Greys Green (A) – 23.5.15

RUASCC 158-9 (all out)

Daman Singh 62, Zia 45, Greenhalf 25

Greys Green 118-5

Zia 2-26, Saad 1-22, Raqib 1-33

Match drawn

It looks like I owe someone an apology.

It’s time to stand up and admit that I was wrong.  I doubted.  Last July I refused to believe sworn testimony, first-hand accounts from people I would normally trust.  In these very pages I have mocked, unashamedly failing to hide my unfounded scepticism, and now is the time to make things right.  Serve me a piece of that humble pie my good man, and top it with extra cream.  I was wrong.  Put it on a t-shirt, I deserve to wear it.

Daman, I’m sorry.  They told me you scored 59 against Peppard and I dismissed the whole match as merely the concoction of a fragile imagination.  As recently as October, in my review of the season, I scoffed and said I’d never seen you bat for very long (which was true).  Cynicism is an unattractive quality.  I was a half-century denier.

Not anymore.  Now I’ve seen wonders with my own eyes and I’m converted like Saul on the Damascus road.  I will preach to all who care to listen that I saw Daman score a fifty.  I was a witness to The Miracle of Greys Green.

In the absence of realistic alternatives Daman opened the batting with Eagle and, like so many others before him, soon found himself batting without Eagle.  It was by no means a fluent start: a streaky four over the slips to get off the mark and a chance dropped at mid-off that was worthy of RUASCC, but Daman soon displayed a level of defensive application and a confidence in uppish driving that made a mockery of the record books.

I never thought I’d be writing this but Daman was the backbone of the RUASCC innings, and after his dismissal the whole thing fell apart.  Daman, Zia and Greenhalf between them contributed 132 runs to the rather meagre total of 158, with opening bowler Ahmed taking six wickets for the home side and the last five wickets falling for just nine runs.  Against a typical RUASCC attack that might not have been enough, but we had a couple of Saads on our side.

Saad 2 (a guest of Saad 1) proved to be a bit useful: with the ball he’s every bit as quick as Saad 1, and with the keeper’s gloves he stood right up to Saad 1 seemingly completely at ease.  Between them they kept the run rate under control though wickets proved hard to come by.  A fantastic chase and throw from Jagesh saw Mo run out first ball attempting a risky second, but half way through the Greys innings all three results were still possible.  With Skilliter at the crease Greys were perhaps favourites but Zia bowled him for 46 to ensure the game petered out into a draw.

There are those who’ll say it isn’t worth playing a game for seven hours only to end up with no result.  There are those who think we’re all wasting our time.  But for Daman, and those who were there watching as he reached his second RUASCC fifty, this was a day we will never forget.  And henceforth I promise to be far less cynical about reports of the achievements of others.

Oh except that nonsense about Eagle scoring a century, obviously.  I’m not a complete idiot.

RUASCC Highlight: The run out – a great piece of work from Jagesh and Saad 2.

RUASCC Man of the Match:  Well, Zia scored 45 and took a couple of wickets, but I can’t give this to anyone except Daman.

RUASCC Team:  Eagle (capt), D. Singh, S. Raqib (wkt), Zia, Greenhalf (wkt), Saad, Tranter, Jagesh, Ashman, Withers