Sunday 12st July 2009 - Home versus

  Hersham CC
played at Abbeyfield, Chertsey

The start of the match was delayed due to the skipper being indisposed when he should have been out in the middle tossing up. This created a bit of a stink in the dressing room and so vice captain Dustin* stepped into the breach and armed with the lucky coin he headed out to the middle. The opposition captain called incorrectly meaning we had won the toss and Dustin had no hesitation in electing to bat on a decent looking pitch.

With Clive off on his travels yet again, my stint as opener continued and Dustin and I headed out to open the innings.

Playing too early was my downfall in the last match and I was determined to use my head this time around. However, I took the thought a bit too literally and having again played too early (again!) to a short pitched delivery, the ball hit me on the forehead. I was slightly dazed and a bit embarrassed at having played such a rotten shot, but carried on batting for another couple of overs before I was mugged by a slower ball that made my eyes light up and as I had finished an almighty swing, found the ball had hit the stumps. I was out for 10 runs and did I have a sore head!

Martyn James joined Dustin and played a supporting role whilst Dustin looked to accelerate the score. The thirteenth over proved to be particularly lucky for Dustin who took 16 off the over including two sixes. By the time drinks were taken at the end of the twentieth over Dustin had reached his half century and we had reached 78 for 1. The drinks break clearly affected Dustin’s concentration as he was bowled by the first ball after the resumption.

Paul (or should it be Tom – if you’ve seen the film) replaced his brother and struck his first ball for four. However, four balls later he drove the ball at catchable height to extra cover, who dropped the simplest of chances. Up until that point, Badgers’ ground fielding had been exemplary. Paul must have thought it was his lucky day when not long after, he hit the ball straight up in the air, the keeper called it and proceeded to drop the catch.

Fortune didn’t smile so kindly on Martyn, who having made 23, his highest score for the club, pushed a ball to short cover who took an easy catch. William Fairminer strode out to join Paul, still basking in the glory of his great performance last week, but as we know, cricket is a great leveller and five balls later he was heading back to the pavilion for a duck – can someone get the ‘On a Pair’ shirt out for Will!

Captain Daz strode out to join Paul with the score on 118 for 4 and only six overs remaining. We would need a bigger total than that! Some lusty blows from Paul saw him complete his third consecutive half-century before being caught at the third time of asking. Captain Daz had already departed having run himself out in an attempt to give Paul the strike. Don’t worry Daz fans, he managed to get off the mark again this week!

Andrew Fairminer and “Gloves” Childs scored 14 useful runs off the last two overs and both finished not out. At the end of our 35 overs we had scored 156 for 6, which strangely was exactly the same score we made the last time we played Badgers and off the same number of overs. We got stuffed by 9 wickets in that match, let’s hope we would do a bit better this time!

An excellent tea was provided by Mrs CC (well I would say that) and after too many scones with jam and cream we returned to the field.

Andrew and Rachel Johnson opened the bowling and we had early success when Andrew took a wicket in his second over to leave Badgers on 7 for 1. Andrew also dismissed the other opener for 33 thanks to another catch from Gloves (3 in 2 games!). A fifty nine run partnership followed for the third wicket which took the game away from us a little as we struggled to set a field for the number three bat who no matter where the ball was bowled, dispatched it into the leg side!

Eventually the Skipper brought himself into the attack and bowled the number three in his first over and when a direct hit from short fine leg by Arthur Fairminer took care of his partner, Badgers were on 118 for 4, just as we were, but they had got there in far fewer overs. Three more wickets fell in quick succession, two to Darren, one courtesy of a stumping by Gloves (you can’t keep him out of the game), the other thanks to a catch by Paul. When Paul took the seventh wicket following a reaction catch by Andrew at mid off, Badgers needed 16 to win with three wickets left.

Judging from the quality of the lower order batting, Badgers had kept some of their batters in reserve and in the thirty second over they hit the winning runs to complete a victory by 3 wickets.

After what had been an enjoyable game, Badgers joined us back at the Abbey Rangers club for beer, chips and sausages, let’s hope the quality of our food if not our cricket will entice them to visit again next season.

Nearly forgot, Muppet of the Week! I thought I was in the running for head-butting the ball (it still hurts!), but I escaped thanks to the Skipper. You see absent in every match this season had been the pink hat, worn by those who dropped catches and generally made fools of themselves in the field. Everyone thought that Gloves had got it, but having confirmed he hadn’t a search was made of the Skipper’s kit bag and there it was found, where it had been since last season eh Daz – You Muppet!

* Dustin (aka David Johnson) – named Dustin after film actor Dustin Hoffman who starred in the 1988 film “Rain Man”. David earned this nickname as almost every time he goes to see England play in a test match it rains!

CC