3xi vs Trinity Mid Whitgiftians

Sayce changes his order from bed and breakfast to full board...

Sayce Ton Sets Up Comprehensive Win for Wick

Scorecard

After the torture of the first third of the season, so redemption came for hard pressed batsmen at Trinity Mid Whitgiftians on Saturday. Where before this season we have been condemned to bat on soggy bogs and drying tracks, this time we were treated to a rock hard deck, lightning outfield and the generosity that only batting against ten men can replicate. This was a day to revel in timing, to stand and admire shots skim to the boundary, to trust in strokeplay and to enjoy our cricket.

TMW’s ground was a new pleasure for your correspondent. Only Valley End’s 3^rd team ground ranks more fondly in his memory, being as it is just slightly more rural and rustic than this. Bordered by rolling countryside, beautifully kept and on the warmest day of the year so far, this was a ground to wrap up and take home. While one could quibble about our own beautiful sunsets and chunter about the energy sapping drive south through some of Surrey’s more featureless conurbations, when we got there we could set cares and worries aside and – with the usual nervous anticipations aside – relax. Even the changing facilities were top notch and the tea - *smacks lips* was close to perfect.

Sayce won the toss and batted without hesitation. AJ declined to open the batting, moaning softly of half remembered gin and tonics, cocktails and unwise late refreshing beers in Brixton. He moaned some more and castigated himself when he finally saw the track, the outfield and the early exchanges as Sayce settled in to bat all day on what, in combination with some relatively friendly bowling, was as grassless and artless as a Heathrow runway.

As early as the fifth over an excited Sayce was changing his TMW reservation from “bed and breakfast” to “full board” and this correspondent could have sworn he ordered champagne to be delivered to his room too. Apart from offering two return catches to Donald Pleasance lookalike Asbury (the first was a sitter, the second hit his wrist and removed him from the attack) as he struggled to believe that the wicket was as flat as it was, Sayce played beautifully, driving through the off and tickling to leg as if to the manor born. It was inevitable as he set himself that he would reach fifty and as the change bowlers came and went, only a mistake or an early declaration would prevent him reaching a ton. Later in his innings he was brutal on anything over or short pitched, peppering the boundary behind square and testing the excellent Tom James’ fielding skills to the limit. He reached his hundred with only one further alarm when he almost managed to run himself out to the aforementioned James’ arm. Top, top innings allowing others to bat around him. And red ink too batting for almost 47 overs for 115*.

The recipient of  AJ’s hungover largesse was Clarky. Like Sayce he too had diced and spliced in earlier weeks on soggy and drying decks. Here he found to his delight that when the ball was hit it stayed hit. While Sayce was modest in his demands of Hotel TMW, Clark called down to the kitchen and instructed them to bring him his boots, full. By drinks he had assembled a chanceless 78*, mostly through the V and together the skipper and he amassed 153 for the first wicket, until Clarky, eyeing the puddings, tried to pull a ball that kept low and lost his bails 17 short of what would have been a well-deserved century. 83 from 60 balls had certainly helped to set the game up though and Clarky seemed fairly content.

Sayce R joined his brother and moved the field around for a few overs, putting on a brisk 60+ with his brother before Sayce Very Senior had no hesitation in sending him back LBW despite the fact that Rob provided him with a Grandson this week. How ungrateful. The old have so little respect for the young these days. As also evidenced by Smith making Clark the butt of his attempts at humour throughout the day.

AJ – by now recovered and thirsting for runs, not Red Bull, then joined in the fun and turned the latter overs into a full on assault ordering boundaries from the TMW a la carte menu and charging them to Saycey’s bill. He hit three sixes down the ground and into the woods on the way to a rapidly assembled 44* which ensured that even if the game had not been taken away from TMW before, it certainly was now. The skipper declared on 293-2… roughly double the highest 3s innings of the season and probably 100 more than the 3s managed in any innings last season.

And so to tea. It was a belter. Always a good sign when you need a fork because the food comes hot. Melt in the mouth quiche. Little wonton wraps. A Greek salad. Things with pastry. Oh goodness, oh gracious. A walnut cake out of the top drawer, moist to the point of ridiculousness. Scones… If only the bruschetta had had a hint of garlic wiped across them or some seasoning we would be talking 10. But 9 it was. It contributed to the feeling that we were playing at a club that seriously cares about cricket and cricketers everywhere.  Mmmmm. *drools at cake*.

The oppo bowling, if we are completely honest, apart from the excellent endeavours of Sutcliffe and Hughes, lacked the ability  to tie down our batsmen once Asbury had tired and eventually re-tired due to injury.

Schalk was a different prospect on this deck though. Despite not quite delivering his best spell of 2014, he quickly pinned the Oppo skipper in front on the back leg, and later in his spell cunningly employed slower balls to twice find himself on a hat-trick. Sadly on both occasions the batsmen declined to play at slightly wider balls. At the other end the skipper bowled the other opener and only Tom James provided firm resistance in the first half of TMW’s reply. Ultimately no one could stick with him in the face of Schalk’s attack – a grade above anything else on offer.

Stephens gave a very good account of himself behind the stumps. His footwork is still sure and his legside work to Dan Kemp in particularly exemplary. He took a very good catch from an inside edge that observers often fail to appreciate the difficulty level of. It was a mixed day in the slip cordon as the oppo flashed hard and a number of opportunities were as much ignored as spurned.

Kempy Jr couldn’t quite provide a breakthrough due to the standards in the cordon despite bowling a very good length. As the innings began to subside we looked around the field to amuse ourselves and settled on who would become TFC. With Chaz, Daro and Smith yet to bowl and Tom struggling to justify his afternoon having not batted the race was on to see who would win the coveted prize.

Chaz was introduced and removed James via a left handed snaffle at third slip and bowled with great control and guile showing that spin on this wicket didn’t necessarily have to disappear into the woods. Daro bowled beautifully again and almost redeemed Tom who was desperate to cling onto a chance at first slip to remove the TFC tag but grassed it… leaving Daro no option but to bowl the no 10. Smith bristled at the thought he might be TFC reminding people of extraneous factors such as having driven to the game and taking the piss out of Clarky as valid contributions but Tom manfully accepted his fate.

We lingered in the setting sun for half an hour to soak up an emphatic win and toast the skipper’s exemplary knock. And then home via the Wick balcony where winners were grinners. MOM Saycey...