Chiltern Crusaders CC

Scorecard

Pelicans CC v Chiltern Crusaders CC on Sun 07 Oct 2018 at 1.00pm
Match was Drawn

Match report The headline would read “Edders the unlikely hero in battling draw”.

The day started slightly inauspiciously with an early WhatsApp from Nick to Skip complaining of a damaged finger from the night before. On inspection and further investigation, he had grazed it on a tin of beans, presumably because the bohemian inspired hair growing around and over his ears got in his eyes. He had wrapped the digit up as if he’d just come back from Nam, but when you consider the oppo wicket keeper only has one leg and has competed in Invictus, the finger issues put Nick straight into COTY contention.

Skip lost the toss and we were asked to bat. Skip had assumed we would be asked to bowl, so slightly cheekily offered up to oppo skip that it might be better if we bowled (Skip had in mind our appalling record batting first this season).

This was a rare timed game - and all agreed afterwards we should do more often. One good thing is unlimited overs per bowler, so Skip taking a risk on the strength of Semi’s stent, asked him to open the bowling with Steamer. Both bowled well and kept the score down, Steamer picked up a deserved lbw along the way.

Enter Pooks making a welcome return to the side with his unique one step bowling action. He failed to use the facilities in his first over, but then found his length and line well, restricting their batsmen and making it slow going. 2.5 hours was the full time allotment for the first inning and Pooks with no run up was ripping through his overs, at one stage it looked like we might bowl 50+ overs.

Bomber came on to bowl and started off with his usual beamers, double bouncers etc. But then a stroke of genius as he fired one on to the batsman’s legs who smashed it hard toward deep mid wicket where Semi woke up, wasn’t sure what to do so simply stuck a hand out and fell over. Unbelievably it stuck, what a catch! Debate raged afterwards as to whether it beats Egan’s one hander vs Knotty Green some years ago. It’s close.

Skip came on and snaffled a couple of wickets, including a running catch at mid wicket from Bomber. Spin followed from Mini-Skip and Nick. They took a bit of tonking but Mini-Skip came back to take a well deserved wicket, fooling their well set batsman with a leggie. With around 45 mins to go it was time to tighten up again and Semi and Pooks came back on. Pooks deservedly took 2 wickets and the oppo declared setting us 200 to win in 1hr 15 mins + 20 overs (so about 40 overs). The difference this time is that they had to bowl us out otherwise it’s a draw.

As always some fielding highlights. Nick managed to get the side-hair out of his eyes to take a catch and some redemption after his 4 drops against Knotty Green. Edders on the other hand was something else. Some what of a ball magnet, he re-enacted the “down like he’s been shot” first unfurled on tour last year. There was then the “Irish jig”, where legs and arms flail in a panic as realisation sets in the ball is coming at him reasonably hard. As Steamer succinctly put it in his dulcet south yorks baritone “he’s like a fookin performing dog that lad”.

The tea was magnificent with the jerk chicken in particular going down a storm.

Our response was steady, but wickets fell fairly frequently. Pooks hit a nice 26. As we entered the final 20 overs we needed 140. Diamond managed to run himself out in reasonably amusing circumstances - not sure exactly what happened, but rather than running in a straight line he seemed to be running a figure of eight wielding a sword and playing an entirely different sport. Semi hit some quick boundaries and there was still the faintest sniff of victory but alas was out to a ripping leg break which was basically unplayable (it really was this time).

So it was Bomber and Edders at the crease with 9 overs to hold out for a draw. While in normal rules we would undoubtedly have been beaten, once it was clear that we wouldn’t win the game it became very tactical and a good battle. Bomber said himself he had never concentrated so much in his life.

Edders managed to flummox the oppo with his baseball style stance, while showing all 3 stumps and more - basically saying bowl at the stumps if you dare. Joe Root, Alastair Cook, Geoff Boycott, the pantheons of the game - all are/were great leavers of the ball. You can add Edders to that list, though his method is slightly different - the thought process is basically “shit, that is fast, I’m getting out of the way”. A charmed existence he led, and he saw us right through to the end facing 24 panic stricken balls along the way. Steamer blocked out a tense last over from their best bowler and a hard earned draw was the result.

Well played all. A proper team effort with bat and ball. Skip signs over to new Skip unbeaten in 3!

Pelicans CC Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 8 wickets
0
199 (39.3 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Chiltern Crusaders CC Friendly XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Alex Bartlett8.003400.004.25
Shaun Rhodes4.02212.000.50
Pukar Patel12.3235217.502.80
Gary Partridge4.0026213.006.50
Jeremy Wilson5.0128214.005.60
Nick Beckwith3.002700.009.00
Jake Wilson3.0037137.0012.33

Chiltern Crusaders CC Friendly XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 8 wickets
0
113		        
Jeremy Wilson Caught  9
Jake Wilson Bowled  1
Clint Finn Caught  4
Pukar Patel Caught  26
Nick Beckwith Caught  3
Diamond Dave Wyatt Run out  1
Alex Bartlett Bowled  33
Gary Partridge Bowled  16
Steve Edlin Not Out  7
Shaun Rhodes Not Out  0
Rob Bray  

Pelicans CC Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
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