RUASCC Review 2010 - The Bowlers

In the final part of my RUASCC team roundup, it’s time to turn our attention to the people who do the damage with the ball - those who like nothing better to see the stumps scattered all over the park, but can’t remember clearly the last time it happened.

Jagesh Navik
18 wickets @ 17.56

Jagesh finished the season as RUASCC’s second highest wicket taker despite only playing in 8 of the 20 completed fixtures. The highlight was undoubtedly an astonishing spell of 5-36 against Frieth which almost led to the successful defence of a rather mediocre total of 112 (Jag had already top-scored with 21 not out that day). Jagesh’s aggression and barely-concealed hatred for all batsmen were never more in evidence than in the match at Highmoor when one of the openers had reached 49 and looked in no trouble at all when Jagesh’s bouncer sent him to hospital for half a dozen stitches over the left eye.

A bowler who can usually be relied upon to take a couple of wickets each time he bowls, Jagesh also had the honour of bringing the season to a satisfying conclusion at Warborough where he clean bowled the number 11 batsman to seal the win. He was quickly brought back down to earth, however, when he was forced to take the bus home afterwards.

Jagesh held onto two catches this season and also managed to beat his own record for number of minutes spent on the phone during RUASCC matches.

Keith Withers
13 wickets @ 43.77

Withers played in 18 of the club’s 20 matches this season (including one as substitute fielder), his work with the scorebook was tireless, he wrote match report after match report and he even found time to make the tea for one game at Leighton Park. It’s that sort of contribution that will earn someone the RUASCC Club Award 2010.

On the pitch, he took 7 catches and contributed to 2 run outs despite possessing the weakest throwing arm outside of the Ethiopian Anorexic Centre for Female Landmine Victims. In the game at Stonor he carried his bat for the entire 40 overs making just 18 not out – an innings which may have saved a draw but could have lost a fixture. On the 9 occasions that he batted he was only dismissed twice, but on seven of those occasions he didn’t score more than 1 run.

Withers’ performance with the ball is best summed up by his spells at Peppard (0-40), Hambleden (0-47) and Stonor (0-62).

“OK, have a rest there Keith.”

Ben Koslicki
11 wickets @ 24.55

Koslicki’s haul of 4-40 in 11 overs at Peppard was the best return from his seven RUASCC matches this season, while several other useful bowling performances deserved more than they got. He picked up wickets against Britwell, Braywood and Highmoor among others and in the game at Stonor he took the catch that gave RUASCC our only wicket of the day.

Ben can be rightly proud of the fact that all of his 20 runs this season came from boundaries (two fours at Farley Hill; three fours at Britwell). Let’s hope he doesn’t have to work too many Sunday afternoons during the summer of 2011.

Andy Ashman
8 wickets @ 32.13

Dr Ashman is the only RUASCC player to finish the 2010 season with more wickets (8) than runs (7). He is also undoubtedly the only RUASCC player to have umpired more overs than he spent batting and bowling put together. In 12 matches he bowled just 39.1 overs achieving a strike-rate of under 30.

His best bowling (3-48) helped a winning cause at Hambleden. He also took wickets at Portsmouth (removing their key man for 85), Stonor (our only one!) and with his first ball in the return match against Hambleden at Leighton Park. After his slow, short, wide loosener was hacked horribly to Carpo at slip, Ashman stated that his aim had simply been to not bowl a wide.

With the bat he was involved in RUASCC’s highest 10th wicket stand of the season – an unbroken 9 with Jagesh at Frieth. He contributed 0 to RUASCC’s lowest team total of 96 at Woodcote and he finished 0 not out in the final game at Warborough where he didn’t face a ball but still managed to run Withers out.

His work as both Club Treasurer and Club Conscience should never be under-estimated.