Mohit's lucky that the skipper is out in the middle...
HWRCC won the toss
Valley End 196 a/o Jenkins 84 Clark 5-16
HWRCC 197-8 Clark 81
Detailed scorecard here
“I think Clarky may have found his level” (Pinball, Club Day, 1 July 2012)
What a game of cricket. It had everything. In the end it boiled down to Mohit and Splinter putting on a 9th wicket partnership to seal victory with last minute call up Sunny gnawing his bat handle and the stand in skipper sucking down the Marlboro Lights. Occasionally everything falls into place and as Mohit smacked a four to bring the scores level that feeling that all's right with the world in the best of all possible worlds flooded over Clarky.
It had not been thus all the way through the day. At the beginning it was the usual Wick tale of players assembling from all parts (the Chairman generously stood down at the last minute because we had 12, only for the man he stood down for to get TFC), the stand in skipper turning up with just enough time to toss up before the stated start time (having had to fetch his monstered spinner from a nearby station), the Wick getting hammered for 30 overs before clawing their way back into it and then assembling the perfect chase despite having been skittled the previous week.
What a game of cricket. When Wickman finally arrived at Valley End he found, to his delight, that the Valley End revolution has progressed so far that the beautiful 1s ground of yesteryear is now where the 4s play. If you haven’t had the pleasure, it’s a fabulous ground hewn out of farm fields, surrounded by tall trees, benches to spectate and with a meadow beyond one boundary. All the boundaries have boundary boards, there were more sightscreens than you could shake something long, brown and sticky at, there’s an electronic scoreboard, covers… oh me oh my. This is what Wickman attends cricket matches to write match reports for. This was an absolute privilege for 4s players and something to be savoured for the rest of the season.
And it was a jewel of a day. The sun was out with a light breeze. The wicket was ever so slightly green but, covered, was hard and dry. The outfield had had a Brazillian cut and was rapid. As close to perfect as a 4s cricketer is going to get.
On winning the toss, Clarky inserted the home side. The track was not dry enough for half trackers, but the outfield surely was and Valley End got off to a very quick start. Short balls and full tosses were despatched. A wicket for Gayan caught behind (the youngster should have walked but didn’t) gave us early hope and then one for Splints (a bit filthy but it’s in the book) made us feel good… But we lacked control and from early on men were posted back. The 3rd wicket partnership was a heart breaker - particularly after Baird declined to walk for a caught behind off Splints.
The Wick took this non-walking badly. Together opener Jenkins and Baird put on 108 as the Wick toiled in the hot Sun. Given we thought we had had him every flick off Baird’s legs was a dagger in the heart, every beautifully caressed off drive like ashes in the mouth. At the other end Jenkins made the most of the bad balls we served up and hit ten fours. Sad to say there were many poor balls which were punished. We were not on top form. The Wick just did not settle in the face of mostly risk free batting.
It didn’t help that we shelled catches like Eastern European migrant workers pick strawberries. Catch after catch was refused until we could drop no more. Paddy counted seven that were put down in all parts of the field and none were particularly difficult. When drinks arrived the Wick were seriously under the cosh and looking like a scratch Sunday side and had conceded so many runs that Clarky was considering gunning everyone down before impaling himself on a stump. Jenkins had profited most and in the way of these things was making a big contribution having been given so many lives.
At drinks more esprit de corps was called for and it was pointed out that we could be out there for another couple of hours chasing leather if things didn’t change. The fielding had deteriorated to the standard of the clowns' scene in Dumbo. Jenkins was making merry on an outfield that was either a four or one type of track and Baird looked like the kind of character who could go on to score big. Something had to happen.
Many of you, like Wickman, will lull yourself to sleep from time to time thinking about that perfect game of cricket. Obviously during that perfect game, you will play a blinder from a position of extreme peril and will end the day adulated (if that’s a word) by your peers and written about by gushing journalists. From a position where most of what the skipper had tried went wrong, without warning it all went right. There was no rhyme or reason for any of it other than a vague hunch that it was time to change things around before Valley End bent us over and rogered us senseless.
First Sohail came on and changed the game by pinning the miscreant Baird in front. He bowled full and straight and with pace and deserved his wicket. At the other end, Clarky decided that someone needed to take the pace off.
Rapidly calculating that Mackie was hoping to be brought on despite only being able to stand on one leg (not going to turn out well) and an injured Unsworth was reluctant (and probably risking a season ending injury) the skipper decided it was time to look around the outfield and find someone else who could serve up some slow stuff that might hit the stumps. With instructions to Dutchy to be brutal in his feedback if his bowling was too filthy Clarky then brought himself on (for the second time this season… and the second time ever in League cricket), bowling wobbly induckers off four or five paces. The early signs were not good, but he managed to convince the new and dismayed Barkham to play on from a lowish full toss. An over or so later he removed the opener Jenkins LBW for 84 with a slightly better full ball. Suddenly the Wick had both ends open and were back in the game.
And then it seemed the skipper could do little wrong as, hardly believing his luck, he bowled three more bats who groped around his gently swinging deliveries and didn’t seem to concede too many runs. It was a golden arm spell – greeted by incredulity initially, until later, some people may have been convinced that he could actually bowl. This terrible confidence trick played on Valley End precipitated a gargantuan collapse from 142-2 to 179-9. Some late hitting from Toms and Gale got VE to 196 from 46 – not before Paddy took a stunning caught and bowled and finally castled Toms to end the innings.
What a fight back. The Wick were being raped up until drinks and were fearing a 240+ mauling. At tea, on the back of collapsing last week, they had no right to be confident but were at least back in the hunt given the by now excellent deck and glassy outfield. Tea was as least as good as one of Dave’s and scored 8 without even really trying.
Over tea the skipper debated the batting order and decided that everyone from the previous week’s shenanigans should drop a place where possible to give us length in the tail. Sohail and Miles opened up for the Wick with instructions to get rid of the shine. Given that most weeks the Wick 4s are notverymany for 2, this week’s 21 partnership was a boon and did get rid of a bit of shine and gave us something to build from. Mackie briefly accompanied Miles but quacked with the score on 32, caught behind and TFC. Miles then subsided soon after for a well boshed 19 and the Wick were 33-3, with our “worm” falling behind Valley End’s.
Dutchy and Clarky then put on 43 with Dutchy the more confident. He pulled a six and cut savagely, but when he fell in the early 20s the Wick were 77-4. There was still much to do – but plenty of time. Gayan joined Clarky and the two made it to drinks with approx 120 needed at six an over. It would need a big team performance to get home from here. Gayan batted beautifully, technically correct, and played a strong supporting role as suddenly things started to kick off at the other end.
A decent young leggy Ames was introduced to partner Barkham who had bowled straight up and down from the pavilion end and here the game for the first time flowed in the Wick’s favour. Gayan played very straight and nudged singles around while Clarky started to go after it. There was no point fannying around with six an over needed so he targeted the leggy and treated him harshly off front and back foot eyeing the cover and straight boundaries. With Barkham tying things up at the other end, the leggy was either going to go for runs or take wickets. In the first part of his spell he went for runs. The partnership grew and grew and turned into 77. Clarky smashed him into the nearby meadow and manoeuvred him through long on and off. Gayan worked bad balls away at the other end. Clarky passed 50 and continued to try to put all the pressure on VE but eventually played one shot too many and was caught on the boundary at square just when he should have been finishing the game. Around 40 needed.
But if the skipper was cursing himself for letting the side down, the side then took over and biffed fours and ran hard. It all got a bit tight and nails were chewed. Paddy smacked it around but, like Gayan, was bowled, as the leggy started to flight it having bowled a little flat at Clark. Unsworth also perished (not before he had the dream sledge retort – oppo – “his bat says Big Edge on it” [Unsworth smashes a four] – Unsworth - “it also has a big middle” Ithangyou) as Ames dragged the game Valley End’s way with four priceless wickets. With less than 20 needed and the Wick running out of balls and wickets any result was possible – but gloriously Splints clagged a four as did Mohit and we got over the line.
Both sides could have won the game. In the end it was all about dropped catches. The Wick put down Jenkins four or five times and let other bats off too. Valley End let Clarky off on 20ish and then again on 47 as a simplish stumping chance went begging. The whole game might have been wrapped up by 5pm if both teams had played perfect cricket. In the event neither did so we had a thrilling denouement at 7.30 as the shadows lengthened. Amazing game. Kudos to both sides for trying to win it come what may. Let’s hope the rest of the season is as exciting as this. If it is we’ll all be re-writing the scripts for our daydreams – not just Clarky.
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