HWRCC Sunday XI Vs Phoenix. HWRCC won by 6 wickets

Report by James Lloyd Esq.

Rashid, Hirsh, Holland, Davies, Copeland+, Miles, Lloyd, Philp, Unsworth, Edmunds, Charlton

I remember the day when the Wick was a reasonably lively and at best unpredictable beast to tame. Massive ridge at one end, tufts of green grass mottling the playing surface, the odd stray bottle cap embedded in the surface by the local yoof. It all added up to interesting cricket and you really had to keep your head in the game. Sundays game was interesting for its own reasons which we will get into shortly but there was a certain something missing. Sure the boundary was enormous, the track dusty as hell from the two previous games and the outfield hard and bumpy such that fielders often felt like they were diving on a cheese grater but at times you could have been anywhere in the world but leafy suburbia.

As it happened a total of 1,300 runs were scored on that scortched patch of Surrey turf in two days!! But we were the only team to take 10 wickets (actually 15 if you count the dropped catches but anyway). With regular captain Tong auditioning for the next episode of Hollyoaks, it was left to Lloydy to pull together a team from the 5 names provided on Thursday night but after a few pleading text messages and pouring sambucca down Leggsy’s neck until he gave in and agreed to play we finally had a team. Not much bowling but a team it was. Toss won, bat first Fact!

Hirshy and Immy opened up and immediately looked in fine fettle against a brisk if slightly erratic Phoenix opening pair. Hirsh fell to the 1st change chinaman bowler for a good 20 odd and Dutchy continued the onslaught until he pulled his calf running his second 3 in a row and was reduced to the long handled approach. He eventually fell to a grenade from the Kingsfield end which unlike the rest of the spell actually turned. Immy meanwhile played an excellent innings full of confidence and composure with plenty of lusty drives and sharp singles to reach his hundred . Davies joined him and smashed a quick fire 45 with a few disdainful Dil-Scoops and reverse sweeps thrown in for good measure but was caught on the boundary 5 short of his fifty. Harry looked to finish off the innings nicely only to be stumped the penultimate ball and let Phil finish the innings. Wick closed on 252/4 from 40 overs with Immy red ink on 134 no.

Teas- Curiously had a meaty overtone due to Dave getting over excited by a buy 2 get 1 free offer on luncheon meat and salami in his local Saino’s but all good none the less.

In reply captain Lloyd turned to his only two medium pacers in an extremely hungover Edward ‘Chunder’ Charlton and the somewhat tired Imran Rashid to open the innings. A little known fact about Ed is that in order to keep his focus and rhythm when bowling, he utilises his own imaginary internal I-Pod. When asked what tune he has on in his head fully expecting a reply ‘Killing in the Name of’ by Rage Against the Machine or perhaps ‘Smack my B***h up!” by The Prodigy like most pace bowlers, Lloydy was a little taken aback with the reply “Reach for the Stars” by 90’s Candy Pop group S-Club 7. Anyway whatever floats your boat I guess.

At the other end Immy (whom your scribe imagines plays out entire concerto’s in his head to keep relaxed) managed to get one to pop on the opener who could only spoon it to emergency fielder Tom Philp. The rest of the Phoenix bats then decided the best way to get close to our total was to try and smash everything that came at them but were seemingly bereft of the skill to keep the ball down so chances and half chances came thick and fast. Charlton managed to get their No3 to hoik one down long on’s Gregory and the wickets started to fall from there.

Matty D replaced Immy after 4 overs and was bowling well then promptly dropped a skier off his second over- very out of character for him. At the other end Joe Hirsh bowled some lovely legspin but was unfortunately not backed up by his field sufficiently who dropped a couple and then was denied a run out at the non strikers end when the umpire said he couldn’t be sure if he had touched it or not despite the sound and Joey rubbing a bruised finger gingerly. Anyway Davies got him next over holding on to another skier for a C+B and then next over drawing an edge which was snaffled by Harry standing in for the injured Dutchy.

Shortly before the tea break Lloydy had received a text from Leggsy stating “Chundered everywhere can’t get out of toilet, sorry mate”. To be fair, Lloydy had only managed to convince him to play after A LOT of sambucca so not really leggsy’s fault. But due to some quick thinking by Dutchy a replacement was raised in the form of Aussie Doug who became the new Leggsy and bowled some lovely legspin as it happened. So leggies at both ends at the Wick… don’t see that often do you.

By now Phoenix needed 60 off the last 10 overs to win and their loud and to the casual observer, over enthusiastic support was cheering them on to a victory. Doug bowled some very tight lines, kept the runs down and slowly the game started to change. A caught and bowled by the Aussie leggie, a good stumping by harry a direct hit run out by Immy and a suicidal run out by Matty D throwing in from the deep, all in the space of 5 overs swung the game in our direction.

With 2 overs to go and 1 wicket left, Hirshy stepped up, got one to bite and the burly number 11 lofted it to Lloydy at mid off who took the catch on the run to end the innings. In truth we all felt a bit sorry for Hirshy as he bowled excellently against a team that looked to hit everything for 6, but his figures don’t reflect it and he certainly deserved another 3 wickets in the chances put down alone. One for Captain Cameron to bear in mind for the future maybe.

An exciting finish to a game that looked to be taken away from us by some robust hitting and a lack of regular bowlers. But thanks have to go to those players that agreed to play and especially to those that volunteered to bowl on such a flat deck. Phoenix were left to wonder how they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory two years in a row and we were left all wondering whether Immy had in fact had Wheatabix for breakfast as to carry your bat for 40 overs, put on 134 runs, take a wicket with the ball and then a run out is sterling stuff indeed.

As a final thought, captaincy can be a thank less task sometimes, especially when you have only 5 players putting their hands from the regular 33 who play on Saturdays. Sunday cricket is a good standard and a great opportunity to help you find some form especially if you aren’t batting much on Saturdays so please try and support Tongy for the rest of the season as he may need it if he doesn’t get in to Hollyoaks season 97.