RUASCC 219-2
Baker 103 not out, Carpenter 70
Greys 216-3
Baker 2-31, Zia 1-70
Match drawn
Exciting times! Our first home match of the season on the perfect batting track at Reading University! Dry as a bone and flat as a road, it brings to mind those Test Matches on the sub-continent where Rahul Dravid patiently compiles 651 not out against a tiring Sri Lankan spin attack who’ve bowled upward of a thousand overs. The Reading pitch is no friend to the bowler and so it proved as only five wickets fell for 435 runs and we saw two unbeaten centuries, including RUASCC’s first ton of the season.
Tranter lost the toss and we were asked to bat first, a prospect welcomed by our batting-rich team (in-form Malde at seven, Zia at eight!) Opening the innings was Dr Eagle who had just scored an unbeaten century for Kidmore End, but he put that temporary blip behind him and got straight back to business with a six-ball duck. Johnny Baker was hardly dressed in time but came in to join Carpenter with the score at 0-1.
The last time these two batted together was at Aldsworth where they put on 73. After 18 overs here they surpassed that total, building a solid foundation against decent bowling from Howles, Shafqat and Skilliter. After 20 overs they upped the pace: Carpenter moved to 48 with an enormous straight six (big boundaries at Reading!) and was the first of the two to reach fifty with a pushed single into the off-side. Baker reached his fify with his seventh four then Carpenter went on the attack, taking 14 from a single Shafqat over including another massive six over wide mid-on.
With the score at 145 Carpenter finally perished, caught on the cover boundary for a brilliant 70 which included six fours as well as the two maximums. Baker carried on the charge and hit a huge six of his own to reach 80 while Rupert Loader, playing his first RUASCC game of the year, found his feet at the other end. Skilliter returned but struggled with his length and Baker picked him off for more boundaries, eventually bringing up his century with his fourteenth four tucked away towards the pavilion where his teammates gave him a great ovation.
20 runs came from the last two overs as RUASCC reached 219-2 with Loader looking increasingly assured on 27 not out. The third wicket stand was an unbroken 74.
Greys need 220 runs to win
After a sensational Patel family tea RUASCC took to the field and Withers bowled three consecutive maidens in the early stages but the Greys openers would not be dislodged. The opening stand passed fifty before the first change brought the first wicket – and it was that man Johnny Baker again, clean bowling Skilliter for 22. Number three Holroyd gave the ball a damn good thump, hitting six fours before he was deceived by Baker’s slower ball. Howles didn’t last long before he clipped Zia’s worst ball of the day, a leg-side full toss, to Rupert Loader at square leg but any hopes of a RUASCC win were effectively ended by the arrival of Mo Shafqat.
Shafqat scored 98 in our first meeting this season and he joined opener Butler who by now had reached fifty with relative ease. Baker collapsed screaming in agony while attempting to bowl the final ball of his seventh over and for a moment it looked like he might have to make another trip to A&E – fortunately it turned out to be (merely) crippling cramp in both legs, which was actually quite funny once we realised nothing was broken. Baker left the field and was replaced by Ashman dressed from head to toe in cricketing blue while Tranter completed the over (one ball for one run).
After 26 overs Greys were 116-3 and needed 104 to win from the final 12, but with a draw looking a certainty RUASCC began to unravel and lost control of the game. The batsmen picked up twos with shots directly to fielders and were comfortably scoring the nine or ten an over they needed to keep the chase interesting. Young Ben Loader bowled a decent spell (5 overs, 0-22) but four overs from Chan and Dersh went for 42 as Butler reached his hundred and suddenly Greys needed a very gettable 39 from four overs.
This was reduced further to 18 from two but Withers kept his nerve to restrict the penultimate over to just six runs. Zia stepped up to bowl the final over and five runs came from the first three balls before a welcome dot ball calmed everyone’s nerves a bit. Needing eight to win Greys could only manage three more runs to finish on 216-3 - a thrilling finish for those who enjoy that particular brand of agony.
RUASCC Highlights: The 145 run stand between Baker and Carpenter, the three enormous sixes (two from Carpenter, one from Baker) and the full toss from Skilliter helped to the square leg boundary that brought Johnny Baker his century.
RUASCC Man of the Match: John Baker.
RUASCC Team: Eagle, Carpenter, Baker, R Loader, Dersh, Dip (wkt), Malde, Zia, Tranter (capt), B Loader, Withers
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Fulmer (A) – 13.8.11
Fulmer 244-3
Tranter 1-12, Jagesh 1-46
RUASCC 140-8
Dip 67, Zia 25
RUASCC lost by 104 runs
Back to Berkshire and back to reality for RUASCC this week as we faced Fulmer in a new fixture and got well and truly humped in a limited-overs game at a picturesque ground just north of Slough. The day was overcast but warm and when Tranter lost the toss we were, as usual, asked to field first.
It looked bad from the outset. 25 runs came from the first two overs and although Jagesh and Withers were eventually able to bring the run rate down to below 12 the Fulmer openers scored heavily, punishing all of the loose balls and several of the tight ones too. Neither looked in any trouble at all until Ali tried to reverse sweep Pensioner Ken’s third ball and was hopelessly bowled for 43 – one wicket given away, but Fulmer had almost 200 on the board before they lost another.
Zia found a couple of edges that went into gaps in the field, including one that went very high and landed next to wicketkeeper Dip who’d lost sight of it, and Tranter dropped a slip catch via his face. The frustration continued as Dr Ashman served up a full toss that was lofted straight to Ken Stewart at deep backward square leg but the old man watched in despair as the ball wriggled free and hit the turf. Some expert shot placement brought fifties for both batsmen before Jagesh returned to remove Shyma for 53, well caught by Dr Ashman at mid off.
Field accelerated and hit 20 off one over from Stewart on his way to becoming the fifth opposition player to score a century against RUASCC this year. The onslaught continued but with the field spread we did at least manage to contain the boundaries in the final stages. Then in the 40th over Tranter picked up the third wicket as the Fulmer innings ended on 244-3.
RUASCC need 245 runs to win
RUASCC made a dreadful start when Carpenter was bowled first ball and two overs later Eagle was caught in the gully for 5 as what had appeared to be the perfect batting track when we were bowling suddenly became riddled with demons as balls spun, swung and seamed all over the place.
Dip and Zia played positively and got the scoreboard ticking along but Tamoor soon took his third wicket: Zia bowled for 25. Dersh joined his brother but after carefully playing himself in he chipped the ball up to mid off and was easily caught. With nearly 200 still needed for the win and a very long tail to follow the outcome of the match already had a depressing air of inevitability about it and there was little but pride to play for.
Rahul played a couple of lovely shots before he was bowled and Skipper Tranter was run out by a direct hit when going for a risky single, but Dip continued to accumulate and he reached an excellent fifty with another swipe to leg. Then just as we were willing him to push on and get a ton he made an injudicious dash down the wicket to the leg spinner and was stumped by some distance. A fine innings from RUASCC’s Little Master.
Jagesh had just managed to reach double figures when he became the eighth wicket to fall on 120 so it was down to Withers and Pensioner Ken to find 125 runs in the seven overs remaining. With nothing to lose Withers dusted off a couple of attacking shots and almost finished Ken off with an all-run four thanks to an overthrow. Stewart had gone a curious shade of grey by the time he saw out a final maiden over as RUASCC finished on 140-8 to lose by a great many runs. Withers survived a huge appeal in the penultimate over to end on 17 not out, more than doubling his season’s tally.
Our embarrassment was complete when the home captain admitted in the bar afterwards that he had refrained from using their best bowler, a very diplomatic way of telling us that he knew perfectly well exactly how shit we are. I wonder if England have considered pulling Jimmy Anderson out of the attack to give India a chance next time.
RUASCC Highlight: Pensioner Ken completing an all-run four. Meaningless in the context of the game, but it did at least shut him up for a few minutes.
RUASCC Man of the Match: It can only be Dip for his first decent knock of the season.
RUASCC Team: Eagle, Carpenter, Dip (wkt), Zia, Dersh, Rahul, Jagesh, Tranter (capt), Withers, Stewart, Ashman
Tranter 1-12, Jagesh 1-46
RUASCC 140-8
Dip 67, Zia 25
RUASCC lost by 104 runs
Back to Berkshire and back to reality for RUASCC this week as we faced Fulmer in a new fixture and got well and truly humped in a limited-overs game at a picturesque ground just north of Slough. The day was overcast but warm and when Tranter lost the toss we were, as usual, asked to field first.
It looked bad from the outset. 25 runs came from the first two overs and although Jagesh and Withers were eventually able to bring the run rate down to below 12 the Fulmer openers scored heavily, punishing all of the loose balls and several of the tight ones too. Neither looked in any trouble at all until Ali tried to reverse sweep Pensioner Ken’s third ball and was hopelessly bowled for 43 – one wicket given away, but Fulmer had almost 200 on the board before they lost another.
Zia found a couple of edges that went into gaps in the field, including one that went very high and landed next to wicketkeeper Dip who’d lost sight of it, and Tranter dropped a slip catch via his face. The frustration continued as Dr Ashman served up a full toss that was lofted straight to Ken Stewart at deep backward square leg but the old man watched in despair as the ball wriggled free and hit the turf. Some expert shot placement brought fifties for both batsmen before Jagesh returned to remove Shyma for 53, well caught by Dr Ashman at mid off.
Field accelerated and hit 20 off one over from Stewart on his way to becoming the fifth opposition player to score a century against RUASCC this year. The onslaught continued but with the field spread we did at least manage to contain the boundaries in the final stages. Then in the 40th over Tranter picked up the third wicket as the Fulmer innings ended on 244-3.
RUASCC need 245 runs to win
RUASCC made a dreadful start when Carpenter was bowled first ball and two overs later Eagle was caught in the gully for 5 as what had appeared to be the perfect batting track when we were bowling suddenly became riddled with demons as balls spun, swung and seamed all over the place.
Dip and Zia played positively and got the scoreboard ticking along but Tamoor soon took his third wicket: Zia bowled for 25. Dersh joined his brother but after carefully playing himself in he chipped the ball up to mid off and was easily caught. With nearly 200 still needed for the win and a very long tail to follow the outcome of the match already had a depressing air of inevitability about it and there was little but pride to play for.
Rahul played a couple of lovely shots before he was bowled and Skipper Tranter was run out by a direct hit when going for a risky single, but Dip continued to accumulate and he reached an excellent fifty with another swipe to leg. Then just as we were willing him to push on and get a ton he made an injudicious dash down the wicket to the leg spinner and was stumped by some distance. A fine innings from RUASCC’s Little Master.
Jagesh had just managed to reach double figures when he became the eighth wicket to fall on 120 so it was down to Withers and Pensioner Ken to find 125 runs in the seven overs remaining. With nothing to lose Withers dusted off a couple of attacking shots and almost finished Ken off with an all-run four thanks to an overthrow. Stewart had gone a curious shade of grey by the time he saw out a final maiden over as RUASCC finished on 140-8 to lose by a great many runs. Withers survived a huge appeal in the penultimate over to end on 17 not out, more than doubling his season’s tally.
Our embarrassment was complete when the home captain admitted in the bar afterwards that he had refrained from using their best bowler, a very diplomatic way of telling us that he knew perfectly well exactly how shit we are. I wonder if England have considered pulling Jimmy Anderson out of the attack to give India a chance next time.
RUASCC Highlight: Pensioner Ken completing an all-run four. Meaningless in the context of the game, but it did at least shut him up for a few minutes.
RUASCC Man of the Match: It can only be Dip for his first decent knock of the season.
RUASCC Team: Eagle, Carpenter, Dip (wkt), Zia, Dersh, Rahul, Jagesh, Tranter (capt), Withers, Stewart, Ashman
Friday, 12 August 2011
England v India (2nd Test, Day 2, Trent Bridge) – 30.7.11
It’s been a busy couple of weeks, what with tour and everything, so my report from Trent Bridge has been slightly delayed. The bulk of this was written on Sunday 31st July (i.e. after day 3) so I have added a few editorial nudges.
* * * * * * * * * * *
If, like me, you only go to one day of live Test cricket each year, my advice is to make sure you choose a day that produces 288 runs, 10 wickets, a ton, two fifties and a blistering Stuart Broad hatrick that rips the roof off the stadium halfway through the final session. Otherwise I’m afraid it hardly seems worth it.
We felt a little while ago that these tickets would give us a decent chance of witnessing Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international hundred and in accordance with Eagle’s specific instructions India began the second day’s play at Trent Bridge with one wicket down and the Little Master waiting to come in…
Morning Session
After several hours in the car we took our seats in the Radcliffe Road Stand at long-off/fine leg with two of the game’s finest batsmen, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, at the crease. Four successive balls were dispatched to the boundary as Anderson and Broad struggled to find the right length but Strauss kept his attacking field which meant that on the fast outfield any well-placed shot went all the way – and there were some very well-placed shots in the first hour. Laxman brought up his fifty with his tenth four, driven through extra cover, and just when it seemed there was no hope for England, along came Big Tim Bresnan.
(Ed: Of the six people in our group I was the only one who thought the selectors were right to bring in Bresnan instead of Steve Finn. Now I’m not saying that Steve Finn definitely wouldn’t have taken five wickets and scored 90 in the second innings, but I’m mightily pleased that Big Bres did.)
Anyway, Bresnan got one to bounce and move away from Laxman who very kindly edged it behind to Matt Prior and the partnership was finally broken. That wicket brought in Sachin Tendulkar to a standing ovation from the Trent Bridge crowd, many of whom were willing him to reach that century landmark. Then a slightly odd period of play before lunch saw Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott bowling at Dravid and Tendulkar - unsurprisingly there were no more wickets.
Afternoon Session
The return of the proper bowlers after lunch seemed to put a spark back into the England team and Tendulkar’s promising innings was cut short when he edged to Strauss at first slip. So no hundredth hundred this time, but for all we know it might have been the sixteenth time he’s scored 16.
The news just kept getting better for England: after Sachin’s dismissal Raina never looked comfortable and guided a wide long hop straight to Morgan at point, then Jonathan Trott landed painfully on his shoulder while fielding in the covers and was unable to bowl again. But just as it seemed England were really on top, Yuvraj Singh slashed Broad to gully and KP put it down. At this point India were still 80 runs behind but over the next hour and a half that missed chance looked as if it would prove costly.
Spurred on by the loud, irritating twat on the balcony behind us, Dravid and Yuvraj put on 128 runs spanning the tea interval. Dravid scored plenty in the vacant third man region (as did Bell the next day and many others in this game) and brought up his 34th Test hundred with a sweep off Graeme Swann who, like Jimmy Anderson, bowled well below his best and leaked runs all over the wicket. Swann didn’t seem to pose any kind of threat and his 12 overs cost 76 runs on a wicket that rendered Harbhajan Singh equally pointless for the tourists.
Yuvraj, having been dropped on four, passed fifty as India breezed past England’s first innings total and looked set to bat well into the weekend.
Evening Session
As enjoyable as Indian’s batting had been we all agreed that the day would be made a whole lot better if England could manage a really good session - nothing beats a good batting collapse after all. The period of play after tea was initially uneventful but then the bowlers got the boost they needed: the new ball.
Stuart Broad had been rested during the afternoon lull and he returned to the attack with fire in his eyes and steel in his balls. Yuvraj was the first to go, caught behind, and in Broad’s next over MS Dhoni, who clearly hadn’t settled, edged to Strauss for just 5. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm, the noise levels increased and Trent Bridge was buzzing as Harbhajan came to the crease to face his first ball. It also turned out to be his last ball as Broad beat him for pace and 20,000 people appealed for LBW. The umpire agreed and the ground went wild again. We were witnessing something very special indeed.
Now, no one came to Trent Bridge hoping to see a huge innings from Praveen Kumar. Kumar is expendable, like the Star Trek dude in the red shirt on the away mission to the dangerous planet Broad. As Kumar took his guard and looked nervously about, everyone in the stadium knew what was about to happen; everyone was on their feet already. To a deafening roar Stuart Broad pounded in, found the perfect line and length and the stumps were shattered. It was fucking awesome.
Such was the excitement in the ground at the time, we all believed he could make it four from four, and the way he hammered into Ishant Sharma you knew he believed it too. The ball was fast and full again but slightly down the leg side and Sharma poked it away with mighty relief. Broad had to settle for a treble-wicket-maiden and a standing ovation from the Nottingham crowd.
At this point Dravid realised he needed to go on the attack but at the first attempt he slashed a wide ball from Bresnan straight to the newly-installed third man. Fifteen minutes earlier India had been in control, 46 runs ahead with only four wickets down. Suddenly they had lost five wickets for six runs! The last pair swung the bat and added another 15 before Broad appropriately took the final wicket to finish on 6-46.
The Aftermath
Having watched the channel 5 highlights (predominantly to see if we were on telly) I have now seen the enormous inside edge that Harbhajan knew he’d got onto his pads so I understand why he looked so distraught to be given out. But as they said on the TV, he only really has his own cricket board to blame for that one after they vetoed the use of the review system for LBW decisions. I wonder if the noise inside the stadium was partly responsible for the umpire missing the knick, in which case I’ll claim an assist too.
England have bowled out the number one Test side in the world for less than 300 in every innings of this series so far and have exposed a fragile tail that arguably starts with a shattered-looking MS Dhoni at number seven (Ed: recent innings at Edgbaston excepted of course). With both Anderson and Swann well below their best it needed someone else to put in a dominant display and wrestle back control from the Indian batsmen, and Stuart Broad’s spell of 16 balls, five wickets for no runs is about as dominant as you can get.
To add a note of caution: Stuart Broad was the final victim of the previous Test hatrick (Peter Siddle in Brisbane) so if the chain is to be continued that means that Praveen Kumar is due to take the next one.
What happened over the next two days further emphasised how Broad’s incredible spell turned the match around - India didn’t win another session and ended up soundly beaten.
* * * * * * * * * * *
If, like me, you only go to one day of live Test cricket each year, my advice is to make sure you choose a day that produces 288 runs, 10 wickets, a ton, two fifties and a blistering Stuart Broad hatrick that rips the roof off the stadium halfway through the final session. Otherwise I’m afraid it hardly seems worth it.
We felt a little while ago that these tickets would give us a decent chance of witnessing Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international hundred and in accordance with Eagle’s specific instructions India began the second day’s play at Trent Bridge with one wicket down and the Little Master waiting to come in…
Morning Session
After several hours in the car we took our seats in the Radcliffe Road Stand at long-off/fine leg with two of the game’s finest batsmen, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, at the crease. Four successive balls were dispatched to the boundary as Anderson and Broad struggled to find the right length but Strauss kept his attacking field which meant that on the fast outfield any well-placed shot went all the way – and there were some very well-placed shots in the first hour. Laxman brought up his fifty with his tenth four, driven through extra cover, and just when it seemed there was no hope for England, along came Big Tim Bresnan.
(Ed: Of the six people in our group I was the only one who thought the selectors were right to bring in Bresnan instead of Steve Finn. Now I’m not saying that Steve Finn definitely wouldn’t have taken five wickets and scored 90 in the second innings, but I’m mightily pleased that Big Bres did.)
Anyway, Bresnan got one to bounce and move away from Laxman who very kindly edged it behind to Matt Prior and the partnership was finally broken. That wicket brought in Sachin Tendulkar to a standing ovation from the Trent Bridge crowd, many of whom were willing him to reach that century landmark. Then a slightly odd period of play before lunch saw Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott bowling at Dravid and Tendulkar - unsurprisingly there were no more wickets.
Afternoon Session
The return of the proper bowlers after lunch seemed to put a spark back into the England team and Tendulkar’s promising innings was cut short when he edged to Strauss at first slip. So no hundredth hundred this time, but for all we know it might have been the sixteenth time he’s scored 16.
The news just kept getting better for England: after Sachin’s dismissal Raina never looked comfortable and guided a wide long hop straight to Morgan at point, then Jonathan Trott landed painfully on his shoulder while fielding in the covers and was unable to bowl again. But just as it seemed England were really on top, Yuvraj Singh slashed Broad to gully and KP put it down. At this point India were still 80 runs behind but over the next hour and a half that missed chance looked as if it would prove costly.
Spurred on by the loud, irritating twat on the balcony behind us, Dravid and Yuvraj put on 128 runs spanning the tea interval. Dravid scored plenty in the vacant third man region (as did Bell the next day and many others in this game) and brought up his 34th Test hundred with a sweep off Graeme Swann who, like Jimmy Anderson, bowled well below his best and leaked runs all over the wicket. Swann didn’t seem to pose any kind of threat and his 12 overs cost 76 runs on a wicket that rendered Harbhajan Singh equally pointless for the tourists.
Yuvraj, having been dropped on four, passed fifty as India breezed past England’s first innings total and looked set to bat well into the weekend.
Evening Session
As enjoyable as Indian’s batting had been we all agreed that the day would be made a whole lot better if England could manage a really good session - nothing beats a good batting collapse after all. The period of play after tea was initially uneventful but then the bowlers got the boost they needed: the new ball.
Stuart Broad had been rested during the afternoon lull and he returned to the attack with fire in his eyes and steel in his balls. Yuvraj was the first to go, caught behind, and in Broad’s next over MS Dhoni, who clearly hadn’t settled, edged to Strauss for just 5. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm, the noise levels increased and Trent Bridge was buzzing as Harbhajan came to the crease to face his first ball. It also turned out to be his last ball as Broad beat him for pace and 20,000 people appealed for LBW. The umpire agreed and the ground went wild again. We were witnessing something very special indeed.
Now, no one came to Trent Bridge hoping to see a huge innings from Praveen Kumar. Kumar is expendable, like the Star Trek dude in the red shirt on the away mission to the dangerous planet Broad. As Kumar took his guard and looked nervously about, everyone in the stadium knew what was about to happen; everyone was on their feet already. To a deafening roar Stuart Broad pounded in, found the perfect line and length and the stumps were shattered. It was fucking awesome.
Such was the excitement in the ground at the time, we all believed he could make it four from four, and the way he hammered into Ishant Sharma you knew he believed it too. The ball was fast and full again but slightly down the leg side and Sharma poked it away with mighty relief. Broad had to settle for a treble-wicket-maiden and a standing ovation from the Nottingham crowd.
At this point Dravid realised he needed to go on the attack but at the first attempt he slashed a wide ball from Bresnan straight to the newly-installed third man. Fifteen minutes earlier India had been in control, 46 runs ahead with only four wickets down. Suddenly they had lost five wickets for six runs! The last pair swung the bat and added another 15 before Broad appropriately took the final wicket to finish on 6-46.
Ticket for the Test match: £60After a fourth consecutive failure for Alastair Cook (Ed: drop him!) England finished the day on exactly the same score, 24-1, as India had started it, but still trailed in the match by 43 runs.
Petrol from Reading to Nottingham: £45
Seeing Broad take a Test hatrick against the number 1 team in the world: £105
Don't let those bastards at MasterCard make you believe that shit comes for free
The Aftermath
Having watched the channel 5 highlights (predominantly to see if we were on telly) I have now seen the enormous inside edge that Harbhajan knew he’d got onto his pads so I understand why he looked so distraught to be given out. But as they said on the TV, he only really has his own cricket board to blame for that one after they vetoed the use of the review system for LBW decisions. I wonder if the noise inside the stadium was partly responsible for the umpire missing the knick, in which case I’ll claim an assist too.
England have bowled out the number one Test side in the world for less than 300 in every innings of this series so far and have exposed a fragile tail that arguably starts with a shattered-looking MS Dhoni at number seven (Ed: recent innings at Edgbaston excepted of course). With both Anderson and Swann well below their best it needed someone else to put in a dominant display and wrestle back control from the Indian batsmen, and Stuart Broad’s spell of 16 balls, five wickets for no runs is about as dominant as you can get.
To add a note of caution: Stuart Broad was the final victim of the previous Test hatrick (Peter Siddle in Brisbane) so if the chain is to be continued that means that Praveen Kumar is due to take the next one.
What happened over the next two days further emphasised how Broad’s incredible spell turned the match around - India didn’t win another session and ended up soundly beaten.
Thursday, 11 August 2011
RUASCC Tour 2011
Without a win since May, RUASCC set off on the 2011 tour of Cheltenham (and vaguely surrounding areas) full of confidence. After three hugely enjoyable fixtures we returned on Sunday evening tired, happy and in some cases with stitches.
Here's what happened:
RUASCC 197-3
Baker 48 not out, Zia 46 not out
Birdlip & Brimpsfield 172-5
Zia 3-19, Holder 2-24
RUASCC won by 25 runs
We arrived in Birdlip on a glorious sunny evening and maybe the change of air was just what the RUASCC top order needed. Chan Malde struck some of the most powerful boundaries of the year, a six and seven fours in his 37, before Baker and Zia added an unbroken 69 stand for the fourth wicket. The total of 197-3 was higher than we often manage in a 40-over game.
Needing ten an over Birdlip were behind the run rate at the halfway stage (65-2) and a lethal delivery from Pensioner Ken Stewart (Dr Kilmore) sent one of their batsmen to hospital with a split lip - a piece of tooth was also found on the wicket. Parsons and Green both passed fifty (the latter hitting plenty of sixes) but the home side still needed 75 from the last five before Zia returned and took three quick wickets to quell the fightback.
Special thanks to Birdlip for generously donating two guest players in the absence of Carpenter and Griffiths. James Buse (34) and Trevor Holder (2-24) both proved to be of great assistance.
RUASCC Highlight: The batting, and Chan’s in particular, was pleasingly vigorous.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Zia.
Bristol 4th XI 126 all out
Zia 2-12, Ashman 2-16
RUASCC 127-6
Carpenter 38, Malde 31 not out
RUASCC won by 4 wickets
On Saturday we travelled down to Bristol and watched in awe as their 1st team played proper cricket on the main pitch. Fortunately we were scheduled to meet the 4ths so we snuck through a gap in the hedge to play in a neighbouring field.
Against a very young side two wickets apiece from Baker, Zia and Ashman proved enough to keep the total down. Pensioner Ken eventually removed the opening batsman for 43 thanks to a smart stumping from Young Sam and Captain Tranter took a stinging return catch to end the innings on 126. The other wicket, it should be noted, came courtesy of a run out by “Good Arm” Withers.
The RUASCC reply saw Weeks (3), Griffiths (10) and Stewart (2) all clean bowled while Carpenter added the bulk of the runs, hitting a six and five fours in his 38. When he was caught at square leg it was 73-4 but a 39 run stand between Zia and Malde took us to within touching distance of the target. That partnership was ended by another hilarious run out with Zia 20 yards out of his ground, and Baker was bowled by a jaffa before Eagle (1 not out) and Malde eventually saw RUASCC home with a few overs to spare, despite the best efforts of sub fielder Withers.
RUASCC Highlight: Eagle coming in at number eight, facing one ball and playing it behind square for a single.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Carpenter for setting up the successful chase and Malde for finishing the job.
RUASCC 208-3
Baker 65 retired hurt, Carpenter 62
Aldsworth 134 all out
Withers 5-27, Zia 2-18
RUASCC won by 74 runs
We arrived in the pleasant village of Aldsworth for the final game of the weekend and found a proper little cricket ground: huge slope from leg to off (or off to leg depending on which way you were facing) and a very grassy wicket that was part trampoline and part rice pudding.
Carpenter made light of the unpredictable bounce belting fours to all parts of the ground and the opening pair put on 60 before Eagle was caught behind for 12. Runs continued to flow and the hundred came up in 20 overs just as Carpenter was celebrating the first RUASCC fifty of tour. Baker’s soon followed and we looked to be heading for a healthy total even once Carpenter (62) and Zia (16) were dismissed by well-taken catches.
A short rain shower prompted an early tea and Captain Eagle chose to bat on for a few more overs after the break to try to reach 200. Baker’s match was ended when he caught a nasty top-edge and was rushed to hospital with a bleeding head wound but Malde and Griffiths piled on the runs in the last few minutes before Eagle declared on 208-3.
Any fears that our total might not have been quite enough were allayed when Zia and Withers shared four early wickets with just ten runs on the board. A couple of the Aldsworth batsmen provided spirited resistance slogging everything they could to the boundary, but further wickets from Ashman, Tranter and Stewart put RUASCC firmly in control. Withers returned and picked up the last three wickets to seal the third consecutive victory and also his first five-wicket haul in more than two years.
RUASCC Highlight: Withers’ reaction catch at short leg from a full-blooded pull shot.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Three-way split this time - great knocks from Carpenter and Baker to continue their good form over the weekend, and Withers for taking five wickets and four catches in the innings.
So after failing to bowl out any opposition side in a dozen matches, we achieved it twice in consecutive days this weekend. Having only won twice all season, we've now won five games. Here ends a successful and hugely enjoyable tour.
Here's what happened:
RUASCC 197-3
Baker 48 not out, Zia 46 not out
Birdlip & Brimpsfield 172-5
Zia 3-19, Holder 2-24
RUASCC won by 25 runs
We arrived in Birdlip on a glorious sunny evening and maybe the change of air was just what the RUASCC top order needed. Chan Malde struck some of the most powerful boundaries of the year, a six and seven fours in his 37, before Baker and Zia added an unbroken 69 stand for the fourth wicket. The total of 197-3 was higher than we often manage in a 40-over game.
Needing ten an over Birdlip were behind the run rate at the halfway stage (65-2) and a lethal delivery from Pensioner Ken Stewart (Dr Kilmore) sent one of their batsmen to hospital with a split lip - a piece of tooth was also found on the wicket. Parsons and Green both passed fifty (the latter hitting plenty of sixes) but the home side still needed 75 from the last five before Zia returned and took three quick wickets to quell the fightback.
Special thanks to Birdlip for generously donating two guest players in the absence of Carpenter and Griffiths. James Buse (34) and Trevor Holder (2-24) both proved to be of great assistance.
RUASCC Highlight: The batting, and Chan’s in particular, was pleasingly vigorous.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Zia.
Bristol 4th XI 126 all out
Zia 2-12, Ashman 2-16
RUASCC 127-6
Carpenter 38, Malde 31 not out
RUASCC won by 4 wickets
On Saturday we travelled down to Bristol and watched in awe as their 1st team played proper cricket on the main pitch. Fortunately we were scheduled to meet the 4ths so we snuck through a gap in the hedge to play in a neighbouring field.
Against a very young side two wickets apiece from Baker, Zia and Ashman proved enough to keep the total down. Pensioner Ken eventually removed the opening batsman for 43 thanks to a smart stumping from Young Sam and Captain Tranter took a stinging return catch to end the innings on 126. The other wicket, it should be noted, came courtesy of a run out by “Good Arm” Withers.
The RUASCC reply saw Weeks (3), Griffiths (10) and Stewart (2) all clean bowled while Carpenter added the bulk of the runs, hitting a six and five fours in his 38. When he was caught at square leg it was 73-4 but a 39 run stand between Zia and Malde took us to within touching distance of the target. That partnership was ended by another hilarious run out with Zia 20 yards out of his ground, and Baker was bowled by a jaffa before Eagle (1 not out) and Malde eventually saw RUASCC home with a few overs to spare, despite the best efforts of sub fielder Withers.
RUASCC Highlight: Eagle coming in at number eight, facing one ball and playing it behind square for a single.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Carpenter for setting up the successful chase and Malde for finishing the job.
RUASCC 208-3
Baker 65 retired hurt, Carpenter 62
Aldsworth 134 all out
Withers 5-27, Zia 2-18
RUASCC won by 74 runs
We arrived in the pleasant village of Aldsworth for the final game of the weekend and found a proper little cricket ground: huge slope from leg to off (or off to leg depending on which way you were facing) and a very grassy wicket that was part trampoline and part rice pudding.
Carpenter made light of the unpredictable bounce belting fours to all parts of the ground and the opening pair put on 60 before Eagle was caught behind for 12. Runs continued to flow and the hundred came up in 20 overs just as Carpenter was celebrating the first RUASCC fifty of tour. Baker’s soon followed and we looked to be heading for a healthy total even once Carpenter (62) and Zia (16) were dismissed by well-taken catches.
A short rain shower prompted an early tea and Captain Eagle chose to bat on for a few more overs after the break to try to reach 200. Baker’s match was ended when he caught a nasty top-edge and was rushed to hospital with a bleeding head wound but Malde and Griffiths piled on the runs in the last few minutes before Eagle declared on 208-3.
Any fears that our total might not have been quite enough were allayed when Zia and Withers shared four early wickets with just ten runs on the board. A couple of the Aldsworth batsmen provided spirited resistance slogging everything they could to the boundary, but further wickets from Ashman, Tranter and Stewart put RUASCC firmly in control. Withers returned and picked up the last three wickets to seal the third consecutive victory and also his first five-wicket haul in more than two years.
RUASCC Highlight: Withers’ reaction catch at short leg from a full-blooded pull shot.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Three-way split this time - great knocks from Carpenter and Baker to continue their good form over the weekend, and Withers for taking five wickets and four catches in the innings.
So after failing to bowl out any opposition side in a dozen matches, we achieved it twice in consecutive days this weekend. Having only won twice all season, we've now won five games. Here ends a successful and hugely enjoyable tour.
Monday, 25 July 2011
Braywood (A) – 24.7.11
Braywood 210-9
Zia 5-45, Withers 2-30
RUASCC 121-8
Baker 43, Koslicki 21
Match drawn
Look, I’m going to keep this fairly brief. We’ve seen all this before and there’s only so many times you can write the same match report.
Braywood bat first… opener scores 83… Zia takes five wickets… everyone else doesn’t… dropped catches… 46 overs on a hot day… Braywood 210-9.
Batting collapse! Innocuous bowling… Eagle straight full toss… 34-5… Recovery! Baker caught when looking well set on 43… Pensioner Ken Stewart playing anti-cricket… RUASCC 121-8. Match drawn.
You get the gist. Now for the trivia:
* The first two overs (bowled by Koslicki and Waqar) both followed exactly the same sequence: five dot balls followed by a six. Not seen that before.
* RUASCC’s bacon was saved by a 53-run sixth-wicket partnership between Baker and Koslicki in the middle third of the innings. For symmetry fans, we scored 34 runs in the 15 overs before that partnership and 34 runs in the 15 overs after it.
* With a solid 1 not out, Ashman pushed his season’s average up from 2 to 2.5.
Sounded like we missed a good day at Lord’s too.
RUASCC Highlight: Zia’s first class off-spinner to break the opening partnership – spun through the gate and clipped the top of off. Koslicki’s six into the pony field and Carpenter’s catch to get rid of Nunn were both good too.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Zia. Just for a change.
RUASCC Team: Eagle (capt), Zia, Carpenter, Baker (wkt), Sirfraz, Waqar, Koslicki, Jagesh, Stewart, Ashman, Withers
Zia 5-45, Withers 2-30
RUASCC 121-8
Baker 43, Koslicki 21
Match drawn
Look, I’m going to keep this fairly brief. We’ve seen all this before and there’s only so many times you can write the same match report.
Braywood bat first… opener scores 83… Zia takes five wickets… everyone else doesn’t… dropped catches… 46 overs on a hot day… Braywood 210-9.
Batting collapse! Innocuous bowling… Eagle straight full toss… 34-5… Recovery! Baker caught when looking well set on 43… Pensioner Ken Stewart playing anti-cricket… RUASCC 121-8. Match drawn.
You get the gist. Now for the trivia:
* The first two overs (bowled by Koslicki and Waqar) both followed exactly the same sequence: five dot balls followed by a six. Not seen that before.
* RUASCC’s bacon was saved by a 53-run sixth-wicket partnership between Baker and Koslicki in the middle third of the innings. For symmetry fans, we scored 34 runs in the 15 overs before that partnership and 34 runs in the 15 overs after it.
* With a solid 1 not out, Ashman pushed his season’s average up from 2 to 2.5.
Sounded like we missed a good day at Lord’s too.
RUASCC Highlight: Zia’s first class off-spinner to break the opening partnership – spun through the gate and clipped the top of off. Koslicki’s six into the pony field and Carpenter’s catch to get rid of Nunn were both good too.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Zia. Just for a change.
RUASCC Team: Eagle (capt), Zia, Carpenter, Baker (wkt), Sirfraz, Waqar, Koslicki, Jagesh, Stewart, Ashman, Withers
Sunday, 24 July 2011
RUASCC Bowling 2011 (part 1)
It’s a recurring theme of this season that opposition batsmen of all shapes and sizes have been making hay against our bowling attack. In the twelve weekend matches we’ve played so far we’ve been hit for four centuries (three of them not out) and seven fifties. In the only two matches where no one has reached fifty against us, someone has ended up unbeaten in the forties.
(This post isn’t about our batting, but for comparison no RUASCC batsman has yet reached three figures this season - Zia came closest with 90 not out - although six have passed fifty, unbeaten on three occasions.)
There are several reasons behind this: firstly, the one we can do very little about, there are some very good batsmen out there, batsmen who have scored plenty of hundreds against better attacks than ours. If they get in on a good pitch there’s very little anyone can do about it. Secondly, we don’t always take our chances when they come - sometimes we just can’t catch, the guy gets a second or even a third chance and they take full advantage. Thirdly, our bowling isn’t consistently good enough to put pressure on batsmen who have been allowed to play themselves in. It is this third aspect that I wish to focus on here.
Only one Zia
The root cause of our lack of bowling consistency can be summed up quite easily: we only have one Zia.
The trouble really starts in the 40-over games when bowlers are limited to eight overs. In the match at Wargrave Zia took 3-26 from his spell (economy 3.25) and thanks to good support from Main and Jagesh we had them at 64-7 at the halfway stage. In a timed game there’s no doubt Zia would have been kept on till the job was done, but Wargrave were allowed to reach 229-9 taking six an over off everyone else. This happened to coincide with a desperate fielding display during which we dropped a dozen catches, saw their number nine score 100 not out and allowed a man who hadn’t batted in eight years to score 49 of the streakiest runs you’ll ever see.
Big Scores
The result of all this has been that batsmen are making big scores against us every week. The canny ones will be watchful against Zia and hit the pies that Withers serves up to all parts of the ground, then when Zia comes off they know there’ll be a bad ball coming along soon so they can score some runs, start seeing the ball well and build their innings comfortably.
On several occasions there is no doubt that we’ve let these guys off the hook – individual batsmen and teams alike. We’ve got ourselves into some great positions early on but seen our advantage slip when we should be finishing the innings off. The following games are examples of where we’ve damaged the top order but have allowed the batting side to post a competitive (and in some cases winning) total:
Britwell 56-4 to 168-5 (Lawrence 59 not out)
Wargrave 64-7 to 229-9 (Robinson 100 not out)
Farley Hill 92-6 to 175-8 (Ditchburn retired 48)
Southampton 50-4 to 184-8 (Shibasis 68)
Greys Green 82-5 to 181-6 (Shafqat 98)
Tilehurst 81-5 to 172-7 (Stroud 42 not out)
In an early game against Englefield the Sri Lankan opener, Samad, was seeing the ball so well it didn’t matter who was bowling – he finished 130 not out as they successfully overhauled our 226 for the loss of only two wickets. On the artificial wicket at Blewbury Southwell was certainly helped by the predictable bounce on his way to 110, it was the only time this season that Zia has gone for more than five an over.
In decent batting conditions at Tilehurst, Wigmore (109) and Ali (72) put on a stand of 152 that was promptly beaten by Zia (90 not out) and Ward (69 not out). Not a good day for bowlers on either side.
Consistency
I’m aware I seem to be giving the impression that Zia is among the world’s greatest bowlers and that the rest of us are a bunch of witless chancers who couldn’t buy a wicket in the High Wycombe under-fives league for visually impaired tea bags. But that’s only partly true. We have seen some very impressive spells from other bowlers this season, just not regularly enough.
In the game at Southampton Bruce Main took 3-16 in seven overs before injury put an end to his inspired spell. Main also bowled four maidens in that limited overs game at Wargrave and can usually be relied upon to be economical, but he’s missed a few games this year and we’ve certainly missed him.
At Greys Green, where Shafqat scored 98 of his side’s 181-6, Withers bowled an opening spell of sixteen overs for just 30 runs but, importantly, couldn’t get the opener out until the very last ball of the innings when he’d already done the damage. The problem this season is that we never know which Withers is going to turn up: the one who took 3-26 in eight overs against Britwell Salome or the one who ended up with figures of 3-67 later that same day against Britwell Salome. Withers does take wickets from time to time, but he doesn’t change the course of matches – he doesn’t get the really good men out once they look settled. Two of Withers’ best spells have returned figures of 0-22 and 0-41, on both occasions leaving lots of work for others to do.
Jagesh has only played five times this season; Baker and Koslicki have bowled three times each. Greenhalf, Ashman, Tranter, Carpenter and Stewart haven’t bowled enough overs to get into a rhythm. We have a different bowling line-up every week and it’s very rare we get three or four bowlers on song at the same time. To re-emphasise, in the twelve weekend games we’ve played we have only taken 70 wickets and not bowled any teams out, making it difficult to win cricket matches.
NB: I wrote this article before the Braywood game but have updated the figures to include it because it only serves to strengthen my point. Zia took 5-45 from 14 overs leaving the other five bowlers to share four wickets in 32 overs. Opening batsman Lunn scored 83 (before Zia took his wicket) and the home side’s final total of 210-9 means we once again failed to bowl a side out. On the plus side, we drew the match!
(This post isn’t about our batting, but for comparison no RUASCC batsman has yet reached three figures this season - Zia came closest with 90 not out - although six have passed fifty, unbeaten on three occasions.)
There are several reasons behind this: firstly, the one we can do very little about, there are some very good batsmen out there, batsmen who have scored plenty of hundreds against better attacks than ours. If they get in on a good pitch there’s very little anyone can do about it. Secondly, we don’t always take our chances when they come - sometimes we just can’t catch, the guy gets a second or even a third chance and they take full advantage. Thirdly, our bowling isn’t consistently good enough to put pressure on batsmen who have been allowed to play themselves in. It is this third aspect that I wish to focus on here.
Only one Zia
The root cause of our lack of bowling consistency can be summed up quite easily: we only have one Zia.
* The lynchpin of our attack, Zia has bowled 27% of our overs this season and taken 37% of our wickets.In our timed games Zia often bowls long spells of 18, 19 or even 20 overs which enables us to at least pin down one end. In the first match at Tilehurst & Theale his 19 overs cost 3.79 each while the other bowlers were going for 5.36. The fact that he then went on to score 90 not out to win the game only emphasises his importance to the team.
* Zia’s best bowling figures are 5-39 and 5-45 (twice). No one else has taken more than three wickets in an innings.
* Zia has taken 26 wickets at 15.96; the other 44 wickets have cost 39.02 each.
* Zia has an economy rate of 3.32 runs per over; for the rest of us it’s 5.01.
The trouble really starts in the 40-over games when bowlers are limited to eight overs. In the match at Wargrave Zia took 3-26 from his spell (economy 3.25) and thanks to good support from Main and Jagesh we had them at 64-7 at the halfway stage. In a timed game there’s no doubt Zia would have been kept on till the job was done, but Wargrave were allowed to reach 229-9 taking six an over off everyone else. This happened to coincide with a desperate fielding display during which we dropped a dozen catches, saw their number nine score 100 not out and allowed a man who hadn’t batted in eight years to score 49 of the streakiest runs you’ll ever see.
Big Scores
The result of all this has been that batsmen are making big scores against us every week. The canny ones will be watchful against Zia and hit the pies that Withers serves up to all parts of the ground, then when Zia comes off they know there’ll be a bad ball coming along soon so they can score some runs, start seeing the ball well and build their innings comfortably.
On several occasions there is no doubt that we’ve let these guys off the hook – individual batsmen and teams alike. We’ve got ourselves into some great positions early on but seen our advantage slip when we should be finishing the innings off. The following games are examples of where we’ve damaged the top order but have allowed the batting side to post a competitive (and in some cases winning) total:
Britwell 56-4 to 168-5 (Lawrence 59 not out)
Wargrave 64-7 to 229-9 (Robinson 100 not out)
Farley Hill 92-6 to 175-8 (Ditchburn retired 48)
Southampton 50-4 to 184-8 (Shibasis 68)
Greys Green 82-5 to 181-6 (Shafqat 98)
Tilehurst 81-5 to 172-7 (Stroud 42 not out)
In an early game against Englefield the Sri Lankan opener, Samad, was seeing the ball so well it didn’t matter who was bowling – he finished 130 not out as they successfully overhauled our 226 for the loss of only two wickets. On the artificial wicket at Blewbury Southwell was certainly helped by the predictable bounce on his way to 110, it was the only time this season that Zia has gone for more than five an over.
In decent batting conditions at Tilehurst, Wigmore (109) and Ali (72) put on a stand of 152 that was promptly beaten by Zia (90 not out) and Ward (69 not out). Not a good day for bowlers on either side.
Consistency
I’m aware I seem to be giving the impression that Zia is among the world’s greatest bowlers and that the rest of us are a bunch of witless chancers who couldn’t buy a wicket in the High Wycombe under-fives league for visually impaired tea bags. But that’s only partly true. We have seen some very impressive spells from other bowlers this season, just not regularly enough.
In the game at Southampton Bruce Main took 3-16 in seven overs before injury put an end to his inspired spell. Main also bowled four maidens in that limited overs game at Wargrave and can usually be relied upon to be economical, but he’s missed a few games this year and we’ve certainly missed him.
At Greys Green, where Shafqat scored 98 of his side’s 181-6, Withers bowled an opening spell of sixteen overs for just 30 runs but, importantly, couldn’t get the opener out until the very last ball of the innings when he’d already done the damage. The problem this season is that we never know which Withers is going to turn up: the one who took 3-26 in eight overs against Britwell Salome or the one who ended up with figures of 3-67 later that same day against Britwell Salome. Withers does take wickets from time to time, but he doesn’t change the course of matches – he doesn’t get the really good men out once they look settled. Two of Withers’ best spells have returned figures of 0-22 and 0-41, on both occasions leaving lots of work for others to do.
Jagesh has only played five times this season; Baker and Koslicki have bowled three times each. Greenhalf, Ashman, Tranter, Carpenter and Stewart haven’t bowled enough overs to get into a rhythm. We have a different bowling line-up every week and it’s very rare we get three or four bowlers on song at the same time. To re-emphasise, in the twelve weekend games we’ve played we have only taken 70 wickets and not bowled any teams out, making it difficult to win cricket matches.
NB: I wrote this article before the Braywood game but have updated the figures to include it because it only serves to strengthen my point. Zia took 5-45 from 14 overs leaving the other five bowlers to share four wickets in 32 overs. Opening batsman Lunn scored 83 (before Zia took his wicket) and the home side’s final total of 210-9 means we once again failed to bowl a side out. On the plus side, we drew the match!
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Tilehurst & Theale (A) – 17.7.11
Tilehurst & Theale 172-7
Greenhalf 3-32, Waqar 1-14
RUASCC 153-8
Zia 54, Extras 30
RUASCC lost by 19 runs
As my tribute to Tilehurst’s excellent Fleetwood Mac report from our game earlier this season, I have included in this report the names of all eleven tracks and the album title from Take That’s most recent offering. Get well soon Robbie, Denmark needs you.
I woke up in Dorset on the morning of the game with the rain pounding the windows but on checking with Dr Eagle learned that the game was still on. So I left the house at 11am with the rain pounding the windscreen of my car. Game still on. I drove up the A31 and onto the M3 in fog and more torrential rain. Game still on. I arrived back in Berkshire where my neighbours were fashioning a small but sturdy life raft out of patio furniture. Game still on. There wasn’t a patch of ground anywhere in the south of England that could realistically allow a game of cricket to take place so I could only conclude that Theale must be in some kind of freaky weather vortex but fair enough, I had all the affirmation I needed to drive through another rainstorm on the M4 to give it a go.
Incredibly we were rewarded for battling through the flood when we arrived at the ground in sunshine, although the black clouds in the distance looked unfriendly. Still somewhat sceptical we all got ready to play, Trant won the toss and chose to field… then it started raining again. So we just had to wait a bit longer.
And then the weather vortex took hold. For the next six hours there was barely a shower - no interruptions at all. The sun appeared at intervals and the famous Theale wind helped to dry out the pitch. It really is quite incredible how the elements conspired to allow RUASCC to lose yet another game of cricket that we didn’t think we’d ever get the opportunity to lose.
Zia got things going with an early wicket as the home side accumulated steadily in the opening stages. At the other end Withers bowled like Glenn McGrath in his prime getting lift and movement, beating the bat repeatedly but once again failing to actually get anyone out (hey, what do you want from me?) and it wasn’t until the change of bowling that wickets began to tumble. Greenhalf removed Dimmack for a confident 47 and Koslicki followed that with a wicket maiden as Dip took his third catch of the innings behind the stumps. And Greenhalf wasn’t finished yet: he took two more wickets in his third over thanks to a catch by Eagle and an LBW from a knee-high full-toss to leave Tilehurst 81-5 with just 15 overs remaining.
At this point we realised that none of the opposition batsmen had reached fifty yet so to give opener Stroud a chance Greenhalf dropped him a few times, while Bozarth threatened to drive his way there himself as the pair pushed the score to 150. But then 17-year-old debutant Bilal Sirfraz came on to bowl and, showing his inexperience, removed Bozarth for just 39. Waqar bagged a wicket in the penultimate over as Tilehurst reached 172-7, with Stroud carrying his bat for 42 not out.
RUASCC need 173 runs to win
Eagle and Chan began cautiously against the Tilehurst kidz who bowled with good pace backed up by a vociferous slip cordon. Then just as Chan began to go on the attack he holed out to mid-on for 8 and Eagle, whose 9 runs all flew through the slip region, was eventually caught at first slip from an attempted swipe to leg – not pretty. Things were soon looking up though as Zia and Dip added 69 in ten overs to put us back in control – the bowling looked less assured and the occasional long hop or full toss merely provided more opportunities for Zia to slap the ball into the flowerbed by the road. By this point even the outfield was almost dry, lending weight to the theory that there must be some sort of underground machine sucking the water through the earth.
Zia brought up his fifty with his second all-run four but perished soon afterwards when he pulled directly to Rees at square leg. Greenhalf looked busy immediately, aiming heavy blows at the young spinner and connecting with some of them, and with 50 runs needed from ten overs we were comfortably on course.
But in the next three overs we only added one run and lost two wickets, Dip (19) and Greenhalf (13) – that’s RUASCC’s impression of an England batting powerplay – and it was time to raise the SOS. Pensioner Ken Stewart, promoted to number six, made slow progress in the face of more tight bowling and he lost both Waqar and Tranter as the game slipped hopelessly away. Sirfraz whipped a boundary over mid-wicket but the run rate was suddenly alarmingly high and he was caught at point going for another big shot in the final over.
Profesional scorebook operator Withers was mightily relieved to see the eight letters “Koslicki” above him in the order: “just block out the last two balls so I don’t have to get my pads on.” Koslicki obliged, finishing on 0 not out as RUASCC fell 19 runs short.
So that’s four consecutive defeats, but at least Ken got a bat so he should be happy now.
RUASCC Highlight: The first of Dip’s three dismissals, a very sharp edge off Zia’s quicker ball. He did well to take that.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Another economical spell and another fifty – it’s boring I know, but it’s Zia again.
RUASCC Team: Eagle, Malde, Zia, Dip (wkt), Greenhalf, Stewart, Waqar, Tranter (capt), Sirfraz, Koslicki, Withers
Greenhalf 3-32, Waqar 1-14
RUASCC 153-8
Zia 54, Extras 30
RUASCC lost by 19 runs
As my tribute to Tilehurst’s excellent Fleetwood Mac report from our game earlier this season, I have included in this report the names of all eleven tracks and the album title from Take That’s most recent offering. Get well soon Robbie, Denmark needs you.
I woke up in Dorset on the morning of the game with the rain pounding the windows but on checking with Dr Eagle learned that the game was still on. So I left the house at 11am with the rain pounding the windscreen of my car. Game still on. I drove up the A31 and onto the M3 in fog and more torrential rain. Game still on. I arrived back in Berkshire where my neighbours were fashioning a small but sturdy life raft out of patio furniture. Game still on. There wasn’t a patch of ground anywhere in the south of England that could realistically allow a game of cricket to take place so I could only conclude that Theale must be in some kind of freaky weather vortex but fair enough, I had all the affirmation I needed to drive through another rainstorm on the M4 to give it a go.
Incredibly we were rewarded for battling through the flood when we arrived at the ground in sunshine, although the black clouds in the distance looked unfriendly. Still somewhat sceptical we all got ready to play, Trant won the toss and chose to field… then it started raining again. So we just had to wait a bit longer.
And then the weather vortex took hold. For the next six hours there was barely a shower - no interruptions at all. The sun appeared at intervals and the famous Theale wind helped to dry out the pitch. It really is quite incredible how the elements conspired to allow RUASCC to lose yet another game of cricket that we didn’t think we’d ever get the opportunity to lose.
Zia got things going with an early wicket as the home side accumulated steadily in the opening stages. At the other end Withers bowled like Glenn McGrath in his prime getting lift and movement, beating the bat repeatedly but once again failing to actually get anyone out (hey, what do you want from me?) and it wasn’t until the change of bowling that wickets began to tumble. Greenhalf removed Dimmack for a confident 47 and Koslicki followed that with a wicket maiden as Dip took his third catch of the innings behind the stumps. And Greenhalf wasn’t finished yet: he took two more wickets in his third over thanks to a catch by Eagle and an LBW from a knee-high full-toss to leave Tilehurst 81-5 with just 15 overs remaining.
At this point we realised that none of the opposition batsmen had reached fifty yet so to give opener Stroud a chance Greenhalf dropped him a few times, while Bozarth threatened to drive his way there himself as the pair pushed the score to 150. But then 17-year-old debutant Bilal Sirfraz came on to bowl and, showing his inexperience, removed Bozarth for just 39. Waqar bagged a wicket in the penultimate over as Tilehurst reached 172-7, with Stroud carrying his bat for 42 not out.
RUASCC need 173 runs to win
Eagle and Chan began cautiously against the Tilehurst kidz who bowled with good pace backed up by a vociferous slip cordon. Then just as Chan began to go on the attack he holed out to mid-on for 8 and Eagle, whose 9 runs all flew through the slip region, was eventually caught at first slip from an attempted swipe to leg – not pretty. Things were soon looking up though as Zia and Dip added 69 in ten overs to put us back in control – the bowling looked less assured and the occasional long hop or full toss merely provided more opportunities for Zia to slap the ball into the flowerbed by the road. By this point even the outfield was almost dry, lending weight to the theory that there must be some sort of underground machine sucking the water through the earth.
Zia brought up his fifty with his second all-run four but perished soon afterwards when he pulled directly to Rees at square leg. Greenhalf looked busy immediately, aiming heavy blows at the young spinner and connecting with some of them, and with 50 runs needed from ten overs we were comfortably on course.
But in the next three overs we only added one run and lost two wickets, Dip (19) and Greenhalf (13) – that’s RUASCC’s impression of an England batting powerplay – and it was time to raise the SOS. Pensioner Ken Stewart, promoted to number six, made slow progress in the face of more tight bowling and he lost both Waqar and Tranter as the game slipped hopelessly away. Sirfraz whipped a boundary over mid-wicket but the run rate was suddenly alarmingly high and he was caught at point going for another big shot in the final over.
Profesional scorebook operator Withers was mightily relieved to see the eight letters “Koslicki” above him in the order: “just block out the last two balls so I don’t have to get my pads on.” Koslicki obliged, finishing on 0 not out as RUASCC fell 19 runs short.
So that’s four consecutive defeats, but at least Ken got a bat so he should be happy now.
RUASCC Highlight: The first of Dip’s three dismissals, a very sharp edge off Zia’s quicker ball. He did well to take that.
RUASCC Man of the Match: Another economical spell and another fifty – it’s boring I know, but it’s Zia again.
RUASCC Team: Eagle, Malde, Zia, Dip (wkt), Greenhalf, Stewart, Waqar, Tranter (capt), Sirfraz, Koslicki, Withers
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