1 0 10 1
PLATT CC
Slater b Keenan 2
Slater C retired not out 53
Carey b Berkeley 11
Gollum b Nanton 20
Richards not out 32
Wills b Thomas 18
Woodhams not out 5
Extras 9
TOTAL 150-4
Bowling
Keenan 4 0 16 1
Berkeley 3 0 26 1
Nanton 4 0 22 1
Thomas 4 0 27 1
Pearce 3 0 24 0
Griffiths 2 0 28 0
2ND GAME
LONDON SAINTS
Chalmers c Wills b Slater T 39
Pearce c&b Carey 9
Wathan b Carey 3
Thomas c Dewhirst b Wills 18
Berkeley not out 35
Nanton not out 21
Extras 26
TOTAL 151-4
Bowling
Woodhams 1 0 18 0
Richards 2 0 20 0
Carey S 3 0 17 2
Slater T 2 0 19 1
Gollum 2 0 6 0
Healey I 2 0 10 0
Wills T 2 0 17 1
Wills D 2 0 13 0
Slater 2 0 11 0
Smith 2 0 17 0
PLATT CC
Dewhirst c Thomas b Griffiths 29
Healey b Keenan 26
Wills st Speedtwin b Keenan 12
Smith G run out (Mayhew) 7
Smith M run out (Mayhew) 0
Wills not out 15
Richards not out 22
Extras 11
TOTAL 122-5
Bowling
Wathan 4 0 15 0
Mayhew 2 0 12 0
Griffiths 3 0 14 1
Keenan 4 1 28 2
Nanton 4 0 23 0
Thomas 2 0 11 0
Berkeley 1 0 13 0
