SJFCC vs Archway Graces
2005-09-04. Win by 3 wkts By Dave Boxer
Result: Archway Graces, 72 all out from 23.2 overs; The Mighty Fishers, 75 for 7 from 24.3 overs.
The final game of the season ended in a victory for Fishers, albeit one that we made hard work of.
On a sunny afternoon, Dave lost the toss and we were put into field. This was a bad start to the day, as firstly it was bloody hot, and secondly, we were a man short because Christie was going to be an hour late due to his choirboy-abusing commitments.
Anyway, the decision turned out in our favour, as we ripped through their top order in no time. Boxer and Walmsleyeyey, returning from his broken thumb, opened the bowling and the former removed the dangerous Ayaz in the third over when he took a diving caught and bowled from a leading edge. In his next over, Boxer got rid of the other opener, bowling him round his legs for 2, and just a few balls later sent the no.3 packing thanks to a cracking diving catch in the slips by Slaphead Dan.
We had them well and truly on the rocks, and Walmsleyeyey was extremely unlucky not to do further damage when time and again his deliveries narrowly failed to extract an outside edge. It was Boxer’s lucky day though, and in his 4th over he bowled the no.5 off stump for a golden duck. The next ball he inflicted the same treatment on the no.6, and the oppo found themselves 20-odd for 5.
The 6th wicket went down thanks to a run-out, when the oppo’s captain called for a suicidal run. Bungle sprinted (and I use that word in the loosest possible sense) to his right, and, with a one-handed pickup and throw (using just the right amount of rotation), he hit the stumps direct.
The no.4 was beginning to get his eye in however, and hit a couple of big 4s and 6s off Sandy and Dan. The latter got his revenge though, when, in his second over, he drew the outside edge, which Malcolm took superbly diving away to his right. Baldy then got rid of his partner, who was on 16 and also looking good, when he tempted him into a big pull shot which fell to sex-pest Chrisite at deep mid-wicket.
All that was left was to wrap up the tail, and Dan and Sandy duly obliged. Sandy forced the no.10 into a defensive shot, and the edge fell to Bullet behind the sticks, who took a good catch low down. The final wicket went to Dan, who trapped the no.9 LBW.
With just 73 to chase, the danger was that complacency would set in, and that proved to be the case. Magnet went for a duck in the third over, bowled off stick by an admittedly excellent delivery. Matt was then trapped LBW and Sandy went after an edge to a high delivery, and Bungle went for a big heave-ho to a yorker which he missed.
Bullet was looking good until he got a leading edge back to the bowler, and suddenly the nerves were jangling. Christie was still there though and looking reasonably comfortable. After tea, he and Walmsleyeyey went out to bat, promising to see out the match, but Walmsleyeyey got a stonker of a ball that went through the gate, and he departed for 1.
Boxer was next man in, and he and Christie put on another 10 or so before the latter edged a ball down the corridor to slip, to go for a well played 32.
Ethan came in no. 9, and with 20 or so still to get the result was by no means in the bag. He batted brilliantly though, defending the straight balls and slapping the bad ones for 2s and 4s. The same couldn’t be said for Boxer, who was intent on finishing the game ASAP, and trotted down the wicket to Hooper every ball with a big no. 6 in his eyes. With 3 needed to win, he swiped at a full toss, got a top edge and was damn lucky to be dropped by the onrushing fielders. Ethan showed him how it’s done, with a calm sweep shot for 4 that won us the game. Just goes to show that the Aussies can play a bit occasionally.
Man of the match: Early crop of wickets by Dave, good bowling spells from Walmsleyeyey and Sandy, and a good knock by Christie, but the award goes to Dan, who managed to take 3 wickets despite having been on holiday and having not done any exercise for ages.
So, another successful season draws to a close. By my reckoning we’ve won 15, tied 1 and lost 5. I’d like to thank everybody who played this season and contributed to an enjoyable few months. Although it’s traditional to vote for the awards at the AGM in November, I thought I’d hand out a few now:
Boycott of the Year – Magnet
Injury of the Year – Walmsleyeyeyeyey
Old man diving around in the field who should know better at his age of the Year – Sandsy
Under the thumb of the Year – Dan
Using having just had a kid as a bad excuse for not playing cricket of the Year – tie between Jimmy and Simon
Inexcusably ditching cricket for egg-chasing of the Year – Mao
Hyperactive between the wickets of the Year – Matt
Stand-in keeper of the Year – Bullet
Part-time cricketer, full-time beer guzzler of the Year – Phil
Surprisngly high innings of the Year – Dawko
Over-rotation of the Year – Bungle
Deceptively sharp slip fielder of the Year – Malcolm
Turning up the latest of the Year – Christie
Overseas player of the Year – Ethan
Bird of the Year – tie between Jules and Nick ‘Sailor Boy’ Perchard
Maximum tonkage of the Year – Reevo
and finally….
Blatantly playing for his average of the Year – Dave
