Warborough (A) – 26.9.10

RUASCC 149 all out
Zia 66, Malde 39

Warborough 123 all out
Zia 4-39, Main 3-48

RUASCC won by 26 runs

Full scorecard can be found here.

On a grey, wet and cold day in the beautiful setting of Warborough, the final game of the season was a low-scoring affair decided by one key batting partnership. The rain did fall but only lightly, and the long, green outfield gave poor value for any shots along the floor. RUASCC’s fourth consecutive win to end the season was quite an achievement with only ten players - as well as being a man short, a calf muscle injury had rendered Withers unable to run thus reducing him to the fitness level of the rest of the team.

TRANTER LOST THE TOSS AGAIN.

Warborough chose to field and, with Ward running late due to a morning football match, Carpenter opened the batting with Eagle. Against good, accurate swing bowling the RUASCC innings began slowly and Carpenter was the first wicket to fall with the score on 7, bowled by a leg-cutter that just clipped the off bail. Eagle followed for a duck in the next over, caught down the leg-side by the keeper having been cramped for room. An early trip to the pub looked odds-on at this stage.

Fortunately for RUASCC, Zia is in such good form with the bat that he went on to score 66 despite being bowled for nought. Early in his innings he ducked a full toss only for it to crash into his middle stump, but with neither umpire clearly announcing a no ball Zia began to make his way to the pavilion. In a show of sportsmanship Warborough might well now regret, they called him back for another chance and he soon pummelled successive sixes in a partnership with Chan that got the visitors out of trouble.

In fact they added 111 in just under 21 overs, Chan scoring mostly with delicate glances down the leg side, Zia scoring mostly in fours just about anywhere in the park. Zia passed fifty for the third time this season and was coasting along on 66 when he charged down the wicket and was stumped. Next batsman Ward, clearly unused to having to wait for his chance in the middle, only scored 5 before he fell to the same bowler.

Bruce Main briefly showed some of his powerful hitting and made a rapid 14 before Chan turned down his request for a single. Main, slipping as he turned, suffered the misfortune to be run out while lying face down in the middle of the wet pitch. 139-5.

Joined at the crease by Tranter and staring at a long tail, Chan decided it was time to hit out. Sadly he missed a straight one and was bowled for 39, and that was about all RUASCC had to offer: Tranter was bowled for 3, Jagesh run out for 4 and suddenly it was 148-8.

Last man Withers, bravely batting without the aid of a runner, pushed his fourth ball into the covers, called for a single and had just succeeded in dragging his wounded leg to the non-striker’s end when he realised Ashman was enthusiastically calling for a second run. Hampered by his injury and also by his lack of a jetpack and/or time machine, Withers failed to make his ground by about 18 yards and was hopelessly run out. During a lively teatime discussion The Once Good Doctor Ashman insisted he was only carrying out the Captain’s instructions which were, presumably, to bring the innings crashing to an embarrassing conclusion on 149 all out. The News of the World is investigating.

Chasing 150 to win the Warborough innings started strongly with the openers seeming to have none of the trouble getting the ball away that affected 80% of the RUASCC team. They raced to 47-0 before Main made the breakthrough thanks to a sharp catch by Tranter in the gully and it was soon 51-2 as the other opener tried to hit Zia over long off and only succeeded in finding Main who judged the flight well to take a good catch. Zia, not for the first time this season, took a wicket in his first over then after another 14 runs had been added he took his second, clean bowling Whitty for 5.

Three overs later Bruce Main reacted superbly to adjust his follow-through and pick up the loose ball to run out Martinus at the striker’s end, and the very next ball he caught-and-bowled Thompson to leave Warborough 66-5. This left the match intriguingly poised with the home side needing 80 to win from the final 20 overs with five wickets in hand.

The situation swung dramatically in RUASCC’s favour again within the space of two overs as first Zia took a return catch for his third wicket then Main won an LBW decision with a full-pitched straight one. However, Main’s body rebelled against being asked to bowl a thirteenth consecutive over and he suffered a calf injury seemingly remarkably similar to the one Withers was already carrying. Withers, who had been hidden in the slips all afternoon, was sent out to mid-off as Main (3-48) took his place next to ‘keeper Ward.

Warborough had just crept past 100 when Zia took his fourth wicket, another hapless victim clean bowled. In the next over Main’s replacement Jagesh found an edge and the chance went straight to the big Kiwi who claimed his second catch of the game. Like I said last week, Main never drops them.

Zia, desperately trying to fit his overs in before leaving for work at 6pm, was still causing problems from the other end and he found an edge which was put down by Main at slip. While a Warborough win looked increasingly unlikely the draw remained a distinct possibility as the last pair understandably shut up shop. Five fruitless overs followed and time was running out, but as the batsmen blocked everything straight and left everything wide, Jagesh (2-30) produced the perfect ball: the one that starts wide and comes in. It proved too good for Johnson who politely allowed it to pass and peg back his middle stump. Warborough 123 all out with just two overs to spare.

RUASCC Highlight: The post-match curry.

RUASCC Man of the Match: Zia (66 & 4-39) - another superb all-round performance.

RUASCC Team: Carpenter, Eagle, Malde, Zia, Ward (wkt), Main, Tranter (capt), Jagesh, Ashman, Withers