Southampton Academicals (A) – 14.5.11

Southampton 184-8 dec
Main 3-16, Withers 2-59

RUASCC 117-3
Main 34, Carpenter 32 not out

Match drawn.

All three of RUASCC’s proposed fixtures against Southampton were cancelled last season, but despite the novelty of the occasion we could only get 10 players to travel down the M3. Tranter won the toss and put Southampton in to bat on a decent track and our hosts were kind enough to lend us the extra fielder, a gesture which proved invaluable as it disproportionately improved the overall quality of our fielding. The sun shone intermittently through the clouds and it would have been a nice day were it not for the wind: a biting, chilling, relentlessly abusive onslaught that seemed to strip one’s flesh from the bones.

Withers toiled bravely into this wind without success, all the time loosening the jam jar for Main who greedily helped himself to the first three wickets. The first wicket came when a mis-timed pull sent a simple catch towards mid-wicket, who we only noticed happened to be our guest fielder when he didn’t drop it. The next two wickets fell quickly (one bowled, one LBW) but just as Main looked as if he might rip through the entire team he was forced to a halt by general wear and tear and had to make do with the impressive figures of 3-16 from seven overs. He had been denied a fourth wicket by a dropped slip catch (Carpenter), the start of a fascinating two-hour episode of “How Not to Catch” which included Dip and Tranter spilling chances off Withers, Tranter dropping one from his own bowling and Jagesh putting one down at mid-on from a batsman who only ever hit it straight to mid-on.

Withers did eventually get a wicket when a thin edge found its way to the keeper and Dip held on, whereupon the local villagers dug out the old bunting, grabbed some quiche and started up a spontaneous street party in our honour. With Southampton on 53-4 the home side’s hopes rested on Shibasis who was in full 20-20 mode swinging at pretty much everything and getting plenty of thick edges to the boundary. He reached his fifty out of a score of 75-4 and moved onto 68 before he pulled a short one from Dr Ashman (1-32) straight to Main at deep square leg and RUASCC’s most reliable fielder made no mistake.

That really should have been that for the Southampton innings but somehow it kept going. Walking fossil Ken Stewart came into the “attack” and bought himself a wicket thanks to another catch from another substitute fielder at mid-wicket before Withers returned to remove the Southampton captain - Main taking a tumbling catch in the covers. There was time for one more wicket as Jagesh refused a catch at mid-off but instead threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end as the same batsman struggled to pinch a single. After 36 overs Southampton declared on 184-8.

RUASCC need 185 runs to win

The reply began in cautious fashion as the opening bowler achieved what RUASCC hadn’t managed all afternoon: a maiden over. Several more followed as Ward and Eagle played themselves in but then in the tenth over, with score on 21, Ward attempted an expansive drive and dragged onto his stumps for nine. Dip came in at three, played a glorious drive through the covers for four but soon fell LBW for six.

The cause was further impeded by a sudden injury to Eagle who was rendered useless by leg cramp and had to leave the field. In a line-up of ten players featuring only four recognised batsmen we could barely afford to spare one, and the sight of Bruce Main coming in at number five did little to reassure the rest of us.

Having scored just 33 runs in the first 15 overs it seemed unlikely that RUASCC would find the other 152 in the final 20, but Main gave it a pretty good go. After he took 16 from one over with four punishing boundaries Carpenter began the next with two fours of his own and Main added another as the pair reached their fifty partnership and brought the required run rate to less than ten an over for the first time in what seemed like years.

When Main (34) was bowled by Shibasis, Eagle returned to the crease simply to annoy Stewart who was scheduled to be next in. However, hampered by an elbow injury he was unable to add to his score and retired hurt again with the score at 100-3. This possibly makes Eagle the first RUASCC batsman to retire hurt twice in an innings with two separate injuries but both times on the same score: 12 not out.

As the clock passed 7pm, the light remained good but the air grew cooler and the wind grew stronger. With the draw now certain, the RUASCC team, huddled up by the boundary rope freezing their knackers off, prayed for a drop of rain, an airstrike – anything to finish the game so we could all go home.

Carpenter (32 not out) and Stewart (3 not out) rattled along at one run per over for the last half hour until eventually another pointless single at the end of the 35th brought the desperate, mind-numbing misery to its inevitably tedious conclusion.

RUASCC Highlight: The moment Tranter spotted a fox on the far side of the pitch but it turned out to be small grey dog.

RUASCC Man of the Match: Bruce Main – took three wickets, two catches and top scored with a blistering 34. The only competition was from the substitute fielders.

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