Printer-friendly pageTuesday, June 23, 2009
London Saints CC chose the longest day of the year to play their longest match of the season – a two innings, 20 overs-a-side contest for the Nelson Cup. It also proved to be one of the most keenly fought, with both teams’ fortunes ebbing and flowing over the course of the game’s eighty overs. West XI won the toss and chose to bat first. As the Cup’s holders, Saints’ began in confident mood and, in humid conditions, were justified as wickets fell regularly. Tight bowling from the ever-dependable Lord Lucan and his opening partner Dave Nanton initially pegged West XI back, but it was the slower bowlers, Tony Grimes and the spin-twins of Griffiths and Pearce (back in harness for the first time this season) who really put the brakes on. It enabled the skipper, sent home from work on Friday with suspected Swine Flu, to clean up with five wickets and restrict West XI to 73 all out. One or two team-mates wondered whether they might risk a dose themselves if this is what it could do to their performance. Still, most held back from congratulating El Duce on his achievement, choosing to hollow “well done skip” (or “unclean”) from safe distance, rather than risk shaking him by the hand.
Saints chose a first-time opening combination of Judas (20) and Psycho (18) to start their reply. Some quick running (yes, really) between the wickets, streaky boundaries and one sumptuous cover drive off the dangerous Boden, West XI’s veteran skipper, saw Saints quickly well above the required rate. The momentum was maintained with some powerful hitting from debutant Kelvin Morrison, whose 28 included 3 big sixes. Approaching the tea interval with a substantial first-innings lead, Saints’ prospects seemed to rise further still when all-rounder Wright suddenly pulled up in his bowling run clutching his calf. (Your correspondent recalls that Hampshire legend Gordon Greenidge was never more dangerous than when he batted with a limp – and a runner - and so it was to prove with Captain Wright).
Though it was a relatively low-standard tea (the teas’ committee noted the absence of jam and cream scones), the heavy diet of sandwiches and cakes seemed to make the Saints extremely leaden-footed in the second innings. Competition rules dictate that the 2nd innings batting order is reversed from the earlier line-up - West XI had the advantage over us of knowing what their strongest line-up is and had saved the best to last!
An early run out of the potentially dangerous Rowan Allerton, which sparked a petulant display of bat throwing, followed by a sharp rebuke from Hilda “take it like a man, you t**t.” (and he should know), was a false dawn. It took West XI barely eight overs to knock off the deficit on first innings (65) for the loss of only one wicket. A number of culprits in the field helped West XI turn 1s and 2s into 4s, as repeated misfields in the deep handed “Westies” the advantage. Nor did taking the pace off the ball by turning to spin make any difference, as Judas’ one over went for 20. Once Wright and Boden were required to retire, each having smashed 50 not out (Nelson Cup rules), Saints were able to bring the run rate down a bit, but at the close of the twenty overs West XI had amassed 175 (at 8.75 an over).
Batting fourth, Saints required 111 to win, a doom-laden number for many a cricketer, and so it proved again. Berkeley (3) went early trying to force the pace, but the very experienced pairing of Tony “youth policy” and Dave “unclean” Thomas steadied the ship. The score passed 50 at around 5 an over with the partnership unbroken. The stage was well set for the triumphant run in: 9 wickets in hand with 60 required from the final 9 overs.
What followed was a London Saints’ collapse to match some of our most spectacular collapses of the recent past, even our infamous snatching of defeat from the jaws of victory against the same opposition at Berkhamsted 4 years ago. Panic engulfed our batters – crazy run outs - Tony Grimes of his flu-stricken skipper; debutant John MacGill attempting a second run, when even a single had been risky; Psycho Burrell trying to force partner Dave Nanton to break sweat - and wild swings when steady accumulation (a run a ball) would have sufficed (Keenan, Cronin, Morrison and Griffiths), combined to seal the Saints’ fate. All out with a ball to spare, Saints fell 23 short – pretty much the total we gave West XI on a plate in the first 5 overs of sloppy fielding after tea!
Man of the Match – a close call. Tony Grimes compiled a breath-taking (literally) 35 in Saints’ second innings and had a tidy spell with the ball. But the award goes to the skipper. DT was delirious at times, but still put in what should have been a match winning performance, following his “five for” with a brave 18 in the second dig.
Champagne moment – a possible contender was Umpire Griffiths’ greeting new batsman Paul Pearce with “6 balls to come” when the previous batsman had just been clean bowled with the second ball of the over – though it was not quite in the same league as Uncle Albert’s “wide . . . over” at Witham Friary. Kelvin Morrison’s batting all too briefly showed what we have been missing these past 5 seasons in our middle order, but the moment goes to Moanin’. A more inept attempt to stop a four on the boundary you would be hard pressed to find. Running in, he tried to trap the ball with his size 11s, missed it by some distance before turning at snail’s pace to fetch the ball from over the boundary. It nearly sent his captain over the edge.
West Xi (1st innings)
Rawlings - b Keenan 11
Zachlod - c. Berkeley b Thomas 7
Dane - b Thomas 8
K.Allerton - run out 3
Walton - run out 0
Laing - c Thomas, b Griffiths 6
Bignall - c Berkeley, b Thomas 11
Delanian - c Griffiths, b Thomas 2
Wright - b Nanton 5
R.Allerton - b Thomas 1
Boden - not out 0
Extras 19
73 all out
London Saints (1st innings)
Griffiths - b Dane 20
Burrell - lbw, b Boden 18
Morrison - b Laing 28
Cronin - stumped, b Bignall 16
Magill - stumped, b Bignall 0
Pearce - ct, b R.Allerton 11
Keenan - st, b Bignall 10
Nanton - not out 11
Thomas - run out 1
Berkeley - not out 5
Grimes - dnb
Extras 18
Total 138 for 8
West XI (2nd innings)
Boden - retired 52
R.Allerton - run out 9
Wright - retired 50
Delanian - b Thomas 5
Bignall - b Grimes 14
Laing - b Keenan 1
Walton - b Grimes 7
Allerton - run out 0
Dane - b Nanton 14
Zachlod - not out 6
Rawlings - not out 9
Extras 8
Total 175 for 7
London Saints (2nd innings)
Berkeley - ct, b Boden 3
Grimes - b Laing 35
Thomas - run out 18
Nanton - not out 11
Keenan - b Bignall 0
Pearce - hit wicket 5
Magill - run out 1
Cronin - b Dane 0
Morrison - b Dane 0
Burrell - run out 3
Griffiths - b Dane 2
Extras 8
Total 86 all out
London Saints bowling (both innings)
(O-M-R-W)
Keenan 5-1-24-2
Grimes 4-0-28-2
Thomas 6.2-0-38-6
Berkeley 4-1-25-0
Griffiths 5-0-35-1
Pearce 4-0-24-0
Nanton 6-0-36-2
Magill 2-0-8-0
Morrison 2-0-25-0
