Match Report - 2xi vs Crainleigh - by Wickman

HWRCC 2xi vs Cranleigh 2xi (a)
Toss: Cranleigh
HWRCC 218-6 Goldplate 101*, Cole 55
Cranleigh 125 ao Cole 3-10, Shinda 2-10
HWRCC win by 93 runs

Goulborn, Cole, Fudge*, Crowther, Soppitt (quack), Clark+, Cameron, Powell, Webster, O’Donnell, Shinda

The Case of the Missing Catches

A magnificent innings from Matthew Goulborn, a fine all round performance from Richard “Kes” Cole and a much improved bowling performance typified by Shri Shinda’s opening spell dominated this match. In inclement weather some of which reminded the HWRCC close fielders of skiing holidays they had been on, the Wick ran this game for much of the contest only coming second best for small periods in both innings. A young and enthusiastic Cranleigh side played no small part in this game but never quite got themselves into a position to win.

Cranleigh play on a village green style triangle bordered on one side by the house where PHB May lived and played his cricket from, pretty houses on the other and a busy b-road running from somewhere to Guildford. The sense of idyll is somewhat ruined by the traffic along the main road. For much of the game a local type on a trials bike motorfarted his way up and down the accompanying roads. Some wag also drove passed and employed a very musical horn to signal this size of his brain. Why DO people in cars have musical horns and what possesses them to use them alongside cricket grounds? It may have belonged to the family of the publican that named the pub opposite “The Cranley”. Spelling issues…

The outfield looked pretty good – but turned out to have slightly too much grass on it for a really free flowing boundary fest. And the wicket flattered to deceive. It looked like a true, hard, deck but turned out to be quite two paced, perhaps as a result of rain the day before (despite Cranleigh having covers). The very occasional ball really pinged through but mostly it was slowish and lowish. This impression of slowness was not helped by a bitter South Westerly wind which came from so far down the Atlantic that it smelled of Albatross and Galapagos turtle dung. It was not a track to suit the slogger or the dasher.

Inserted by a toss winning Cranleigh Goulborn and Cole soon ascertained the details Wickman has drawn your attention to. Golby, continuing in the vein of form he mined last week, was soon outscoring Cole, mostly playing in an arc between cover and third man. The cut and the drive were employed a great deal but Cranleigh continued to feed these strokes until Golby arrived at his 50 from 66 balls. Cole was both more circumspect but also unable to beat mid off. Despite looking in good touch this inability held him back until having become, like the Ancient Mariner, becalmed, he decided to take a more brutal approach and hit himself out of trouble mostly through and over mid on. A big six from a left arm off spinner who used the wind to some effect all afternoon brought up his fifty from 87 balls. He was out soon after looking to move the score along when he miscued to cover.

And here Cranleigh had their best spell of the game. Skipper Henderson and left arm spinner Harms managed to peg the Wick back. Having reached 50 it took Goulborn 20 or more balls to re-start his innings. Fudge played well but never quite mastered the two paced nature of the pitch and the wind holding back the spinner, perishing stumped off a floater for 20. Crowther and Soppitt both went quickly, Soppitt going so quickly that he forgot to score any runs and made a contribution to Duck Tax. All of a sudden a huge opening partnership was in danger of being squandered.

At 160 for 4 with only 7.2 overs to go Cranleigh were right back in it. But a brisk 39 run partnership between Goulborn and Clark took the Wick to the brink of 200 before Clark was bowled by a slower ball looking to play incorrectly for the first time with four overs to go. Cameron quickly sacrificed himself to get Golbourn back on strike, Webster subsided to the same delivery that did for Clark from the impressive Hill and as we entered the last over there remained the question of whether Golby would reach 100.

When Goulborn twice gave the strike away, the second time on the fourth ball of the over it looked unlikely, but Shinda managed to manufacture a single and amidst the tension Golborn jabbed a late cut between short third man and keeper to run a three which took him to 101*. Remarkably this innings began with him facing the first ball and ended on the last. A testament to him that he scored 46% per cent of our runs demonstrating that the innings was perfectly paced. Nicely anchored…

For Cranleigh the skipper Henderson conceding only 36 from a miserly spell and young left armer Harms who took 4 for 40 using the conditions well were the pick of the bowlers. But they were well supported by Hill’s slower balls and Trawber’s opening spell which conceded only 19 runs from 7. On balance at tea no one on the Wick side was entirely clear whether 218 was enough but it certainly had a lot going for it. Like the girl from University Challenge this year it was pulchritudinally challenged but what it lacked in the beauty stakes it made up for with cleverness. You could tell it was well educated enough to get a lucrative job in banking or the law, make a mint and retire early.

Tea was splendid. All sorts of dangerous numbers were being bandied around mostly because cold tuna pasta salad was on offer. There were big plates. Here there were also scones, jam and cream. Good sandwiches. Fruit salad inc. strawberries. The tea itself was served in PROPER mugs and was stronger than Lou Ferrigno who played The Hulk in the TV series of the same name and came fourth in the inaugural 1977 World’s Strongest Man Tournament (FACT!). However Wickman is in love momentarily with Dave’s wares again so felt moved to offer this no more than a 7.5. This tea lady clearly knows her business but the truly exceptional, the 9 or more, is not within her grasp while she refuses to bake anything from scratch. Harsh? Yes. Fair? ‘Fraid so.

Back out in amongst the action the opening attack this week comprised Shinda and Webster. Webster manfully chose to bowl into the wind and in two spells conceded only 26 runs and maintained discipline amongst the Cranleigh ranks. At the other end though Shinda was simply too potent for the Cranes’ top order. First of all he brewed up such a delicious cocktail of away swing that he left Trawber quite intoxicated. So much so that he first had him slashing into the slip region before trying to dance down the pitch and yorking himself. Top class stuff. He then produced the concoction of the day to remove Cranleigh’s experienced bat Preece pitching middle and leg, swinging and kissing the outside edge. Clark did not have to do a great deal and the dismissal was completed. Preece wandered back to the pavilion like a man heading home after an evening in a Hotel bar. The Cranes were not very many for two.

Readers of these reports will know that occasionally detectives turn up to help readers negotiate the inner mysteries in 2s games. This time imagine Columbo turning up in that dirty brown Mac to find out why the Wick did not completely roll Cranleigh. His discreet and conversational style of investigation would winkle out from the red faced slips a complete inability to hang onto the many and several opportunities presented off the bowling of Shinda, Webster and O’Donnell. He would also prise from those in the covers utterances about the changeable wind conditions and the presence of red trees and Windies supporters in the background.

There were 7 or more chances put down and against a more confident side they would have mattered. The fielding certainly needs some work. It was typified by one moment of total hilarity when a nameless individual swooped down for a run out at mid off, wound up for a big throw and succeeded only in misfiring the ball behind cover to turn a nervy single into a comfortable two. It was a legs in the air moment. Perhaps the moment which turned was the sad injury to Pinball. Having looked so electric at point that he had set the oppo to thinking they shouldn’t take a run if the ball was anywhere near him he destroyed his shoulder diving for one in the covers. He had to retire to the pavilion and could play no further part in the game. This could have been the moment Columbo turned round and said “just one more thing…”

In the event only Greaves and Brash prospered for Cranleigh, Greaves in particular looking the part and having the game to bring our total within reach. However Jimmy C, pitching the ball up and bowling as straight as he dared defeated an on drive to have him LBW on the back foot to a low full toss. Unsworth about whose excellently fair umpiring Ebenezer Scrooge would have glowed with praise, was left with no alternative but to give the decision.

Having prized out Greaves, Fudge picked the perfect moment to bring on Cole and Soppitt. The scorebook isn’t entirely clear on the details but together they took 5-36 from 14 with the scorebook suggesting that Cole leaked only 10 runs for his three wickets. Whatever the details Cole was accurate and difficult to get away, Delboy unafraid to vary the style of attack, his best wicket the removal of Brash who looked to be Cranleigh’s last hope. The last 7 bats made only 25 between them in the face of this all spin demolition and Fudge brought Powell and Webster into the attack to mop up the tail which they duly did without alarms.

Congratulations to the Wick boys for a winning performance by a bonus-point-securing margin. Huge congratulations to Golby for a wonderful innings full of delicate touches and confident driving and cutting. It’s a tribute to him that he outscored those employed down the order to slap the ball about a bit in the slapping the ball about a bit bit. If you know what Wickman means. Congratulations also to Richard Cole for a great all round performance and to Shri for that super opening spell. All three made MOM a tough call this week but Golby deserves it for setting up the win.

Up the Wick!