Dorking vs HWRCC 1xi - Match Report by Matty DeE

Wick beat Dorking by 1 run, winning off the last ball.

For scorecard, click here

It's not difficult to separate out what really matters from what doesn’t, but it's hard to remember this distinction. Saturday was a season-defining (possibly cricket-career defining for some) victory for the Wick which had everything you could want in a game of cricket apart from maybe a touch more sun.

This report could have been some kind of ode to the real beautiful game (it did have a touch of Hollywood about it), but I write as the news of Tom Maynard’s death fills the online news stands and everything is put into perspective. RIP – he had the skills to make it all the way and accidental or deliberate, your passing is our loss. I will never forget Saturday, but at the end of the day it’s just a game of cricket.

Blimey – where do I start.

The Wick put out a relatively youthful looking team against a strong Dorking side that boasted a few real quality players – one of whom has a contract with Sussex CCC. Dorking are a strong batting team and the evidence of our unsuccessful T20 game against them few weeks back was that they had a few ‘characters’ shall we say. The track was flat, if a little slow due to conditions, but essentially good. A short boundary one side (and straight) also encouraged runs throughout the day. A quick chat at the start encouraged some aggression and a bit more ballsiness than in previous weeks…to get in their faces somewhat. If we were to win this one we needed to give it back.

Daisy and Nom started brightly, the former bowling a beautiful spell with the wind but with little assistance off the deck, the latter manfully running into the gale (poor old Keith – all day standing into 30mph). Pressure of dot balls eventually told and Rudolph swooped in from cover and ran out their skipper with a calm piece of fielding. But the quality batsman continued to arrive.

The track was flat and getting better as the sun came out. The fielding was below par but we stuck to our guns and kept a lid on the runs – keeping them to no more than 3.5 until towards the end. Tong didn’t find his areas but Raza bowled with control and containment, and Dare at the other end didn’t disappoint with another high class demonstration of flight and guile…the highlight being the dismissal of the Sussex contracted player (Rollings), caught behind to a good snaffle from Boney. Alex Dare is 14 and possibly 5ft tall. Jordan Rollings is 7ft (yes – taller than Joey) and looks the part. Remember this contrast.

Some classy late order hitting from the young Leverock (16 years old! – If you were there you would have been very impressed) and a classy innings from #4 (70*) meant Dorking ended up with 240-5 declared. A very good total but not beyond our reach. 50 overs was also about right on what was a good track.

Teas – people had suggested that it would be a belter. I was left disappointed. Variety sure, but relatively bland and I'm big on my sauces and spices. It was just a bit too dry and ‘English’ for my taste. 5/10.

OK – here’s where the fun starts. Matty Rudolph had been given the brief by myself to annoy the hell out of the oppo by chatting all day. He didn’t disappoint. Keith asked me to calm him down after 3 overs (he was fielding at 3rd man -) [Reminds me of a young AJ - Ed]. I responded by bringing him into the circle. More please Matt. He was like a broken record and he kept us going all day in the face of some hooligan-like taunting from the clubhouse that bordered (and crossed occasionally) the line between banter and bullying. Rudolph ran out their skipper, fielded like a gazelle and took two steepling catches in front of the mob. Matt has a lot to work on but his determination is on a par with anyone I’ve ever played with. Top lad.

A re-worked batting line up saw young Finbar (who batted #11 against Stoke a few weeks back) be rewarded for a string of impressive performances with an opening berth with Ali. Both went off beautifully. The oppo were keen to point out that Rollings (actually a quick bowler – from 7ft), was a quick bowler. Ali took little notice and smote him everywhere, racing to about 28 off maybe 15 balls. Finbar wasn’t far behind, happy to use his 3lb bat to find the boundary. Fin had almost caught Nomi up when he fell for 29 and the score on 60-odd. A great start after 12 overs. Boney went first ball and Davies survived the hat trick. Ali didn’t last too long thereafter – a superb catch in the gully which left us teetering at 75-3. In came Daisy, who had an air of control and aggression in his eyes. Together they scored 90 runs at a fair lick, looking in little trouble as the rain fell (and no doubt stopped the ball swinging). This was Alex’s best innings for the Wick because it contained the correct mix of brute strength and also control that befits a player of his quality.

His wicket brought in Rudolph who was subject to a barrage of abuse more akin to feeding time in a zoo. He hung around for a while but the quality of the attack told in the end, which brought Raza to the crease. We will return to Rudolph at the end. Davies then holed out (again!!!) which brought in Nav to partner Kam. Our run rate was perfect, but we needed 80 off 18 overs with 4 wickets in hand. This was a crucial partnership and they didn’t disappoint. I’ve made many mistakes as captain but putting Kammy at 7 this week was a great decision and his experience was vital at this time – harrying singles and also bludgeoning the occasional boundary. Nav also played with calmness and control we see so often in the nets (and that he has shown for the 2s already this year).

Obviously it then got a bit hairy as they brought back their real quicks Leverock and Rollings (7ft). Nav was yorked at 222, leaving us 19 short 7 down. Then, with victory within grasp, Kam fell to a fast Yorker. And then Charlton too! So help me god.

It was the penultimate over and big Rollings had 3 cracks at the young 14-yr old Dare.

#1 – Yorker. Dot.
#2 – Yorker. Dot.
#3 – Yorker. Dot.

Alex set himself for this delivery and his size 6 bat was only seemingly just about strong enough to keep it out. He couldn’t have got any lower playing the shot, almost below the height of the bails. The cheers raised the roof!

Last over – Wick need 3 runs, Dorking need 1 wicket. 2 runs for a tie.

#1 – guided by GT to 3rd man. 1 run.
#2 – AD on strike. Play and a miss. Dot.
#3 – No run.
#4 – No run! OMG.

2 to win, 1 to tie.

#5 – Alex hits it to mid on. GT goes, Alex has no choice. We didn’t come this far to die wondering. The ball is fumbled and Alex dives in. Scores are level! The boys go mental.

Last ball – 1 to win and we can’t lose, but they can take half the points with a dot ball (or a wicket).

#6 – GT dabs it into the off side and sets off. Alex slips on the greasy turf but eventually sets off like a hare. Cover swoops in and the pick up is decent but the throw not the best and Alex dives full length and makes his ground as the stumps are demolished. The boys are on the field and I think Ed Charlton may have been crying ;). Pure unadulterated joy as the youngsters from thee wick take full points in Dorking’s back yard. An epic epic run chase and fully deserved morally and technically. Brilliant.

Dorking have a few very very talented players – mostly bats but some serious players. Rollings was a credit to his profession – it's true Nomi took him apart and it wasn’t his day with the ball but he took it on the chin and came back when it mattered at the end. Gracious and classy. He also scored a slow but important 60 at the top of the innings. He and others conducted themselves with dignity throughout and accepted the result for what it was. A few of the others quite frankly got egg on their faces and deserved everything they got. They seemed more focused on trying to bully us and neglected their own game. Shame.

Dorking should get promoted. They’re easily the most talented team we’ve played thus far. Which is ironic because we beat them and managed to lose to numerous others.

A brilliant day for the Wick in the face of lots of talent and even more besides.

Man of Match – Daisy. Excellent innings and very good bowling performance too against a strong line up.

Man of Day – Matt Rudolph. Because he did what I asked and doesn’t give a sh*t about what anyone else thinks.

2xi vs Old Emmanuel - 9 June (ahem) by Immy

HWRCC- 2xi vs Old Emanuel
HWRCC- 2xi won by 5 Wickets

For scorecard click here

It was back home, to a damp wicket and very slow outfield due to rain throughout the week. But fortunately it was dry on match day but very windy. WICK won the toss again (lucky coin) and this time decided to bowl first but keeping in mind that we would have to prepare our ourselves to chase a target.

Fahad got an early breakthrough, the opposition's opening bat caught at slip by Byrne. From the other end Aqeel was struggling to bowl into the very strong wind. Old Emanuel's bats took the advantage and played some big shots. They were scoring at a brisk rate (it was 81/3). It was a hard time for the skipper, with helpful suggestions comming from all over the place to spread the field. But the skipper didn't panic, took the gamble and brought Aqeel back from the other end and it worked. And finally we put the breaks on. Aqeel end up with 4/35, Fahad and Fudgey got a couple, and we bowled the opposition out for just 102.

DBW was surprised because he wasn't expecting an early tea. The bowlers had done their job again and now it was all up to our batting to get the runs. Fudge and Byrne looked good in the middle but again we lost early wickets and we were 27/3. The Skipper and Rudolph held the innings together and took the score to 61. Finally some runs came out from Immy's bat! But he got out in a most unfortunate way, smacking the very first ball from a left arm spinner to silly point. The fielder had no idea where the ball was, which hit his thigh and then stuck in his arms. Normally when the batsman hits that hard, closing fielders turn their back and try to hide from the ball. But he didn't have enough time to react. That made 61/4. Zohaak came in and fired a quick 22 with 2 huge sixes. At the other end Matty Rudolph batted superbly, played some lovely shots without any fear (scored 27 not out). AJ went in to secure the win for WICK at the death.

Another good performance from all the players. We should have got that target for less than 5 wickets, we still need to improve our batting. At the end of the day another victory. Well done! WICK 2nd XI top of the table with 56 points

MOM: Aqeel Ilyas 4/35

Woodmansterne 2xi vs HWRCC 2xi - Match Report by Immy

Woodmansterne 2xi vs HWRCC
HWRCC 183/9 50.5 Overs
Woodmansterne 118/10 29.1 Overs Fahad 6-33, Naveendra 4-24
HWRCC wins by 65 runs

Click here for scorecard

It was Derby day in Epsom, so we had to leave early. Keith suggested that we take the M25 to avoid the traffic. The Sat Nav kept telling us to turn around but we followed the M25 route, trusting Keith. The journey was 3 times longer than the normal route. Interestingly, the guys that took the normal route reached Woodmansterne earlier...

Anyways, it was the first “timed game” for us this season. We won the toss again and elected to bat first. Byrne and Golbourn opened up for the WICK. It was looking a steady start from them but didn’t last long, with Goldy caught at point. And then wickets started tumbling from one end. Byrne showed a bit of resistance but was unlucky when the ball rolled on to his stumps and just flipped the bail. The positive was that everyone contributed with a few runs. Naveendra played a very good innings, holding one end open and also played some lovely shots. He is a class act. Surprisingly Aqeel supported him well (scored 20 with 3 fours). And together the took us to 183 which was looking unlikely at one point.

Then it’s all left to our reliable bowling attack. Fahad and Aqeel started the proceedings. Fahad looked in very good rhythm from the very first ball. He bowled really quick. Got the early breakthrough that the skipper was looking for. The opposition showed some intent to get the runs quickly. Their number 3 batsman was looking to get all his runs in boundaries. He got a huge nick to Matt Rudolph off Aqeel’s bowling. We all were convinced even the non-striker, but, like the driving route earlier, the Chairman thought otherwise. But the No 3 didn’t last long and got out for 24. Wickets then fell at regular intervals and it didn’t allow them to settle down. From the other end Junaid kept things quiet, but we needed to bowl them out. Naveendra was introduced and he was just too good with his line and length and took the last four wickets in no time. Jamie Craddock also bowled couple of overs, he is still very young, he has the potential to be a very good bowler!

It was again a very good performance from all 11 players. It’s the self belief, passion and energy which are winning games for us. Now 4 wins in a row! Great, keep going guys!

MOM: Naveendra Weerakoon - Scored 42 and took 4 wickets

Match Report Merrow 1xi vs HWRCC

1s lose to Merrow.
Merrow 178-6
Wick 145 ao

Click here for scorecard

I would classify last Saturday merely as a loss. We played some good cricket, as did the oppo, and we were on the wrong end of a good tussle. The fact that it has happened a few times already this year isn’t the point here.

Good game, some good performances but a loss. No more. The week before was a debacle on a par with Godalming 2008, but that’s an entirely different story.

Clearly the 1s are not playing to their full potential. We’ve played 5 and lost 3 of them. We didn’t lose any last year! There are perhaps a number of factors in this. Firstly we’ve never traditionally been a batting side, but when you’re ‘Reliables’ are not reliably scoring runs, it doesn’t matter how well you bowl and field, you won’t win. For the record I would classify myself as a ‘Reliable’.

Secondly, whilst I can honestly say that the standard this year has been slightly down on the top of Fullers Div 1 (its clearly better than the bottom of Div 1), the opposition have shown themselves (with one exception) to be wily. Difficult tracks have favoured relatively dour cricket. Our side is full of bravado and strike makers. Last week for instance 7 of 10 wickets to fall were caught in the outfield (not even in the cordon).

Thirdly we have lost 3 in a row at home. We’ve won our 2 away. New surface, new rules?

Fourthly cricket is played in the head and momentum can take you on a ride. But its up to you to address it when this happens and turn the corner. I always say if it was easy it wouldn’t be so enjoyable.

Having said that, and reflecting on how poorly we have played overall this year to date, we could easily be 5 form 5. Against Kingstonian, which actually felt a bit like a pre-season friendly for us, we came within 6 runs of winning. Against Sanderstead, a decision here or an edge that didn’t go to hand could have meant we walked home having been 100-2 only chasing 148. Last week the opposition relied heavily on a brilliant knock from their overseas – rarely will he have left the ball so well against persistent attack. 45-4 at drinks says it all. That 70-odd won’t be bettered this season.

Still lots of positives to look forward to – ideally with some good flat tracks that reward bravery (not stupidity). And then I look at the weather forecast. Oh well, I guess it’s up to me then...

MOM – Boney. Exceptional innings.

Tim Bresnan - Get Him Down The Wick?

Well obviously you would get Tim Bresnan down the Wick if he was thinking about playing Surrey Champ cricket. He'd probably get a bowl and he'd bat 7 for the 1s. Well, some weeks anyway. Probably he'd be lower down some times. The issues would probably be replicating his salary which is a bit outside our budget and he'd want some Northern beer on tap rather than Pride. Wickman thinks there are some passable Ales from up that way and it would be some company for Riley.

So why has he only played 14 games of Test cricket? Surely if he's good enough for the Wick he's good enough for England?

Wickman can't quite understand what it is about Bresnan which seems to divide opinion. But he thinks it's because he looks like a cart horse in the mould of Matthew Hoggard. This allows journalists to dust off their tired cliches about, well, cart horses, and trudging back to marks and Yorkshire dourness and all the other crud the press comes out with.

What Wickman thinks is that TB just needs a professional makeover and a spin doctor. If he had a quiff like Jimmy Anderson, or lots of floppy Malfoylike locks like Broady or maybe blinged himself up like some of the West Indian bowlers it would get him onto the team sheet every time. A litte bit of work and the Lily Allen brigade would be tweeting about getting him into her corridor of uncertainty in no time. After that would follow marriage to a pop star and endorsements from Mens' grooming product brands.

'Cos he's certainly good enough to play for England almost every time. So it sort of MUST be about image...

KP Retires from International Limited Overs Cricket

Ever one for the dramatic gesture, Keven Pietersen has stunned cricket fans around the world by retiring from International One Day cricket. He will continue to be available for Test Cricket (phew) and will play IPL.

What's absolutely screamingly transparent is that this has got nothing to do with retiring from International one dayers per se and everything to do with a break down in negotiations with the ECB. Reading between the lines he no longer wanted to play 50 over cricket but would have happily played International T20s but the ECB took a stand and said he couldn't give up just one form of the game.

So probably England's finest, most innovative, fastest scoring bats in the short forms (only Eoin Morgan can hold a candle) is now lost to us. Will he play left handed in Tests? Use the scoop? Reverse slog? Probably. But we wont get to see the same level of innovation in his cricket in England colours.

You have to sympathise with both sides don't you? The ECB can't move to a model where they have separate teams under contract for each form of the game can they? The cost and bureaucracy would be ludicrous. And making exceptions to the rules... that's enough to make even the most enlightened administrator shudder. And at the same time who gives a monkeys about 50% of ODIs around the world? If you are playing in dead rubbers (the Aussies gave up playing those in Australia a long time ago) it must be absolutely soul destroying. Every chance of getting dropped from the side for a run of poor form, no chance of winning a trophy? Wickman says pah! Which is probably what KP was thinking to having to play in 20 or so of them a year.

Wickman is fervently hoping something can be done. T20s without KP will not be the same...

Who Is Imran?

He's the new 2xi skipper and his team are top of the league. He shares a name with his cricketing hero, but what else should you know about Imran Rashid? Find out here with Wickman's handy guide to Immers...

Name: Imran Rashid
Wicknames: Immy, Immers

1. When did you join the Wick and why? Joined Wick in 2009 found people at Wick very friendly and cooperative especially when someone came from a different country. Never felt that i’m playing away from my home. Just putting playing conditions aside as they are completely different from Pakistan
2. Best knock for the Wick? There are some big scores but I reckon 69 against Oxted and Limpsfield CC when all the big guns failed and I was relatively new in the team. Was judged LBW by Nicholls. Can’t forget. Quite right Immy - you've joined a long list
3. Best bowling? 3 for 3 in 7 overs when we were only defending 122 runs on a good batting strip against Guildford City CC. And won the game!
4. A catch you remember... It was in close at gully, Joe Ewen [who he? Ed] was bowling and he has serious pace. It was slashed hard, I dived to my left and took it inches from the ground
5. What do you do in the Winter? Count days until the summer so I can start playing cricket again...
6. Who's your favourite cricketer? Tell us why... Imran Khan. He is the Legend
7. Who do you admire at the Wick? Why? Bob Sissen. Very kind, generous and compassionate. Is this THE Bob Sissen?
8. Best International cricket moment? Australia vs South Africa ODI when South Africa chased down 435 runs and made a world record. 
9. Favourite DBW tea element? Egg Mayo
10. Wick buddy? Paul Hibberd [who he? Ed]
11. Favourite oppo and why? Kempton CC
12. What one thing do you still want to achieve in cricket? My dream is to play at Lords and the Sydney Cricket Ground
13. Film + Book + Music? Favorite film “Hugo” Musical band “Strings”
14. Favourite Wick moment? When Announced 2xi Captain for 2012 season
15. Favourite crisps? McCoys Flame Grilled Steak

Who IS Wickman?

A question Wickman often gets asked is "Who IS Wickman?" He often looks evasive and suggests it might be Keith. Or Jelly. Or even Clarky. But the truth is stranger than these fictions. Wickman answers this season's 15 questions to give you some insight.

Name: Wickman
Wicknames: Wickman

1. When did you join the Wick and why? 1863. I was living very close to the Wick (in fact i was closest to the Wick) and was personal friends with the De Crespignys. They decided to establish a cricket club and I didn't have anything planned for the Summer.
2. Best knock for the Wick? Was seeing it like an Association Football back on the 1926 Sussex Tour. Sadly bats were not what they are today and I couldn't get the ball off the square. Scored 17 in four hours, all singles
3. Best bowling? Have never been brought on despite sending signals to various Captains. Was almost brought on in 1945 just after the war when we were short of able bodied players
4. A catch you remember... Gatesy's off the last ball against Old Sluts a few years back in the dark. Clarky was keeping and said for the only time in his life he was hoping the bat didn't feather it to him because he couldn't see the ball.
5. What do you do in the Winter? Go through old scorebooks. Polish old balls with beeswax in time for nets. Whiten my pads. Glue the green pimples back onto my batting gloves. Marvellous stuff this Superglue.
6. Who's your favourite cricketer? Tell us why... No doubt about it, Ian Botham. As they say he used to empty the bars at cricket grounds at a time when the rest of the England team were filling them up.
7. Who do you admire at the Wick? Why? Keith. Turned it round from the dark days of the early 2000s.
8. Best International cricket moment? Headingly 1981 on the Monday. Simply unbelievable.
9. Favourite DBW tea element? At the moment it's the fruit slices. Can't get enough of them. Saw them fresh out of the Mr Kipling wrapper before the last game. The moistness was like a Wick deck in April. Superb.
10. Wick buddy? The Rev de Crespigny
11. Favourite oppo and why?
12. What one thing do you still want to achieve in cricket? Would like to see the Wick reach a Premier Division in Surrey. Which team will get there first? The 3s and 4s are a season away from it...
13. Film + Book + Music? Film: Any of the new dangled talkies Book: have you GOT a Kindle? What's all that about? Music: I'm a big fan of Hibby and the Eskimos
14. Favourite Wick moment? Seeing the look on Mickey McMahon's face after some of the younger lads found Frank Henry Bean where I'd hidden him in the score box after we got raddled at his wake...
15. Favourite crisps? My body is a temple

Not Troubling the Scorers

This isn't a name and shame post about the number of ducks on Saturday. So AJ can rest easy. Although Wickman may return to the subject at a later date. Be warned.

Nope. This is a post about the phrase "He didn't trouble the scorers". Which has always struck Wickman as odd. As you will know if you have ever been asked to do the book for a bit while some other git is farming the filthy dobber you just got out to, the best kind of scoring is sticking a dot in the bowling analysis. What could be easier? Ball whistles through to the keeper and you just press the pencil down in the bowling analysis. The only way it could get any less troublesome for the scorers is if it's tea time. Then the scorer is scoffing DBW's finest treats and checking to see if there's any talent sunbathing on the outfield that they couldn't see from the box.

The absolutely last thing the scorer wants to have to do is deal with a wicket. And if the unlucky victim has just failed to register any runs there's a strong argument that they've only just finished dealing with a wicket before you got in and got straight out. When a wicket falls you have to close off the innings, write in the batsman's total (at least you don't have to add much up), write in the time of dismissal. Count the minutes in the innings. Stick in a W. Try to work out which oppo fielder caught it. Write in the fall of wicket total. Who's the not out bat and how many are they on? Write in the number of the bowler and bat in the annoying strip down the bottom which shows what happened in what over. Then work out who the next bat is. And whether or not anyone crossed. etc etc.

So the next time you are trudging back disconsolate from the middle thinking "at least the scorers will be better off without me" think again. In fact rewind. Think about the poor scorer. Instead of trying to thrash the ball into Selvesy's allotment (and probably break his ipad which is all he seems to do down there - wink wink Selvesy - HD is it?) pat it back to the bowler. Repeat...

Guess Who the Zulus Are…

The Wick bowling attack has S&L 9 down but can't make the final breakthrough

HWRCC 4xi vs Staines and Laleham
HWRCC 194-8 (45.5 overs) Clark 79, Miles 46
Staines and Yawnham 89-9 (45 overs)
HWRCC winning draw (4pts) by 105 runs

Zulu is a film that we watch at Easter and other bank holidays. It commemorates the battle of Rourke’s Drift in 1879. It’s a rollicking good watch.

The Brits were trying to take over Southern Africa. No doubt we were pretty keen on diamonds, gold and nice beaches. Quite rightly the local populace were less than impressed.

Thousands of them gathered together at Isandlwana and kicked seven shades of shit out of the Brits and then surrounded a handful of fleeing infantry, engineers and the wounded at a missionary station in Natal. The Brits had guns, officers, a bit of pluck and skills. The oppo – Zulus – had numbers (about 4000), plenty of very sharp looking spears, one or two rifles and the geographical advantage.

11 Victoria Crosses were won at Rourke’s Drift. Wave upon wave of Zulu warriors charged at the station – eventually the Brits fell back in a last ditch stand – and following the fiercest hand to hand combat you can imagine eventually the Zulus decided enough was enough and withdrew. In real life this was because a relief army was on its way. In the film there is singing of songs – Zulu warriors saluting the bravery of their foe, the Brits belting out Men of Harlech.

Today’s game of cricket was a bit like the battle of Rourke’s Drift. It was, like that battle, eventually a draw after waves and waves of Wick pressure were repulsed by S&L. But there the similarity ends. If the S&L mob are handing out Victoria crosses this morning it would be a shame. And the men of the Wick will not be singing songs of praise for their bravery. And Wickman doubts very much that Staines will be returning the favour either.

The Staines skipper had, like the Brits, lost a battle before he got to the Wick – the 3s skipper had taken all his batting. So a rag tag army turned up to Kingsfield, won the toss, decided to bowl (ATS – Clarky would have done the same) and gave up at tea, never chasing the target.

That said, he had bought his best attack with him. Which makes it all the more surprising that Miles and Clark put on 125 for the first wicket, batting authoritatively and accelerating well after they’d seen the shine off. There were a few edges and the odd drop – Clarky was palmed over the boundary for one of his sixes and Miles was put down by a bowler – but this was not a streaky partnership. It was hot out there and they thoroughly demoralised the oppo and ground them into the dust.

The oppo started with some control – four of their five maidens were bowled in the first 8 overs – but once the batsmen got used a pitch that had some skiddy pace in it – they plundered runs at a rate of 5 an over so that by over 30 125 had been amassed. There were some good looking shots out there. A pulled six and a bullet quick off drive from Clarky, late cuts and chunky drives from Miles were the highlights. The perfect platform had been set for those who would follow.

Miles departed a boundary sort of his fifty caught at mid off attempting to find that boundary. Lloydy drove down the wrong line and was bowled. It’s often like that after you’ve sat and watched for 30 overs. Clark eventually perished with the score on 155 from 36. A fightback by S&L at this point snuffed out much acceleration (Edmonds and Usman tried to give it some tap) and we reached 194 from 45.4. There was some muttering about umpiring decisions – but as these are our teammates they are our umpiring decisions…

The pick of the oppo bowlers was opener Cole and Gyves Jr was surprisingly rapid. He’s going to be a handful in a couple of years. Rafiq sprayed it around a bit and picked up a few wickets. Gyves Sr took a couple of wickets when the slog was on.

You know of course, in hindsight, that this was too many runs. Why did the acting skipper of the day bat on this long? S&L came third in this league last year and have regularly put decent scores on. His reasoning was to give them the same number of overs back as they should have been capable of chasing. In the event we probably could have declared after 30 overs and still won the game. Because S&L never really made even a token attempt.

Tea – Wickman has been away a long time and had forgotten DBW’s arts. It was magnificent to be back tasting that special sauce in the egg sandwiches etc. As per there was nothing different and there were no home baked cakes so it’s a very creditable 8 and exactly why Clarky came out of retirement.

The Staines innings was largely an abomination – the hideous mutated offspring of an alien beast, a Chernobylled Zebu and one of those American women who has had too much plastic surgery. Did anyone on their side really believe there was a chance they could chase this? Wickman doubts it. A couple of shots were played in anger, but the leading scorer for S&L was our old friend E X Tras who amassed 38. Which meant that all of S&L’s batsmen together put on a measly 51 from 45 overs. Crap really.

For S&L the Colts Hunt and Gyves look like proper cricketers who in the future will make many runs for S&L - but in the engine room of the S&L reply they were not going to be able to move things on quick enough. Perhaps Rafiq and Carty might have been able to make a go of it, but neither really got in for long enough.

Our bowling was good. Three colts – Jack Smith, James Hoppe and Olly King – between them produced the figures 17-6-25-3 – which was very good indeed. Jack was 5-3-2-1! All bowled with admirable control and did exactly what was asked of them. Phenomenal stuff. Usman bowled 9 overs of interesting looking off spin and took a wicket. Collier too. Splinter and even Clarky took a wicket each. But when a side has decided to shut up shop – which probably happened round about the 10 over mark – balls have to be hitting the stumps to have a chance of taking wickets and not enough of ours were. A couple of stiff chances were put down in the cordon but the standard of the fielding was good.

In such situations tempers fray and there were some fractious moments. The umpires need to be on top of things and look like they know the rules – which wasn’t the case here. A bump ball catch was appallingly adjudicated causing annoyance all round – eventually Wickman thinks the right decision was made – the batsman was reinstated – but that was largely done through negotiation as the umpires conspired together to give the benefit of the doubt, largely on the testimony of the batsman.

Elsewhere one of their bats started complaining about our over rate when the skipper and keeper were mid conference – which earned him a sharp retort about pots and kettles which he didn’t like – before hilariously running himself out the next ball and then, for all the world, looking like he was going to murder Lloydy. Unedifying…

We took wickets regularly but no attacking shots were being played towards the end and it became harder and harder to winkle folk out. One of the oppo played French cricket for his entire innings and got very upset that he was receiving some needle. He celebrated the draw hard at the end. It didn’t feel like anyone should be handing out medals...

Staines went away whining that we had bowled our overs slowly and were in some bad humour because of it. Here are the facts: Staines and Laleham took 3.5 hours to bowl their overs. Due to Clark smashing some of it into the bushes they wasted some time looking for balls certainly. We bowled ours (including three extra overs of extras) in 2.45 hours. 45 minutes faster. Erm – 16.36 overs per hour. Staines and Laleham bowled theirs at 12.85. A bit crap really.

These mutterings aside it was a good game for the Wick. In hindsight we had far too many runs. But we had 45 overs to bowl the oppo out and that should have been enough. To get so agonisingly close was a bit of a bore but a dominant performance should be some comfort. The Zulus didn’t manage to get a victory at Rourke’s Drift despite the Brits being about 8 down on a very dodgy track… No doubt the top Zulu would be saying that they’d had the best of the game too…

MOM Clarky. Runnssss.

Stoke D'Ab 1s vs HWRCC 1xi - Match Report by Matty D

HWRCC 1xi beat Stoke D’Abernon 1xi by 1 wicket (50/50)
Stoke 127 ao, 45 overs.
HWRCC 128-9, 49.3 overs. Stephens 38*

Stoke chose to bat on a track that played dead and low. I probably would have bowled first too, but it was a good toss to lose. Tongy was late so his brother showed him up, working well with Noman to build some pressure that resulted in a drag on to the dangerous opener. The other dangerous opener was then snaffled by Davies at Mid off, again Tong being the bowler, to ensure that the Wick were on top early on. Runs were slow and wickets fell regularly. With the exception of Vish who failed to settle, all bowlers kept things tight. Anything short was easy pickings, but as it was so slow, often anything that was short was such a surprise that the batsmen often popped their shoulder out playing cross batted. Daisy again bowled beautifully without luck and Tongy (G) on arrival saw early success only to fade like a Duracell Bunny only half charged (the effect of too much sun and surf in France the previous week). The final pair put on over 25 to turn a bad 98 into a poor 127ao off about 45 overs. The pitch wasn’t a minefield, you just had to be clever about scoring shots.

Tea was excellent, even Alison gave it a 9. Rice salad, chicken nibbles, sandwiches aplenty, fruit salad. Very good.

The response started serenely enough, until against the run of play (not that things were rollocking along) Tong (I) feathered one behind to start a procession of wickets. Neither Ali nor Raza troubled the scorers much (or at all). Davies joined Day who immediately holed out to the day's most dangerous bowler (22), leaving the score perilous at about 25-3. Davies then saw Rudolph and Byrne pass before he even got off the mark. Naturally he then went as well and we were seriously stuttering against decent medium pace and controlled spin bowling. Runs on the board can make you do funny things.

Vish made a few, as did Tongy, but when they were in the hutch at 80-9 in all honesty it should have been over. Step forward Ben Stephens and Finbar Murray. With some application and patience they nurdled their way along, waiting for the bad balls and running hard. Despite the ground being small, the grass was long and the slow pitch meant it was difficult to reach the boundary. A hill on one side also slowed many a ball that would have gone for a boundary. Fin hit one big six over square, but for the most part it was little nudges to 3rd man and quick singles to vacant cover that kept us in the game. I wasn’t really nervous because we were so far behind it wasn’t worth getting worried. Perhaps I was in the minority.

Daisy told us about a game when his side had chased 260 having been 35-5. Outrageous. Somehow we found ourselves needing to increase the run rate in order to get home, with 4 an over being unprecedented in the conditions. With 5 needed off the last over, Fin got a single (3rd man) and Ben decided he had to hit a boundary. So the story goes ‘I decided I was going to hit him over his head and I swung but it was shorter that I initially thought. I just kept going with it and it arced round to square but it came off the middle.’ It sure did. One bounce four and we had won with 3 balls to spare. Stoke were understandably down, us the opposite.

Experience - you can’t buy it. Youth - you can’t buy it.

MOM – Ben Stephens. Hero.

Wickman Stops Gulping as Cooky and Bell Bring it Home

The trouble with writing a blog and making bold predictions about stuff is that you can get it wrong as often as you get it right.

Wickman had slated the West Indies on this blog last week and said he probably wouldn't bother much with the First Test. In the final analysis he was probably right, but West Indies were competitive in this game and almost pulled off a surprise. So was Wickman worried about getting egg on his face (unlike the teas at Egham?)

Not really. Wickman believes that only the pitch kept WI in the game.

On day 1 they scored slowly in terrible overhead conditions and were nine down by the close. A Strauss ton in similar conditions on the Friday (Wickman thinks Splinter got frostbite in the stands) and a ground out lead looked to have sewn up the game. But some casual batting on the Saturday and a big partnership by Chanders and Samuels really piled the pressure back on. And late last night with England two down and a big appeal for LB against a lucky Trotty only going against him because Aleem Dar is a brilliant umpire English hearts were in mouths. But today England almost cantered to victory.

The reason Wickman isn't hopeful for the WI in the series is that Lords has become an Administrator's paradise. England very rarely win here in three days and only seldom early on the fourth because the pitch has started to level out from days 2 to 4 so that bigger scores are made in 3rd innings than you would otherwise imagine. Teams, including England, have begun to be able to fight back from average first innings trots and get back into games. And the fifth day pitch does not break up like Test pitches of old. So its easier, Wickman would argue, to stay in the game for longer.

This looked closer than it was because WI managed to hang in yesterday until the ultimate test awaited Strauss, Cooky, Jimmy A and then Trotty. Massively bad overhead conditios, dodgy artificial light and a new ball being slung down at 90mph in the gloom. Once they got back this morning and settled in you couldn't see WI bowling them out without a decent spinner in the side.

Perhaps all you can say about what West Indies have acheived here is that, like in the recent series against the Aussies, they didn't fold completely at any point in this game. Which is probably good for their future. Players are learning to bat longer (Sammy aside) and to sell themselves a bit more dearly. But will they be able to compete on a spicy track? Hmmmm.