Jagex Win Twilight Test

Jagex 136-8 (Fardell 33*, Nash 26*, Lamble 21, John T 21-3, James 25-3) beat AVEVA 114-9 (Alex 35*, Arvesh 18*, Brett 17-3, Cooper 14-2) by 22 runs

Jagex kept up the four game winning streak with a clean win against AVEVA in the failing light of an August evening. Justin "Juzzy" Edwards was slightly injured, so we had a late call up in the form of Andy Nash, who kindly agreed late in the day to keep for us. The teams agreed 15, 8 balls over this week, to help with the failing light.

Jagex won the toss and decided to bat first, with the tried and testing Fardell/Colledge partnership taking up where they had left off the previous week. The pitch was very green and moist and the opening AVEVA bowlers got appreciable movement in the air, and to a greater extent off the deck, making batting a difficult prospect.

This week it was Fardell's turn to score early. He was greeted to the crease by 3 slips, a first, a second and a fly. Not typical for amateur evening 20/20 cricket. He still contrived to score his first runs wide of the slips, guiding/slashing safely wide of fly slip in uncultured fashion. Colledge was trying to play some orthodox straight batted stuff, but was finding it difficult against the significant lateral movement of the ball from both ends. Fardell pootled along for a bit, and Richard was bowled, scoreless, by something of a moving in-ducker which he backed away from.

Van Daal, the hero strolled out to take his place. I had a quick chat with him, and told him not to swipe at it, or back away to leg. He then had a wild swipe, backed away to leg, and was bowled leg stump. He didn't look massively happy. Andy Nash then strolled out to face the hat-trick ball with the field in close. He defended a few to prevent the continuing tumble of wickets and generally looked nuggety and solid throughout. 

AVEVA were never really happy with their field settings, and spent long periods of the evening tweaking positions between balls. Whilst this is entirely their right, as they were batting second on a mid-August evening, it was probably not the best idea. I do remember waiting for a full on 3-4 minutes mid way between deliveries, mid-over, for some very subtle field adjustment.

The slips had retreated, before Fardell was beaten all ends up by a outswinger - bringing the call of "put the slips back in" from the wicketkeeper. Fardell responded by bludgeoning two fours straight back past the bowler, hammering a couple of singles, and then walloping a four past square leg to get back to the hutch in double quick time, retired on 25.

McClarty kept Andy company for a while in the middle, hitting a lovely pull shot behind square, with consumate ease and control and a nice roll of the wrists. The bowling was still proving very challenging, but Andy Nash managed to score a little to 3rd man and behind square to keep the scoreboard ticking over. McClarty perished going big, trying to hit past the bowler, he was a little early through the shot and hit high for an easy catch.

Brett joined Nash, our anchor for the innings, and he played out a few dots to get a handle on the prodigious swing. With his eye firmly in, he then clipped a Pietersen-esque four through midwicket, followed by two more down the ground. He hit a magnificent pull as well in quick order, clearly in a hurry, but it was pulled back on the boundary by some nimble-footed fielding, and he had only run 2, so certain had he been that it was going the full distance. This was part one of his battle with one of the top two AVEVA bowlers. Part two involved a well disguised slowed ball that trashed his stumps.

P Morgan strolled out for a bit, and hit a gentle two behind 3rd man. He wasn't his usual big hitting self, but kept the scoreboard ticking over. Andy Nash then retired on 26, bringing Lamble to the crease, following a cheeky warm-up fag behind the bike sheds. Piers then tried to pull out of a shot, sort of, but in doing so he offered the easiest of catches to short midwicket, departing earlier than expected. Lait then joined Lamble, and hit his first ball to the backward square boundary using a wonderful wallop/shovel action that finished over his shoulder. Tiger Woods would be proud of the follow-through and backspin.

Lamble and Lait pushed on for a while, before Lait ran himself out in spectacular fashion, calling for two and jogging through when he had no hope of making it. Steve Morgan joined Ralph for a bit, before he was bowled by a full yorker whilst deep in his crease. He's still avoided any ducks so far this season, so that's something. Cooper wandered out absent mindedly at 11 and was bowled first ball by another full one, bringing Fardell back to the crease. 

At the end of the 13th over, Jagex were sat on 109-7, which looked at least 20 runs short of par. Lamble and Fardell contrived to put a decent total on the board. Fardell hit a couple, but Bam Bam's big hitting award goes to Lamble for single handedly plundered 17 from the first 7 balls of the last over, before being bowled with the last ball of the innings. 136-8 felt about right in the failing light with the incredible swing.

Jagex had one heck of a bowling attack this evening and opened with Simon Milky Au Lait and Liam Brett in failing light. The AVEVA opener managed to get some profit from Simon, but he was still bowling tight lines. Brett's first over was, well, action packed. He started with a half track pie that the AVEVA batsman whacked behind square. Fardell was a little slow in his movement, prompting McClarty to asked if he needed some WD40. I've always thought of myself as more a Tony Stark Iron Man than a Wizard of Oz Tin Man, but clearly Neil sees it differently! Top sledging.

Brett's second ball was a juicy full toss, and was also dispatched, and his 3rd was also wayward. He then started to find some decent lines and recovered by the end of his over. Lait started his second with a lovely full yorker that moved and splayed the stumps and went on to bowl a tight second and third to add economy to his venom and wicket. Brett, not to be outdone, clean bowled two of the other batsmen, one a full toss that hit high up the stumps (who needs the pitch), and another involving a bit more of the track. He then tied a batsman down, the man who had bowled him, for a few balls. Having wasted the strike a bit, the batsman got impatient and went big, but only found S Morgan at long on, who had an age to judge the chance, and snaffled it cleanly, sending Brett off with 3 wickets.

There was also some cracking fielding in packs, when Piers and Cooper chased one down together, Piers sliding and popping it up to Coops, who threw with pinpoint accuracy to the keeper. Andy Nash was having a great game early on behind the stumps, stopping everything wayward or wide. One of the AVEVA umpires didn't really seem to get the rules of cricket

Steve Morgan came in and bowled some lovely lines, and was difficult to score from. He also clean bowled someone in the failing light, a full length delivery with a bit of spite thrown in for good measure. Cooper was the second change. He started with an absolute turd of a half track pie, except that he got a wicket, because the batsman gently tipped it to backward square, picking me out perfectly. Cooper carried on handing out pressies for his first over, before recovering in his second, and clean bowling one chap with a full pitched delivery. At this stage they were dropping like flies, and no partnerships had formed.

Lamble and P Morgan came in for a spell, and both gave Andy Nash some tough wide legside stuff to deal with, although he coped commendably, diving around like Wonderwoman™ to stop the extras. P Morgan eventually bowled one with another full delivery, and was the most economical bowler on the evening. Ralph was less so, but still wasn't too expensive in the context of the match.

Then the AVEVA number 11 strolled in. What he was doing at 11 goodness only knows, since he hit two consecutive fours from his first two balls, decent shots as well, before playing a late cut to third man 3rd ball. He wanted 2 runs, but his partner didn't and a truly catastrophic run out ensued. It was a real shame as he looked in lovely touch right from the off. At this point, AVEVA were miles behind and their last chance had probably gone - although their top scorer on the evening was back in.

Jeroen got in on the action a bit, chasing down some balls and showing off his throwing prowess and finely sculpted arms. No mis-fields this week. Colledge then decided that McClarty should have the last over. It was pretty special, similar to Neil Tween's one and only over this season. We don't normally bowl extra balls (2 runs are added with no re-bowl), but the scorebook reads 11 balls bowled, 5 wides, and 18 runs conceded. We decided to try and end the match on a legitimate delivery, it took 3 attempts, and the batsman then hit a switch hit behind backward point to finish on 35*. The light at the end was fairly abysmal, perhaps showing that winning the toss was key to the game.

9 games played, 5 lost, 4 won, our last four in fact. Last game of season next week, and a chance to get a 50/50 win loss ratio. I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.