SJFCC vs Pretenders
2005-08-21. Win by 1 wickets By Dave Boxer
Result: Pretenders, 156 all out from 33.4 overs; The Mighty Fishers, 159 for 9 from 31.5 overs.
A win pulled out of the bag, and one that should have been a lot more straightforward than it turned out to be.
Dave won the toss (horrah!) and put Fishers into the field into the boiling hot heat. There was method to his madness, as he expected the very green pitch to do a bit and was proved right, as the bowlers, Mao and Bungle in particular, got the ball to move around and caused the batsmen no end of problems.
Dave and Mao opened up, and the former made the breakthrough (once he stopped bowling down leg) in the 6th over when he forced the no.2 to chop one onto his stumps. Mao followed suit and removed the other opener the next over, after he gloved a short delivery to Dr Dawko behind the sticks. Just three balls later the Portly One claimed his second victim, when another ising delivery was fended off by the no.4 to Bungle at cover, who performed a slow-motion belly-flop before holding the simple catch.
The no.3 was causing problems for the Fishers bowlers however, and Mao’s temper hit ‘level 9 nutcase’ when he had him dropped by Dawko off a thick outside edge. Mao, Bungle, Graham and Gary all tried to the remove him, but his luck was in, and a further dropped chance by Dave compounded the misery.
Dave decided to change the pace of the attack, and it paid off immediately, as Big Malc tempted him into another big heave ho first ball and cleaned him up. Fishers were back on track, and Bungle was swinging the ball like hell. He bolwed no.s 5 and 6 cheaply, both with unplayable balls (oo er) and for a while it looked as though we might bowl them out for 100.
However, the no.7 batted well, and made his way to a well-earned 37 before Matt dismissed him after luring him into a false sense of security by chucking his first 5 balls three feet wide of off stump.
Boxer ran out the no.9 after he attempted a suicidal second run, and Matt polished off a great effort in the field by bowling both the no.10 and no.11 for ducks in consecutive balls.
Fishers were confident that the total could be reached without too much fuss, and all was looking rosy until Dawko was undone by a swinging delivery in the 8th over, bowled for 7. Magnet was looking good, after guiding several deliveries through the slips with consumate ease, but he was undone in the 12th over when he fended one off to the man at short leg.
And thus began the collapse. Malc was trapped LBW by Fellowes, who bowled extremely well, and Gary and Ethan went cheaply, both caught. Matt followed suit, and Graham, after making a quickfire 10, was bowled. After making a solid start, Fishers were suddenly 51 for 7, and the winning total looked a long way off.
No need to worry though, Mao was next in to bat – he’ll get a few. Well, actually he got bugger all. He went for a duck, trapped LBW by Fellowes, despite protesting that it hit him outside the line. Needless to say the changing room took a damn good beating, and several of us took cover.
The remarkable turnaround began with Bullet. Batting sensibly, he nudged and nurdled the 1s and 2s to calm the situation down and when he was joined by Boxer, things began to happen. Boxer set about the attack straight away, making a quickfire 50 thanks to some not-so-textbook cross-bat tonking. Bullet eventually went for 19, bowled by a beauty, to bring an end to a cracking partnership, but the finish line was in sight, and, needing just 2 to win, Boxer pulled one for 4 and the unlikliest of victories was ours.
Man of the match: Bungle bowled brilliantly, as did Mao. After finding his line, Matt took three wickets in quick succession, and Gary and Graham also bowled well. Dave made 76 not out, but the award goes to Big Malc, who removed their high-scoring dangerman first ball, and, most admirably of all, gave Mao out for a duck when he was umpiring – top man!
Quote of the match: ‘I over-rotated’ – Bungle’s excuse for missing the stumps by approximately 11 yards when he should have run the guy out.
