3xi vs Woking and Horsell

Van Vurren Masterclass Downs Woking

HWRCC won the toss and decided to bowl

Sayce x2, Talman, Blanchard, Browning, Brown, Clark+, SVV, Kempy Jr, Tommy D, Smith very senior

Woking 127, SVV 5-33

HWRCC 133-3 Sayce 47, Clark 31*, Sayce R 20*

As Wickman has said privately it’s difficult to write match reports when things go well for the Wick. Far easier to draw a picture of tragedy, find a metaphor for calamity and draw comparisons with the circus when we are not at our best.

Saturday had all the ingredients for high comedy. There was a festival at the skatepark. Types of music that Smithy does not have amongst his collection of 78s blared. The deck was dry. The outfield was wispy, bumpy and hard. It was hotter than the Grand Canyon. And the groundsman had prepared the most vertiginous of the available strips. Up was like a hike up Box Hill, down was like the Cresta run. There was a short boundary at the skatepark side. It was difficult to describe the track – brown… dead grass… a ridge on a length outside off at the top. And on this hottest of days the skipper decided to take the field perhaps alarmed by Woking arriving even earlier than the 1s. Perhaps they were worried about Flower Show traffic. We shall never know.

Things started badly. Schalk found the edge and the ball sailed between a stationary keeper and first slip for four. Sagar pounced on this good fortune and found the boundary more forcefully a couple of times as SVV strayed onto the pads. Up the hill Saycey was bowling with a side strain and was about as penetrative as we all think Pele was before discovering little blue pills. Woking’s Wilson decided to leave a straight one to his cost to bring SVV early reward but the oppo were getting away to decent start with Unsure at 3 looking compact and competent. Behind the stumps concern was rearing its ugly head accompanied by sweat in the armpit regions.

But almost as soon as we became concerned Schalk induced a simple caught and bowled to get rid of Sagar and a bowling change up the hill saw Dan Kemp swing one from leg to middle to hit the back pad of Unsure. Unsure was unsure but the umpire was not and he was on his way. Then Schalk began to weave magic in his spell like a Prawny Harry Potter. Murphy chopped an inswinger on, Lock got bogged down and went aerial to mid off and then Tune slashed at a wider bouncer to give Clark a simple catch behind. Kemp removed the #7 (well held Alex Brown at midwicket) and all of a sudden the game had turned on its head.

If you are imagining demons in the pitch then refrain. Evans for Woking fought back by blocking the straight ones and choosing judiciously from the less good ones to mount a fight back. Any thought of a quick turn around, tea and a shower were put on hold and finally dismissed as he made 40 and number 10 Mandar batted very sensibly to make double figures. Smith took a wicket having toiled slightly in the heat, Tommy D was rapid and accurate down the hill, finding the edge to produce a staggering one handed slip catch for Blanchard. Wickman remembers having reactions like that. Well I say that, Wickman remembered a couple of hours later that he once had reactions like that. The introduction of Max Talman to bowl wonderfully flighted left arm around induced the final wicket. Not MUCH damage had been done but 68 was now 127 from about 45 overs.

Tea was standard DBW. Don’t remember much about it. Busy trying to re-hydrate and bring core body temperature down from “surface of the Sun” to “Magaluf”.

A new opening partnership was tried, Sayce P this week deciding to open with Blanchard – fresh from last week’s blistering 139. Sayce looked serene again this week and is in stacks of form. He has begun to find gaps for fun and his driving on the posh side was impeccable. Jones, down the hill, tried to repeat the formula of being quick and South African which had worked wonders for Schalk but perhaps banged a few too many in. Schalky’s spell had been characterised by balls that would hit the stumps, this… not as much.

Blanchard encouraged the oppo skipper and designated sledger somewhat by backing away and lashing the ball over the slips a few times. First slip put down a sitter. There were oooos and ahhhhhs but the partnership put on 30 something before Rory was caught trying one shot too many for a creditable 19.

Max Talman looked well organised but struggled to get it away before receiving something off the ridge that got big on him, edging behind. The two Sayces then unhurriedly settled in the middle with Rob assembling quietly and the skipper continuing to alternate between rock solid defence and lacerating boundaries.

Perhaps in a last throw of the dice the oppo skipper brought himself on and immediately secured himself a breakthrough and some new found verbal confidence by getting an LBW decision against Paul… only three short of a well deserved half.

There was the threat of showers towards the West when Clarky entered the fray. Lock tied him up in knots to start with and he only just survived a sharp leg side stumping. But soon it became clear that this pair wanted to finish the game and it became a battle between Sayce R and Clarky as to who would hit the winning runs as both picked off boundaries as the target diminished. There was an air of resignation as the Wick passed 110 and the match was finished in a flurry of blows, a head high full toss being sent into the ionosphere behind square to deliver the last rites.

As is the way Alex Brown and Nick Blanchard didn’t get much of a game this week. Not enough runs from Woking to get them to the crease. Woking won’t make the same mistake again in a few weeks time when the 50 overs stuff re-commences. They were a decent bunch so we'll look forward to it. The old Westfield ground always was a lovely place to play. Decent teas back in the day.... Mmm decent teas...

MOM is Schalky again. Top, top bowling.