Match Report - Dorking vs 2xi by Fudgey

More positives than points…

HWRCC WINNING DRAW (4 POINTS)

Dorking 233/7 (55.0) Tanveer – 5/61
HWRCC 206/3 (45.0) Fudge 78, Rashid 67 (Winning draw target 191)

2 weeks without cricket is a looooooong time and unfortunately that is exactly what the 2nd XI faced after the disappointment of an abandoned game at home to Maori Oxshott last weekend. Saturdays in the summer without cricket are like gin without tonic or strawberries without cream, it just doesn’t feel right. So after an unsettled week and a downpour on Friday night we were relieved to arrive at Dorking on Saturday morning to find it was very much game on!

And it was game on, in every sense of the word as the top 6 teams in the league (now only separated by 11 points) did battle on a weekend where losing wasn’t an option.

Dorking C.C. is a proper club. Steeped in History, the ground itself is situated at the foot of Boxhill and provides fantastic views of the rolling Surrey Countryside. They have 4 teams that represent them on a Saturday, one on a Sunday, another midweek XI and thriving colts section. Most of those colts seemed to be representing their 3rd & 4th XI’s, just as it should be. Their 2’s are a solid team with no real weak links therefore it was a surprise to us all that they were relegated in 2010 after just on season in Division 4.

Their pitch had been covered yet it was still fairly soft and had a more than a tinge of green about it. On first inspection it promised to do a little early on, especially with the new ball, so winning the toss and bowling was the only option. We did exactly that and Unsworth & Lown opened up. Known to their team mates as Leggsy and Lownsy this can cause serious problems amongst the rest of the team as they set about encouraging the pair between deliveries. The skipper is easily confused and amongst trying to sort out his fields and stay one step ahead of the game he can often be heard to shout “Well bowled Leggsy boy” after Lownsy has beaten the outside edge and “Areas Lownsy” as Leggsy nips one away towards the slips. To their credit both Leggsy and Lownsy just pull the face and get on with their work, and it was only injury to Unsworth that stopped this charade from going on for over after over.

Unsworth is suffering from a “Pectoralis Muscle Rupture”. To you, me and everyone else he has tweaked his tit!! Not a common injury I hear you say, but it is a pain in the breast when it comes to trying to bowl right arm, medium-fast. He managed just 3 overs on Saturday and although he did grab the wicket of the opener caught at second slip by Tom Clements we were very quickly without the leader of our attack for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. Fahad Tanveer (not easily confused with Leggsy or Lownsy) replaced Unsworth and struck almost immediately, as the new ball was offering just enough assistance despite the pitch's apparent lack of pace. Tanveer would strike 2 more times in a devastating 1st spell and with the help of miserly overs from Lown at the other end Dorking were rocking at 49/4.

I mentioned that the pitch was slow, but in Tanveer we have a bowler who is quick through the air and he caused problems to a Dorking top order that all seemed to be in something of a hurry. None of them showed the application required of a top order batsman and their skipper’s team-talk, asking the batsman to be “selfish” had obviously fallen on deaf ears. It was left to the middle order to try and re-build a total.

With the ball now approaching 25 overs old, the pitch became very flat and offered very little in the way of sideways movement. It was left to Fudge (replacing Tanveer) and Breakwell to try and keep a lid on the scoring a restrict Dorking to anything under 200. Fudge returned 0/31 from his 11 overs and Breakwell 0/17 from the same number at the other end and although no.’s 5 & 6 were digging in, the WICK were well in control of the run rate. Neither of these batsmen was blessed with an immense amount of stroke making ability however they played the situation perfectly and towards the end of their 100+ partnership their follow throughs began to lengthen the boundaries were threatened. This was the perfect example of what “occupying the crease” does for you and proof that even batsman with limited ability can be difficult to dislodge.

Tanveer returned to eventually get rid of them both and ended up with career best figures of 5/61 from 14. Before no.’s 7 & 8 threw the bat at the end and damaged Breakwell’s figures with some lusty blows. The decision of Dorking’s captain (batting at the time) to bat the full 55 was an interesting one. If he knew anything about our first 6 games he would know that we haven’t had to chase anything more than 150 all season and historically we don’t do draws so he may have been tempted to leave us a more gettable target in an attempt to produce rash shots and collect early wickets. As it was he went the whole hog and left us with just 45 to chase down 233.

Tea – 2009 isn’t that long ago but I am pretty sure that the teas were of a slightly higher standard back in the day than they were on this occasion. Plenty to go round and all pleasant enough, but a bit like the home team's bowling attack, it lacked variation and any real sense of mystery. 6.5/10

The 2s welcomed Imran Rashid into the ranks for Saturday’s game, a selection that would hopefully benefit the team and more importantly the individual involved. Rashid is pure class!! You won’t see a higher elbow or a bigger stride in the whole of the Surrey league. He reminds me of Matthew Elliot (former Australian Test Batsman) who albeit was left handed, shares the same upright, fluent style and unquestionable desire when it comes to churning out big runs. At the halfway point skipper Fudge had set his and the team’s eye firmly on reaching the winning draw target of 191. And thoughts of winning the game outright were parked until we found ourselves in a position to do so. 191 from 45 is still 4.2 an over and a sensible target in a league where 4 points could become crucial.

Rashid opened with the dependable Cole and the two of them were joined in the middle by Unsworth as the umpire called play on the second innings. Despite some indifferent batting this year, this wasn’t a new tactic dreamt up to bamboozle the opposition by opening up with three batsmen, (although now you mention it…) but Unsworth was purely there to help facilitate Cole in the running between wickets after he had earlier picked up a hamstring injury when diving to stop a ball at short extra cover. Unsworth was ultimately chosen after a process of elimination that involved working out who was the least knackered. The skipper had initially picked keeper Copeland (youngest in the team, despite previous warning) but after being told where to go by his young keeper (no respect these days) it was decided that even a torn tit couldn’t get Unsworth out of this one. In a week where the ICC outlined plans to stop batsman from having runners, Unsworth was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but manfully took one for the team, donning pads, gloves, bats and even a helmet, to match Cole’s attire. It’s a good job it wasn’t too hot!!

Cole and Rashid looked a really solid opening partnership, playing straight and seeing off any problems the new ball may have caused. Both kept the scoreboard ticking and racked up a 50 partnership to dent Dorking’s early intent. The pair almost made it too drinks (25 overs) before Cole (and Unsworth, now puffing quite profusely) was dismissed for 28 trying to loft spinner Quinn over the infield. Fudge joined Rashid and pushed the score on to 98/1 from 30 overs. The WICK required another 93 from the last 15 overs to secure the winning draw and they were favourites to do so as Fudge and now Rashid were starting to hit the smaller of the two boundaries with more regularity. Fudge brutally greeted 2 bowling changes as Subesh & Rogers were hit out of the attack after just one over spells. He bought up his 50 with a lofted 6 over extra cover and more than little help from fielder, Lane. Rashid too had reached his 50 and was looking like really going on, before he dragged on the impressive Lane (2/52) for 67. The WICK reached the winning draw target with 2 overs to go and as Fudge fell going for another maximum on over the short offside thoughts of a win disappeared with him back to the pavilion. Weerakoon & Crowther were left to knock around the final few deliveries and the WICK went home with a well earned 4 points.

MOM – Rashid A near flawless opening display, Rashid provided the 2’s (and opening partner Cole) with exactly what we had been missing. Rashid displayed great technique, a sense of calm and a desire to turn a good start into a well made half century. The 2’s batting clicked this week as they made 206 in good time against a decent attack. This added to another near flawless fielding display and a bowling effort that did well to recover from Unsworth’s injury and restrict Dorking in a mammoth 55 overs provided us with plenty positives heading into this weeks re-match against table topping Old Hamptonians.