Pub Team Save the Day

Jags 136-6 (Brett 24*, Brolia 22, Sap 19*, Sam 2-23) beat Dobblers 132-7 (Butler 27*, Askew 18, Brolia 3-22, Wilde 1-16) by 4 runs

Owing to some questionable administration, the advent of the pingdemic and the vagaries of cricket at this low, low level, this one almost didn't happen. I'd booked the ground, booked the opposition, bought a match ball (at an absolute bargain price, it must be said) the weather was lovely. Then I contacted the opposition captain two days before the game and he said, "we've got 3". The next day, I pinged him again, and he said, "we've now got 2". Clearly he didn't really understand how rounding up a team works...

A few of us went into scramble mode, not wanting to lose a fixture, and sure enough, Dobblers to the rescue. We do have a lot of fun playing these chaps, and within a few short hours they had 8 or 9, we had 8 or 9 and we were back on. The original opposition captain sort of volunteered the two he had, and mentioned that he could contact the groundsman - but given the administrative skills on display I thought I'd do the rest myself. Sure enough, the two "volunteers" from the original team couldn't make it, probably as it turns out one of them had been ensnared in an unsuccessful romantic entanglement with two of our regulars. I gather it didn't end well, and the young lady decided she didn't want to see them again - whether at cricket or any other social occasion. Share and share alike, eh fellas?

Dobblers won the toss and fiendishly decided to bat. Brett and the Wildman opened the bowling with one of our genuine Readers balls. Brett has really been on one recently, and whilst he hasn't taken clutches of wickets, he is quite fun to behold with the slimline and energetic bowling action he is displaying. Cob was back doing his finest glove-work, and all was well in the world as we settled into a nice early pattern. A few wides, some decent fielding, some overall good bowling and two good opening batsmen meant this looked like being a good, competitive evening. Wilde, recently married and also sporting a new job - big summer for him clearly, was bowling with his lovely action, side on, high leading arm, good control, and no injuries getting in his way.

Scoring was gentle for a while, the high quality Readers ball perhaps proving difficult to get away, so Parrish decided to offer Phillips a go with the ball. Oh boy, was his single over of the evening quite the sight. Each individual ball was very much as Forrest Gump might have described a box of chocolates. Setting a field was a challenge. Parrish decided that he didn't want any more of this and Phillips was hooked. Then came Brolia. His first over was a warm up, clearly, 3 wides and no control. This was clearly a ploy, as it would make the batsmen think he was utter shit and make the wickets-which-you now-know-are-coming all the easier to get. Parrish also replaced Brett, saving some of him and Harry for the death overs.

Ant's second over swung into life, wicket first ball with a glorious good length ball that was vicious, dispensing with an opener by colliding with the stumps. I recall some good glove-work from Cob at this point, thrusting one of his mitts out to one side to stop a missile of a ball. Coslett and Parrish in the field were outstanding, Fardell and Phillips less so. I recall not so much diving for one, but instead gently laying down some time after it had gone past me - which probably got me some well-deserved abuse. I also dropped a chance off Parrish. Harry almost got a run out with a direct hit, but the batsman had just made it home.

Brolia followed up his missile with a wide, of course, and then bowled another, this one even better into two stumps, making that satisfying sound that lets carpenters of the world know that they will have some more work soon if he keeps this up. He then decided, to concede a 4, before bowling another, this time a well paced ball towards leg stump, sending it reeling. For all of his wickets, the fine people at the Readers cricket ball factory deserve immense credit.

Parrish was bowling nicely, but not very threateningly, apart from the one shelled chance, which was a tricky one, if we're honest. We often aren't honest. Sap popped into the attack here, having previously done some good work in the field. Sam from the Dobblers was playing lovely shots here, and Mr Askew as well, if I recall well. Sap's over was everything that can be good about this particular format - some filth, a nice shot for 4 and then one of the outstanding moments of the evening as Sap pitched one up, the batsman struck it firmly to the off side, and Sap leapt to his left and snaffled a very challenging caught and bowled chance. The prevailing reaction was one of astonishment, as though you were strolling through the park with your better half and a herd of jungle animals stampeded past you randomly, like in that one scene from Jumanji (the original good version, not the new version which is much less good); we just had not seen that coming.

 

The neighbourhood has gone wild.

He deserved it, but it just was not what anyone expected.

Parrish had to find an over from somewhere before the death, and he turned to part timer Coslett, who bowled a lovely slow controlled over for only a measily 4 runs, allowing Parrish to bring back the openers at the death. Sap continued to bowl, he never quite scaled the monumental heights of his caught and bowled, but, well, he didn't need to...

Brett and Wilde saw us home, Brett bowling one with a full ball and Wilde claiming a wicket with a really good catch by Coslett. Tom was in the ring, but it was tricky. What I mean is, I would have dropped it, so well done Mr Coslett. Ant then made absolutely sure he could not win the man of the match award by just ignoring a skied ball hit in his direction, like he had somewhere better to be - leaving Parrish to make up 30 yards of ground and almost get it. I actually think Ant was in danger of being hit on the head, either by the ball or by Parrish, maybe both.

The last over saw few runs and a comedy final run out with the batsman screaming as he failed to get home. 132-7.

Jags started with the familiar Parrish and Fardell combo. One good, one not so good. I bought some new kit recently and it really isn't working for me, so I think I might take it back. There was running and scoring, but it was slow going out there and I was about as fucking useless as I've been all season, playing and missing, not cashing in on easy chances, getting hit (I've been hit a lot this year, entirely my fault). Parrish thankfully was giving me clear instructions, so at least we kept moving. Eventually I was out to a wild swipe across the line to a nice faster ball from Jacko. And then I had a tantrum, getting back to the benches and throwing my kit on the floor like a 5 year old being denied chocolate. I'm having an absolute turd of a season, but there really is no excuse, and I apologise to all present.

Bad Fardell, naughty...

Phillips was out for a while, and scoring was still hard. Matt found his range with a few 4's and there was a good range of decent running on display, before Parrish shockingly succumbed trying to up the pace, caught at deep mid-wicket. He doesn't get out much so it's always a shock when it happens, and we were well behind the rate. Phillips hung on briefly with Ant before falling LBW to the two paced Jacko - one pace is friendly but accurate, the other pace is not at all friendly and still accurate.

Coslett and Ant found their range, good running from Coslett in particular kept us moving and Ant was also finding scoring easier with a partner who makes him run. We were 60-3 at the turn, and 132 seemed a long way away still. Ant hit a couple of middled 4's before falling playing back, bowled, to a great ball from the Dobbler's skipper, Sam.

Brett joined Coslett for a spell and the scoring moved forward again. Those on the sidelines were all of the mind that this was over, as we were a long way behind the rate, especially when Coslett fell, caught. We then had free tickets to the Cob show as he got out his best broom and swept us back towards contention, with a 2, a 2, a 2 and an absolute pearler of a 3, all forward of square, all hit with the panache and aplomb that we are now used to. Brett was hitting his range here, but sadly Cob fell, one sweep too many (as if that is a thing!).

Out strolled Sap, us needing 30 odd from 3 with 1 wicket in the hutch, a nervous looking Harry, things surely over. Then it happened. Sap played a single dot and then just biffed them, a variety of styles, some elegant, some brutal, some hilarious - all for runs. He rode his luck and Brett was having a doozy, hitting glorious shots himself, but it just felt like Sap had eaten his ready brek, followed it up by Popeye's spinach and was going to bring it home. The final over saw Jacko back, Jags needing 9, and finely in the balance it was.

Brett skied one very near the bowler, but it wasn't snaffled so they ran a single. Dobblers then tried a run out, and it missed and sped to the boundary, so our chaps ran another. No Dobblers went after it, so our chaps ran a 3rd. All this, to a ball that Brett hit about 5 yards from himself.

A couple of singles followed, before our guys did the same trick to get 2, when one was pretty near to lots of Dobblers, but no one felt like going for it, so Sap and Brett strolled through for a second. Brett then finished things in fine style with a glorious 6.

Pub attendance was ace from both sides. Man of the Match contenders were likely Brett, Coslett and Sap - all good performances, but Coslett's elegant fielding, tight over and the fact he made Ant run are what took it for me. Although Sap had an absolutely spiffing game. Ant would probably have been in contention, were he not such a lazy bugger in the field.