999!

Jags 127-5 (Sawyer 56, Baines 35, Fardell 14*, Achira 2-24) beat Madingley Mulch 126-10 (Soysa 38, Waduge 30, Naseri 15-2, Baines 20-2) by 5 wickets

Man of the Match - a draw - Baines and Sawyer 

This was one of those games where the weather was always in prospect, and as a result I had texts from the opposition, texts from my players, texts from the groundsman and even texts from my Mum and wife that featured comments about weather, and cricket, and asking if the game was happening. All. Chuffing Day. 

Madingley Mulch are a nice bunch. They have a touch of that thing that first attracted me to midweek cricket, some good players and some folks who are just keen to be involved. I’d say they have two proper good bowlers, a couple of second change types and that’s it. A part time wicket keeper who does his darndest and a top 4 of capable batsmen and then lots of people with hand eye coordination and a desire to run themselves out at every opportunity. It’s essentially what midweek cricket is all about. People who are good at cricket and love it, people who love cricket and are willing to be there to make sure it happens. They also play in 100% the right spirit. 

Matt was away this week on a well deserved break to the Essex coast and, with the weather warnings firmly put to bed, we turned up at Queens. Threadgold took skipper duties, won the toss and opted to bowl… It may have turned out to be utterly genius, but what on God’s green Earth?! You bat first. Always. You also always talk about how it’s getting dark soon and the light being an issue and what not. That’s midweek cricket.

I also had my first organising fuck up in a while as we started with 10, as I had miscounted my Savage’s. We also were missing Freddie this week as he was on Malia. Good luck fella, don’t rent no scooters. A text was dispatched begging for an eleventh and we took to the field. 

We opened with Naseri at one end and Benjamin Cabbage at the other. Naseri was rapid, controlled and quite quite fearsome in his pace. Thee were a couple of runs scored but it was tough scoring against him, and he got a wicket in the first or second over caught by Mr Baines at point. Mr Baines was somehow involved in all of the top 5 wickets, determined to put his week off behind him and resume man of the match responsibility.

We have swiftly come to appreciate our fine young Afghan recruit, Naseri. With a smile on his face and a spring in his step, he just absolutely loves the fine sport of cricket. He high fived almost the entire team for his first wicket and is just generally a very happy chappy.

We had also started with Benjamin Sawyer behind the stumps in Matt’s absence and he had more chirpy chirpy cheep cheep than an aviary. The sun tanned Phillips, we called him. 

Cabbage’s first over was, well a lot happened. Let’s just say that he couldn’t quite find his length, and the batsmen having seen Naseri thought - well we must score off this guy. And score they did. 20 odd runs were plundered like the booty from a sunken galleon. 

Ar-ha! Treasure!

Cabbage was gently ushered out of the “attack” by Threadgold and Baines was brought in and boy did he do well. Economic and challenging and fast. He bowled one guy with a full toss after tying him down for a bit and the next wicket was an absolute sight to behold. 

He bowled one fast and swinging and the batsman hit it high and deep into the offside. The swirling, menacing wind was a factor as Benjamin “am I bothered” Kavanagh lurked at wide long, like a gaslighting hinge date, ready to pounce at a moment of vulnerability. The ball went everywhere up in the sky and then down, moving this way and that. Kav was ready, and cat like grasped it inches from the turf. Then tossed it to one side and acted like nothing had happened. Leg-end. 

Gogia joined Baines in some nice twirly stuff here and there and I recall Sawyer doing some good and really not good stuff behind the stumps in equal measure. I tried to sprint and did a mild mischief to my quad muscle borne of old age. Sawyer chirped. A lot. Threadgold was doing great in the field and as captain - masking the missing 11th man. And Cooper did some nice field work. I limped about a bit and generally contributed nothing.

Then - joy of joys - Toby turned up, here to save the day. We had eleven - rescued by the kindness and dedication of a man who just cares. Some might say too much. Not us, no siree bob.

Gogia was exerting some pressure - then Baines did one of his many ridiculous things that night - with a run out in play, but only if it was a direct hit - he did just that - taking his time and aiming to perfection. Breaking a bail in the process. Of course he did.

Cooper came in to the attack and I carried on limping around doing quite literally fuck all other than chat. Cabbage bowled better in his second spell - towards the stumps and not short was a good move matey - and then offered one high to Baines, who snaffled the chance.

Shortly after this it became the festival of run outs. Ben Savage concocted one. Toby came into bowl, looking menacing, and then Naseri fielded one really well in the deep to do a neat run out from the deep. 

Also Toby bowled one ball that was too good for this planet - doing so much it missed the batsman and stumps and evaded Sawyer - in each case by millimetres. It defied the very laws of physics. 

Sawyer got a stumping, Toby was not dropped off his bowling and Naseri finished bowling a rapid full one at the stumps to leave them splattered. It was such a rapid end and so many run outs that I cannot recall all the details - but suffice to say it felt like we were competent in the field this night.  127 felt gettable, but I recall them having some bowling. 

Baines and Kav opened and, with a so far so good to start for the first over. Unfortunately Kav perished early, with an absolutely fucker of a ball early up - I was umpiring and it pitched on leg, moved in to middle and leg and then moved away and down to demolish the stumps. It was a weekend ball in a midweek world.

Baines and Mailies settled after that. Some lovely deft shots and more brutal cuts and thrusts here and there, with a Baines hammer to the offside that I can recall, and Mailies touching the to offside with deftness and grace. 

Mailies fell to a great catch, cutting to a short backward point-ish field position, who took it really well on the dive. The opening two bowlers were really quite good. Sawyer joined Baines and after a few sighters really got his eye in, taking strike rotation seriously, hitting 4's and 6's including a monster to long on, and a pull to square leg that just got faster off the bat. 

He then did one of the funnier things on a night full of funny things. He tried a sweepy type thing and somehow top edged it straight up. Perhaps deliberately, perhaps not, he just stood perfectly still and let the wicket keeper and a fielder sort of run around him trying to catch it, and then somehow not despite having all the time in the world. 

Baines perished on 35 when he was otherwise into his stride, hitting to wide long on. Threadgold joined Sawyer for a spell, but didn't last overly long. bowled.

The opposition then allowed me to crawl out to the crease (probably breaking some sort of time out rule) and have Dan Threadgold as a runner like it was the 80's. 

An example of a very good things from the 80's

I managed to tickle a 4 off my toes that got general applause, did not move my feet once (unlike most other weeks, natch) and generally watched Sawyer cruise to 50 for my second time this season with the best seat in the house. Much appreciation to Mr Threadgold for running many more runs than I would have, as we reeled the total in slowly

Sawyer did the classic, get to 50 and then get out. He was not stumped to one where he didn't move his feet. He then had a chat with the wicket keeper where he joked about how he couldn't be stumped as he never moved his feet or left his crease and then... guess what.... he charged the next ball and was stumped. Genius.

Cooper joined me for a bit, I managed to punch a 4 to the offside and he galloped us home close to the end.

I skipped the pub, it was late and Mr Naseri needing to be taken home, and I gather they missed out on pizzas. Boo. 

Next week, Kingston Dons.