It was a surprisingly close game in the end, not least given the
horrid pitch conditions and the shortened format. Also, losing players at 4pm
and 5pm most certainly didn’t help, so a special thanks to Ben Holliday and Tom
Coslett for helping us put a decent competitive side out.
This game saw the entire day being sunny until about 3pm, and then the skies opened. I received the standard barrage of afternoon emails, "the can't be on", "can I go to the pub instead", "I'm disappointed with the weather conditions, Mark, the God of Weather" etc etc. Several people even helpfully sent me repeated links to the BBC Weather site for Cambridge. Ah, the joys of organising cricket for our meteorlogical bunch is neverending.
The CASS centre has a wonderful pavilion and has been a second home over the years. The track was absolutely wrecked and sodden, so we had tea before the game to give it a chance to dry out. It's odd to get your chat in with the opposition before the game, but there you go, that's what the British weather occasionally brings for us. We shortened the game to 12-8 ball overs, given the gloomy light.
We opened with Fardell and Brett. Neither got going, sadly, with Fardell falling to an LBW early on to a slow loopy one. McClarty gave the decision with no hesitation. I'm normally one to protest an LBW, if I'm honest, and this one may have pitched outside leg, hit me high and not turned towards the stumps, but Mr McClarty holds the club record for ducks, so I shall defer to his experience and judgment in this department. Brett got a few, before being clean bowled by the slowest ball ever bowled in cricket. He could have hit it twice. The conditions were hard to read, with some balls keeping low, some bouncing, and others literally sticking solidly in the muddy pitch.
This game saw the entire day being sunny until about 3pm, and then the skies opened. I received the standard barrage of afternoon emails, "the can't be on", "can I go to the pub instead", "I'm disappointed with the weather conditions, Mark, the God of Weather" etc etc. Several people even helpfully sent me repeated links to the BBC Weather site for Cambridge. Ah, the joys of organising cricket for our meteorlogical bunch is neverending.
The CASS centre has a wonderful pavilion and has been a second home over the years. The track was absolutely wrecked and sodden, so we had tea before the game to give it a chance to dry out. It's odd to get your chat in with the opposition before the game, but there you go, that's what the British weather occasionally brings for us. We shortened the game to 12-8 ball overs, given the gloomy light.
We opened with Fardell and Brett. Neither got going, sadly, with Fardell falling to an LBW early on to a slow loopy one. McClarty gave the decision with no hesitation. I'm normally one to protest an LBW, if I'm honest, and this one may have pitched outside leg, hit me high and not turned towards the stumps, but Mr McClarty holds the club record for ducks, so I shall defer to his experience and judgment in this department. Brett got a few, before being clean bowled by the slowest ball ever bowled in cricket. He could have hit it twice. The conditions were hard to read, with some balls keeping low, some bouncing, and others literally sticking solidly in the muddy pitch.
Van Daal and Parrish came together to steady the ship and put on a decent
little partnership for the 3rd wicket. A couple of sixes were good
to watch, and watching them both fall over trying to completely cheeky singles
was very entertaining from an umpire's point of view. I actually so sorry for Matt that I handed him my spikes a couple of overs in. I've seen umpires tie bowlers laces for some reason (which is weird, isn't it?!) but never swap footwear.
Van Daal was eventually bowled by one “Ivan Moriaty”, whose names sounds like a
cross between something from Sherlock Holmes and a Bond villain. He contributed a useful little knock beforehand, so the team felt buoyant. Parrish found his range this week, and pluckily got himself to a spritely 20, before he fell to a wonder single handed catch at cover, with the Eversheds' skipper plucking it from the air nonchalantly, then pulling a face of complete surprise.
Our IT contingent was boosted this week by Ben Holliday, coming in on debut in a black wife beater and black shorts. I’m not sure what the fielders made of it all really - but it wasn't regulation kit. I'm not sure he'd get into the MCC dressed like that. Despite the conditions, he contributed a decent little knock of 15*, rolling back the years to his no doubt Tom Brown-esque schooldays.
Our IT contingent was boosted this week by Ben Holliday, coming in on debut in a black wife beater and black shorts. I’m not sure what the fielders made of it all really - but it wasn't regulation kit. I'm not sure he'd get into the MCC dressed like that. Despite the conditions, he contributed a decent little knock of 15*, rolling back the years to his no doubt Tom Brown-esque schooldays.
Amoraal came in and got some runs forming an IT partnership. It's actually the first time two chaps in our IT team have listened to each other or worked together in any form. Willem even scored first ball
on his way to a handy 19. Sadly he got out turning the widest wide in history
into a caught behind – possibly the only time I’ve seen him move his feet when
batting. He gently top edged it to the keeper, and I had to stop my wide umpiring signal mid stretch, and point my finger skywards. His face was a picture - and he will no doubt never move his feet again.
A sad little run-out mix-up between McClarty and Holliday – where
each managed to stay more silent than the other, saw the unfortunate McClarty depart.
Coslett tribute a handy little 7 and some pushed runs at the end, before falling LBW, to another shocking decision from yours truly. I was moved by the appeal. Steve Morgan was out dancing down the wicket and getting stumped to the slow bowler.
Gibbins contribution at the end was to swing the bat in slow motion and repeatedly miss the ball. 5 times in a row. From the last 5 balls of the innings.
101-8 - felt a little short, but not horrendously so. Sadly however we were playing catch up from the first over, when Parrish conceded 17 from what could generously be described as a "mixed bag" of rubbish, crap, pies and poverty.
Gibbins opened at the other end and had more luck, extracting one opener with another threatening spell of
the slow stuff, accurate and deadly. Steve Morgan, taking over from Matt, had a decent little spell, economic, and helping to
arrest the rate.
Some cracking fielding from Ben, Tom, and latterly Liam to keep
the total within reach for a good while, including sliding stops, chases, and compulsory banter.
A batsman offered a chance, but Parrish dropped. Thankfully he had the presence of mind to pick up the ball and then run the fellow out with a direct hit. The batsman was, officially in my book, out twice to the same ball.
Brett had a good spell turning it this way and that. I'm never convinced he knows where it will turn, but that quality means it's also hard for the batsman to pick!
Fardell had a reasonable spell behind the stumps, but bizarrely was
more comfortable taking full length diving stops down the leg-side than taking the regulation stuff that came straight through.
Parrish, clearly gee'd up by his direct hit, did exactly the same thing again. It was a joy to watch, but Eversheds were reeling in the total comfortably at this point.
Willem wanted to make full use of the track, and bowled short, wide, full, straight, you name it. I don't doubt he was just trying to find a less than muddy patch. For some reason, that defies belief, his figures in our scorebook ain't too shabby.
Parrish, clearly gee'd up by his direct hit, did exactly the same thing again. It was a joy to watch, but Eversheds were reeling in the total comfortably at this point.
Willem wanted to make full use of the track, and bowled short, wide, full, straight, you name it. I don't doubt he was just trying to find a less than muddy patch. For some reason, that defies belief, his figures in our scorebook ain't too shabby.
Fardell then tossed the ball to Coslett, and goodness he made me I wish I'd done this earlier. His splendid little over at the death brought two wickets in two
balls, one bowled for a duck, and the next, the Captain no less, bowled for a golden duck. We should have brought him on earlier.
We pushed them to the last over, but sadly they were well ahead of the rate for most of the innings, so our little flourish to arrest them near the end only meant we dragged them into the last over. Still, a decent game, that went to the wire.
We pushed them to the last over, but sadly they were well ahead of the rate for most of the innings, so our little flourish to arrest them near the end only meant we dragged them into the last over. Still, a decent game, that went to the wire.
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