Wargrave (A) – 5.6.11

Wargrave 229-9
Zia 3-26, Jagesh 2-17

Match abandoned due to rain

A heavy shower followed a useless shower on Sunday afternoon as RUASCC turned in a fielding performance that flitted between the realms of comedy and tragedy at Wargrave Recreation Ground. Tranter won the toss on a grey, windy afternoon and RUASCC took to the field in drizzle for a 40-over game that actually ended up as a 40-over game.

Main and Zia quickly removed the two openers - Main took the first wicket as Eagle held onto a catch at mid-off and Zia took a simple one-handed catch off his own bowling - but to set the tone for the next couple of hours, three other chances had already gone down. The miserly Bruce Main bowled four maidens in his eight over spell and Zia bowled the new man for a duck to give RUASCC an excellent start.

Withers officially opened the buffet by shipping 20 runs in his first two overs but persevered to take wickets with consecutive balls, and Jagesh picked up two LBWs in a commendably tight spell to make it 64-7 before the halfway point.

From a position of apparent hopelessness Wargrave rallied as two very useful batsmen came in at numbers eight and nine. They added 50 runs in the next ten overs and it seemed they might at least make a game of it; then they added another 50 in the next five overs and suddenly we were looking at a total to chase. The one word you can’t use to describe the partnership is “chanceless” - practically every RUASCC fielder was offered the opportunity to catch one of them out, but nothing stuck. Withers, Main, Zia and Carpenter will all be kicking themselves after failing to hold on when they got good hands to the ball, although it’s possible Zia deliberately dropped his to deny Tranter a wicket. By the end of the 40 overs only Tranter, Ward and Jagesh remained innocent of spurning opportunities.

The home side passed 200 and “Ratty” (batting for the first time in eight years) attempted a big shot on 49 - alas, as a result he was stumped by half a yard to give Ashman (1-63) a wicket. Zia returned at the death to remove Owen first ball (a catch even Withers couldn’t drop) and Wargrave were down to their last wicket.

Robinson wasn’t finished yet though: after a brutal attack in the final over he hit a huge straight six from the last ball of the innings to finish 100 not out. Wargrave scored 229-9 having added 108 in the last ten overs.

At tea the intermittent drizzle gave way to a full on shower and at 5.15pm the captains agreed to knock it on the head. Wargrave had a lucky escape if you ask me. Just look at the batting line up: Eagle is due a big score, Wardy and Zia are still unbeaten from two weeks ago and Carpenter had a look in his eye that said "I'm gonna fuck you up chappy, so don't even try it." And that’s before Chan and his massive bat get a look in. Let’s face it, a RUASCC win was a nigh-on certainty.

RUASCC Highlight: It’s getting pretty desperate when I can’t think of anything better than Wardy skilfully stopping a boundary with the outside of his foot.

RUASCC Man of the Match: Jagesh - took his first two wickets of the season in an economical spell and was one of the very few who didn’t drop a catch.

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