Jags 96-3 (Meldal 43*, Christie 13, Keating 1-11) beat TTP 93-7 (Gregson 15, Penson 15, Naseri 2-12) by 7 wickets
MOTM - Naseri (Meldal runs him a close second)
We appear to have got to a stage this season where people simply turn up to watch us play. A few weeks ago Ben Kavanagh came to spectate on his way to work. Last week Naseri's social worker, Millie, said she'd just pop in, but then stayed for the whole fixture. This week Benjamin Sawyer brought his son Micah and his Mum. Micah is a future Jag I feel.
From my perspective, and given I'm writing this blog post that is the only perspective you will get today, we have a fan club. I might even make and sell some merchandise, and then give all the proceeds to a charity for cricketing widows and orphans or something.
This week we won the toss... no no, I joke, Matt lost the toss again, and we went in to bowl against TTP. TTP is a proper company team, no ringers, no starlets or kids from the local village, just people who work together. In the exciting world of consulting. They are technically a competitor for the company I work for, in much the same way as I am a direct competitor of Brad Pitt when it comes to starring movie roles, glamour and romantic interests. Maybe I just need to change my agent.
We started with Naseri and it took him 6 balls of venom to extract the first wicket. After a few looseners, the batters exchanged strike and he teased the left handed number 2 for a few balls, before removing his leg stump early with one that went in, using the angle rather than prodigious ball movement.
At the other end Brett was in typical form, but conceded a few off his first over. Naseri remained economic and more than a bit scary, and Muzzah behind the stumps was finding it nice and easy to watch the generally arrow straight balls into his gloves. Brett got the wicket his bowling deserved, with the ball pitched good, hit high to the offside, and Threadgold briefly put down his phone and stumbled forward to catch it.
Naseri then extracted one of the finest midweek wickets I have seen in a while, one that would have made Sir William Kingsmill proud, putting it on middle and leg, tiny bit of movement towards off, batsman forward, a gentle kiss of the edge of the bat and it went straight into Muzzah's gloves without deviation. Naseri then finished his last over off by absolutely terrifying the other batsman, peppering him with rapid little balls that will have resulted in a fair few bruises this morning. 6 dots he faced, and I think 6 different injuries may have been the result. Brett finished off with the no more wickets, scoring was slow. Muzzah was good behind the stumps.
Baines took bowling duties and we were treated to a first ball LBW shout that was denied (the umpire took a while). Then a second ball LBW shout that was accepted (the umpire still took a while). The batsman looked grateful to be leaving proceedings as he had faced 8 balls, scored no runs and been hit on 8 separate occasions.
Then the thing that we will all remember this game for, for-ever-more, happened. Baines pitched a good one up - the batsman larupped it high to mid on. Benjamin Savage - Sausage - Cabbage - Cab Sav - was waiting. Mr Reliable. Mr Dependable. Mr Cricket himself. Easiest catch in the world. He ambled forward to just a few feet from catching distance. Then he stopped, looked at the ball and realised it had gone quite high and might injure his delicate hands on returning to Earth. So he stopped, sort of faked a little "I can't see" motion (there was no sun in the sky, dear reader) and let it bounce a full 2 feet in front of him before returning it to the centre of the ring.
He. Just. Didn't. Fancy. It.
Baines was understandably smiley and delighted. Inexplicably, the skipper chose to reward this display by giving Mr Savage the ball from the other end. His first ball was a special one, going for 3 wides. His third did exactly the same. The other Baines over was largely uneventful I believe. Sav then found a little more range and then showed everyone that he can, in fact, catch.
But. Only. When. He. Is. Bowling.
He pitched a good one up, the batsman (who in truth had skirted his luck a bit before this) hammered it back towards Ben, and he took it two handed above his head with all the nonchalance he could manage of a caught and bowled. Baines was really smiling broadly at this point. Micah took this opportunity on the sidelines to throw a ball on to the floor and fall over, quite clearly taking his guidance from Savage... prior to his catch.
Cooper came on for a bowl. Dan did a funny thing in the field where he got out the textbook defensive long barrier, then decided to suddenly jump up and try a run out or to give away some overthrows, depending on your perspective. Cooper got a nice stonewall LBW - 3 in a game is not common I'll wager in midweek, and some other things happened in the field that I don't think merit a mention. TTP were trundling towards a score that might hit 3 figures. I felt the pitch was less sponge laden this week, but what do I know?! It felt a long way below par, anything short of 120 is hard to defend.
Oz was doing a great job scoring, and every single Muzzah error (there weren't many) resulted in him being call the name of another Jags keeper. Phillips. Strachan. Fraser. At least he never got called Fardell... The pressure of playing at this elevated level had clearly got to him. Matt dropped a tough chance in the ring. Mailes chased well and dived well to stop a fair few with marked athleticism.
Meldal got his customary second to last over bowl and dismissed one bowled leg stump with a ball that was slow/medium - straight and did not deviate at all on its path to hit the stumps. Cooper finished proceedings with a Chris Jordan economy rate and they got to 93-7, which is tough to defend.
Just to note, we did concede a lot of extras 16 wides and 3 byes, 'cough', Muzzah, 'cough'.
As the total was, shall we say, attainable, Matt decided to give some of the lesser lights of the team some chance at batting fun to start. I opened the batting with the Threadgold, well huzzah. 2019 called and it wants its partnership back. The opening over was good fun, I clipped a mystery 4 off my toes behind square, pulled a four to midwicket, and chatted openly to all the fielders about the need to bowl at my off stump if you want rid of my annoying self.
Dan hit a couple of nice 2's early on, including a late cut, but was undone trying to go big early, falling bowled. I was joined by Mr Meldal, a joyful sight, and we then had to endure an over of pure and utter what on Earth type filth. The first ball was a slow head height full toss that Freddie had all the time in the world to vanquish, but instead he just let it hit him on the helmet. The bowler did a similar thing with me a few balls later, a no ball that hit me in the "tummy padding", shall we call it. Today I have a very squishy bruise as a result.
They then brought on a good bowler, and he decided to bowl at the top of my off stump - as I had previously advised - and it was removed from the ground. We were well on the rate and I had rather enjoyed my brief stay in the middle with good banter all round.
Muzzah and Freddie then set about demolishing the remainder of the total. Both bowlers were solid at this point, so Muzzah showed some respect, Meldal less so with a pulled and whipped 4 to get on his way. He does a gentle start normally and then accelerates. This is what happened here, with those 4's followed by an absolutely brutal pull over midwicket for 6. Running was good, and Muzzah whipped a gorgeous swept 4 - a la James Barker at one point.
Then a mini disaster - Freddie straight drove the ball back, the bowler stuck out his hand and it deviated by pure chance onto the stumps, with Muzzah just out of his ground. He was suitably annoyed at getting out in such an unfortunate fashion.
Baines was umpiring, and he had to be gently encouraged from the sidelines to signal what had happened on the field to the scorers.
Freddie was joined by Mr Naseri for the final few balls, and hammered the next ball for 6, possibly in annoyance at having played a part in getting Muzzah out. Naseri hits it one way, cross batted, and he has all the gear, including an arm guard. He slapped a 4, Freddie hit another, there were some 2's and 3's and then we cantered home with Naseri hitting the winning runs, a flat 4 to finish on the evening's highest strike rate of 200.
Muzzah had calmed down by this point, Naseri was dispatched home and we arrived at the Red Bull for pizza in plenty of time, given the low scoring. The opposition turned out, commendably, in great numbers and we had a good old chat.
The garden was full of young students enjoying themselves immensely on cheap plonk, and we took the time to enjoy the moment and reminisce on the time we went to Nottingham and did the BatFast thing and went to Rock City and Hooters and other notable cultural features of that fair city known for its patron Robin of the Hood.
One league and two friendly games left. The end is nigh.
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