That's Just Not Cricket - 2xi vs Godalming - A view from the Balcony

"Green Top at Wick 'Not Cricket'" - Ed

HWRCC 2xi vs Godalming
Godalming 99 (Fahad 4-18)
HWRCC 100-4 (High 47*)
HWRCC wins by 6 wickets

Scoreboard

Godalming made the trip to the WICK on Saturday and in a tight league where the top 5are separated by just 10 points every game seems to have an added sense of importance attached to it. Godalming did the double over the 2s last year (gifted two wins by inadequate displays) and yet despite us finishing 30 points ahead of them in the league the Balcony felt that we really owed them one.

With the local area having seen its first real soaking of the spring/summer in the days leading up to Saturday's match, we were greeted with a green pitch and a lush outfield. Despite its greenness on top, it was firm below and promised to do plenty early on but with bright skies and drying wind this would be an important toss to win. Skipper Fudge did just that and had no hesitation in asking the oppo to bat.

If you have ever played at Godalming you will know that is the best batting track in the league. If you haven’t, think of an Oval net with short boundaries and a bare outfield. The bounce is true and the pace prefect enabling batsman to play through the line and get maximum reward for their shots. However Godalming is not the norm so you can understand Skipper Fudge's surprise when he saw the surprise on Godalming faces on being confronted by a green top. The pitch was already in their heads as the majority of the team stood looking over it, cursing. Fudgey for one doesn’t mind a sporty track and we all think that a fair contest between bat and ball always makes for a better game and invariably an early finish (hiccup). Runs scored in testing conditions or even good bowling to exploit a helpful pitch live longer in the memory than a boring run fest and a dull draw. That’s just not cricket.

So The Wick had the psychological advantage, now The Wick had to make the most of winning the toss by bowling well and taking its chances. Webster (legitimate excuse) arrived 20 mins after the start of play so Dom Lown and Fahad Tanveer (late with no legitimate excuse) took the new ball. Both made an excellent start, bowling tight lines and joining the dots before Tanveer made the breakthrough having the opener Stow caught behind. You often hear the saying “bowling in partnerships” and we saw real evidence of that on Saturday as Lown continued to bowl well and keep things tight whilst Fahad claimed the first three wickets of the innings. On another day Lown would have grabbed a couple himself however a return of 0/19 from 7 proved to be the perfect foil for his partner. Fahad bowled with pace and control, cart wheeling Dawson’s off peg before being too quick for skipper Tunna (normally caught fishing outside off stump according to legend) and bowling him too. Godalming were 21-3 and furthermore were still seemed distracted by a pitch that actually hadn’t contributed at all to any of their dismissals.  

Skipper Fudge in his new role of a “batsman who bowls, but not quite enough to be considered an all-rounder for fantasy cricket purposes” replaced Lown and once again (to the continued amazement of his team and himself) found consistent lines and lengths at a quick enough pace. By this time the Godalming batsman Wright and ex-skipper Harms were digging in and although still struggling to time the ball, they were at least getting in behind the ball looking to build a total that would at give them a chance of returning home with some points. 21/3 became 51/3 before the skipper struck with a ball that pitched on middle stump and jagged away from the left handed Harms. Harms did well to get an outside edge on it and Harry did well to get to an excellent catch low down. 51/4!

Webster, who had now been on the pitch long enough to allow him to bowl, replaced the excellent Fahad and immediately caused the batsmen problems. Wright was caught (more groped, gathered and clutched) by Jackson at cover for 19 and Powell plucked at silly mid-off by Naveendra for 0. Godalming were on the rocks at 61/6. Enter Hale and Haine. Hale who was by far the most vocal of the Godalming players regarding the state of our pitch continued to mutter and shake his head during his brief and uneventful stay at the crease. Perhaps he should have put more energy into smashing short and wide balls from the tiring Fudge than bemoaning the surface however he neglected to take up these invitations and when Fudge finally relocated his radar he cleaned him up with a ball far too quick for this no.6.        

So that brings us on to Haine. We don’t normally comment on oppo players except in passing but Haine is a strange chap and invited speculation in this particular instance. He too was apparently unhappy with the conditions and proceeded to what we can only describe as sulk for the length of his innings. Between balls he mainly spent his time with his arms crossed, looking to the ground, or on other occasions he would spit and phlegm on the track (that's just not cricket) making it even greener that it already was. One gets the impression he would have rather have been anywhere else but the WICK on Saturday and based on his behaviour we shared the same sentiment. He was eventually dismissed in uncertain circumstances. Given out for hitting the ball on to his boot and being caught again by Naveendra at silly mid-off there was confusion as to whether or not it had hit the boot, the ground or his spit? Either way, Nav took a great catch and he was back in the hutch. Wickets 9 & 10 followed shortly after and Godalming were dismissed for 99. Tanveer finished with WICK best figures of 4/18, Fudge 2/22, Webster (who has been excellent this year) 3/20 and Nav 1/14. Our old friend E X Tras top scored with 25 and the WICK required exactly 100 from exactly 60 overs to win.

Tea was Tea. A typically great home spread that always gets an 8 or a 9, but bagged the higher of those two marks this week for pre-Wimbledon strawberries. What more is there to say? Nothing! So we will briefly touch on teatime habits and two players in particular that caught this scribe's eye.

This is my 18th consecutive season playing at the WICK and your correspondent has worked out that in that time I must have averaged at least 15 DBW teas a year, it follows that I have eaten somewhere in the region of 800 cheese and tuna combination sandwiches in over 270 sittings. And in those years I have shared tables with some of the WICK greats including Flux, Mansfield, Kennedy, Culham & Bloom but this Saturday I had the pleasurable company of Risman and Lown. “Riso” is a legend in his own time, WICK through and through. He has played at the WICK for years but if anything he seems to be getting younger, not older!! And maybe I have discovered his secret? Sweet no Savory! A plate full of cakes, scones, muffins and biscuits were accompanied by a strong cup of tea, this is the diet of a man who has played cricket in three (maybe four) decades for the WICK. Is it the sugar that he thrives on or the reluctance to try and DBW egg sandwich? Whatever the answer it works for him and will dramatically effect the way that I “tea” from now on. Lown on the other hand goes for a balanced approach piling up a plate full of sandwiches and savoury items before making his way to the sweet end of the table where he carefully selects which biscuit or cake will be his pudding. These are carried separately to the savoury items (careful not to cross contaminate the two) back to his seat before being placed direct onto the table. This caught Riso’s eye in particular as he remarked about the cleanliness of the table, but Lown seemed satisfied in the knowledge that DBW had properly wiped down and with his job (bowling) done he tucked into his hearty meal.

So to the run chase! Another low total, with plenty of overs but in true WICK style there would be the odd hiccup and nervous moment before we could celebrate a well deserved 13 points. The biggest of those moments came at 25/4 with Cole, Fudge, Goulborn & Jackson all dismissed by the impressive Dominic Dawson but (as the balcony pointed out) with the batting order just about right it was concluded that we had all got out on purpose in order to let the men in form finish the job.

Mackie and High in particular were watchful early on and then clinical later on as they accelerated their innings perfectly to see the WICK home by 6 wickets. At this level High is the most talented batsman in the league and could (provided he stays with the 2s and doesn't get a well deserved call up to the 1s) win the league for us. His destructive style was too much for Haines who bowled shorter and shorter the further and further High despatched him. More foldy armed sulky poses would follow.

So we are now in the top 2, and with the unpredictable Maori in town next Saturday, we will be hoping for another green top and another home victory.

That is Cricket!

MOM - Fahad. It is one thing winning the toss in helpful conditions but it is another bowling brilliantly in them and taking 4 for not very many. He set up the match for High and Mackie to finish.

WICK