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| Almost as damp as Chessington's track... |
Chessington 3xi vs HWRCC
Wick won the toss and batted
Wick 150 all out Kemp 68, Clark 37
Chessington 85 all out Prawn 3 for
Sayce, Clark, Symock, Sayce, Kemp, Arbane, Ritchie, Kemp,
Ched, VanVuren, Smith
Another effective win by the Wick 3rdxi leaves
them unbeaten this season – but due to the weather only two wins count towards
this season’s campaign. A horrible but effective batting performance laid the
base for an extra-ordinary first 25 overs in the field which were too hot for
Chessington.
The 3xi is now run by a cabal of Welsh druids or something.
During the week – with recourse only to lay lines, runes and ancient wisdom (Mr
Sayce senior) it was decided that the Wick would bat first if the toss was won.
Clarky expressed surprise at this sentiment as he sank his car key up to the
hilt into a boggy side to side sloping pitch. We
can only thank Chessington for getting us a game but the outfield was unmown,
the boundary unlined and the surroundings unlovely. Their 1s pitch behind a
hedge looked super. Picturesque this wasn’t. The 3s have use of one sight
screen. Luckily at the other end a gap in the hedge behind the bowler’s are
meant visibility wasn’t too poor...
Saycey called correctly and asked for first use of the
pitch. The high fives from Chessington seemed to suggest that they agreed with Clark . And you could see why 30 minutes later as Clark
and Sayce groped and fumbled like drunken lotharios returning home to frigid
wives on a Saturday night. If they were sound in defence the slow, slow pitch
did not allow for timing. An erratic opening spell by Angliss donated perhaps
an over or more worth of wides either side of the wicket and kept the batsmen
guessing. From the other end the spectacularly named Wisden bowled beautifully –
his wheeling style producing the ball on the spot time after time and occasionally
combining away swing with nipbackability from the aforementioned slope. It was
decided to see off Wisden because, on the day, he was too good.
There were few scoring strokes. So much so that it is
questionable whether our old friend E X Tras was the major contributor to the
first wicket partnership of 28. Sayce, so correct in defence, could not get off
the blob until almost committing Hari Kari to finally do so. Clark ’s
timing was poor. Eventually Sayce was undone by the first change left arm over
of McElligott. The youngster effectively bowled fast leg cutters and sneaked
one round or under Saycey’s legs. A hard fought 1.
Tom Symcock replaced Saycey and was urged to get on with it
by a gobby fielder who pronounced himself bored… but found the going tough too.
He was bowled by one that nipped back from the excellent Wisden. Another Sayce
replaced him and kept Clark company while the
latter tried to get on with it, reasoning that eventually the pitch would get
him so he might as well play some shots. When McElligott overpitched Clark drove him down the ground twice and began to look
more comfortable as a loopy spinner was introduced, pulling him to the
midwicket boundary and beginning to ease the ball down the ground.
But with the hard work done in the over before drinks a
bowling change saw off Clark for 37 (from 74 balls… the same number give or
take that Jos Butler used to score 120ish at the same time at Lords) an away
swinger completely deceiving him and clattering into the off stump. 60-3 at
drinks on a stinker. Kempy Sr strode out and together he and Sayce Jr started
to build on the fragile platform built by Clark ’s
perspiration. Proceeding in 1s and 2s they moved the score on to 80 before an
emboldened Sayce was probably caught just inside the boundary from the offy.
With no lines or rope no one could be sure, even the fielder.
Joined by Rob Ritchie, Sam then played the match defining
innings. Together the two of them put on 53. Rob’s share was 8 and Kempy began
to open up – mostly along the floor but with a couple of bigger shots, one
palmed over the same “boundary” as Sayce Jr had been caught on. 120 had looked
completely defendable but all of a sudden we could dream of more as, before Rob
fell inevitably playing a big shot to a straight one, perhaps 170 could even have
been on the cards. Kempy reached 50 and moved up a gear before unfortunately
pulling a hammy. The rest of the innings did not produce a runglut as Kemp Jr and
Zino both perished for ducks and Ched, Schalk and Graham didn’t manage much
more. But 150 was a very good score on a very difficult track and Sam’s knock a
class apart. Chessington were rather more pleased with their performance than
this correspondent thought they should be. They bowled tightly but in a low
scoring game the spinner went at 4s and one change bowler at 7s and the
outfielding was a bit ragged in the last 10. Wisden’s figures were outstanding,
10-5-9-1.
Tea was well below average – perhaps a 4. Someone should
have been arrested or at least cautioned. Nothing to recommend it at all. A
slice of melon is a pleasant starter with some Italian ham but, on its own, as
an accompaniment to unexciting sandwiches? There were some frankly gruesome
looking chicken nuggets. There was a pasta salad but... Meh. Clarky
was not in good humour at this point taking no pleasure at all. Less so because
with Sam hamstrung he was deputed to don the gauntlets of iron.
The Wick fielding effort was as spectacular as Wickman can remember
in a 3s game. Despite some pretty unathletic looking coves in the field the
boys absolutely nailed the first 6 overs. Prawnie was at his absolute best,
bowling full and straight and removing the #1 in the third over before first
Saycey and then Dan Kemp produced stops and throws which ran out numbers 2 and
3 who were attempting ambitious second runs. Sayce managed to get the ball
approximately in Clark ’s direction (leaving
him rather a lot to do *cough*) while Dan’s throw was pinpoint accurate on the bounce.
Number 2 looked a bit useful in his brief stay but threw his wicket away with
an abysmal call. Which was handy considering he had a lot to say in the field
earlier. You can’t win it from the pavilion lad.
Chessington were in a complete mess at 13-3. The change
bowlers, first Kemp Jr and then Ched, gave no relief. Dan found a nagging line
and length and was good enough to find the edge of the last really threatening
looking bat, caught at slip by his Dad with a good grab going forward. Meanwhile
Clark stood up to all the bowlers bar Prawn and Ched to put as much pressure on
the oppo as possible and keep them in their crease, something that Chessington
had not done.
Rob Ritchie surprised even himself by clinging on to a
blinder at mid off, taking a rising ball two handed above his head as everyone
else expected to see it two bounces and into the fence. And then the first and
only real blemish as Ed convinced the oppo skipper to edge one to Kempy’s left –
but he was unable to cling onto a sharp chance. The skipper taunted us with the
old chestnut that catches win matches. The cordon seethed quietly and called
him uncharitable things at a volume which was discrete enough for him not to
hear.
Not to matter as in Ed’s next over the same bat wafted at
another, edged again and this time Clarky’s matrix skills were in evidence as
he plucked it one handed low and away to his left. Catches do indeed win
matches. There was little to do from here on in except winkle out the last
three. Two young left handers basilled around for a few overs, but their’s was
a tenuous partnership full of plays and misses, if no little spirit. Eventually
one patted Smith to Sayce Jr at mid off and the last two lost various stumps to
The Prawn and Ed leaving the youngster McElligott marooned on Chessington’s top
individual contribution of 13.
Of the bowlers Prawn’s first spell of seven overs was very
good indeed, perfect for the conditions and he was unlucky not to get a couple
of LBW decisions to go with the ones that hit the stumps. Sayce Sr was nagging
as usual but the lack of pace in the pitch reduced his potency slightly this
week. Dan’s lines were exemplary. Ched bowled far too short to start with, but
once he found his rhythm he was the quickest on either side by a distance and
certainly induced discomfort in all the batsmen. Smithy was as Smithy is –
naggingly accurate and hurrying through giving little away.
Kempy’s innings was match defining. Only seven batsmen made
double figures in the match, the third highest score of those was 13. Four Wick
batsmen made ducks. 68 was almost as much as the 71 that Chessington
collectively scored off the bat. Make no mistake, this was a fine innings in
the circumstances (even if Smith questioned its pulchritude) vindicating the
cabal of Welsh druids and / or soothsaycers who had determined the “bat first”
strategy.
In the changing room there was talk of liniment, embrocations,
soothing compresses and deep muscle massage as Smith, Kemp Sr and Clark in
particular felt the downside of experience… increasing muscular degeneration –
but that feeling of complete satisfaction at a job well done dulled the pain for
a while until they could reach the safety of the Wick to begin the post-mortem.
The game was played in passable, if not hysterical, humour. All
agreed that Kemp’s batting was the stand out performance. MOM. The Wick now lie
third in the table despite having only completed two games, six points adrift
of joint leaders Walton and Working & Horsell. We will look forward to
meeting Chessington again later in the season. Perhaps they could bring their
sightscreen. It's one more than we've got.
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