Rampant Raza Ravages Sanderstead

A curious blue glow appeared in the skies above Bushy Park on Saturday, but not enough to dissuade the Sanderstead skipper from bowling first on a damp and very green Wick strip. Matty came back to the dressing room content as he admitted he would have batted anyway - everyone seemed keen for a game.

Coley opened up with AJ, and going was slow early doors. The Sanderstead bowling was very controlled, although by the admission of their skipper afterwards, they might have found more profit if they had bowled slightly straighter.

AJ departed and Davies soon followed, the 2 of them eating up 49 balls for a paltry 5 runs. The shine had been seen off the new ball though and the strip had just began to dry a little making it easier for the other batsman. Raza entered the fray and whilst Cole began to play a good old fashioned openers innings, blunting the new ball attack, Raza began to build his innings. From a precarious 34 for 2, the pair carefully and thoughfully built a superb partnership of 60.

Coley's 44 and return to form was very much enjoyed by his team mates but it was Kamran Razza's 89 ball 84 which stole the day. Unfortunately the rest of the batsman supplied support without much sustenance. A lesson to the rest of us of how to work the ball around when the bowling was tight, and then take the bowling to the provebial cleaners when the line or length errs even slightly. Shot of the day was Raza's trademark flick off his legs for 6 into the pavillion - pure timing.

185 all out, on a damp squib of a track, and the Wick were confident they had a total they could defend.

Tea - ATS

The Sanderstead innings stands in the memory for an incident rather than the quality of the run chase. It is always a shame to remember a game for an incident, but our beloved game is so pot-holed with idiosyncratic laws, that it is inevitable that they will be mis-interpreted by some. I shall return to this subject later on though.

Joe Ewen returned from his break seemingly stronger and a yard quicker than he has been all season. Numerous balls thudded into the keepers gloves long before batsmans' aimless gropes at the ball had deciphered line, length or movement through the air. Ewen and Ford after a few looseners began to hunt as a pair and Fordy cashed in, as both left armers moved the ball prodigiously. In their opening salvo of 16 overs they conceeded a misely 22 runs, with Fordy picking up the wicket of opener Udal.

The Sanderstead number 3, Romans, seemed to have the stomach and the technique for the fight and his battle with Joe was the highlight of the innings. Unfortunately for Sanderstead though the pressure from the tight bowling brought about the suicidal run out of opener Hollands, and Simon 'Johnny Reverse' Bishop required only 4 balls to remove Carter, player on for 0.

As if he hadn't had enough value for his match fees though, Raza then came on to remove the gritty Romans and then uproot the lower order with help from the leg-breaks of Tughral.

And so to the controversy. The Sanderstead No6, Bailey had played a Tugger stock ball out to point. He then touched his bat in the crease, and went to rehearse his stroke further down the wicket. All the while Sayce was still collecting the ball at point, and spotting Bailey on the wander, threw down the stumps. JT duly and correctly gave him out.

Bailey protested his innocence and refused to leave his crease, claiming he had touched his bat back and therefore the ball was dead, and claiming that the Wick players were acting outside the laws of the game. I'm afraid Mr Bailey I am here to tell you (and your supporters who deplorably gave their views to umpire Tilley after the game), that you are wrong - and this is why under Law 23 of cricket - the version which is standardised the world over:

(1a) The ball becomes dead when

(i) it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or the bowler.

and

(b) The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the umpire at the bowler's end that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.

Not only was the ball not in the fielders hand when Bailey left his crease, but the fielding side still considered it to be in play.

Spotting a potentially volatile situation however, and with the Wick so comprehensively on top, skipper Davies withdrew the appeal and allowed the batsman to stand his ground. He was out caught Davies bowled Tugrhal 2 overs later, and Sanderstead folded to 67 all out, as Raza bowled last man Azharuddin.

An encouraging win for the Wick, who can take a lot of positives from the way they bowled, and the application shown with the willow. Cole and Raza aside though we still failed to work the singles around, to get ourselves going - an area to work on. A massive positive was the fielding and team spirit, coupled with the way the bowlers hunted in pairs, creating real pressure and forcing mistakes.

MOM - Kam Raza - an easy decision after his brilliant 84 and 5/17 - I couldn't give it to anyone else really.

Champagne moment - Run out of Hollands, with a fantastic diving stop at backward point by Paul Sayce, and relayed throw to the stumps. Created by sustained, controlled swing bowling.



WICK