OUCCC, Mansfield Rd Club On Sunday afternoon Bodley played a rare 40 over fixture on the proper wicket at Mansfield Rd. We regularly play on the artificial wicket in Jack Cox games, but had never used the proper strip. So a treat was in store, we thought. Our opposition today was a new match, against the Oxford University Club XI, a team who, commendably, net twice a week. Skipper Neely scanned the skies as the oppo netted. Well, a first inspection of the wicket shattered any excitement - it being as green and fuzzy as the lawns of the Radcliffe Camera (slight exaggeration - Ed). With the outfield still resembling a football pitch we shrugged and simply hoped for the best, as ever. The skipper was unlucky to lose the toss, and we found ourselves fielding. It's fair to say that bowling was today our stronger suit, missing a fair bit of experience with the bat as we were, so this was a good result. So off we go... Dale and Shaw open the bowling and the pitch we had so much hope for provides little in the way of assistance. But Dale is showing good pace and Shaw keeps it tight at the other end. The club openers were ticking along but showing no real intent and the total was kept well within reach. After an excellent maiden from Dale we finally got a deserved wicket in the ninth over, Shaw getting a plumb lbw to leave the score at 32-1. I'm afraid an incomplete scorebook prevents me giving the exact fall of wickets, but my best maths has another wicket at about the 12th over, the number three batter being clean bowled by Brown to have them 36-2. This brought a technically correct but very becalmed batsmen to the crease, and the score bumbled along to stand at 76-2 from 20. Excellent, we thought! Well, ahem, to cut a long story short the second twenty overs went at a steady 9.8 runs p/over, ending up on 272-3. Bodley's bowlers were excellent though, running in with intent and generally keeping a good line and length. Keeping was tough with the two paced nature of the strip but we all fielded below par, flagging after a flogging from the accelerating batters. Another wicket was picked up late by the skipper, but the damage was done. Chasing 273 was looking tough, but we fancied the short boundary and marched on out. Bharat opened with the skipper, and immediately recoiled in suprise at the extra bounce now evident in the pitch. Nevertheless, the runs were flowing, but in the eighth over Neely was bowled to stem the flow. This brought newly promoted Jones to the crease, charged with 'doing a Boycott'. Well dear reader, this was fine by me. The first inning top scorer was duly smashed for four as Jones got off the mark. Very satisfying. Bharat was by now serene in his batting, tight in defence and classy in attack. All that was needed was rotation of strike and the score ticked along as Bharat scored the rump of the runs. The days only comedy moment arrived when Jones swung at a shorter one, took it on the hand and promptly fell over mid-twirl. Other than this brief respite it was fairly relentless stuff from the bowlers, who had their best game faces on for good measure. Bharat was unfortunate to be bowled by one that nipped back when on 47 - a superb innings ended before a deserved 50. The score was now 75-2 from 17. Jones followed next over, and then Brown a couple later. Sadly we couldn't quite chase the total down in the end but with the slow bowlers now on a few thumping shots from Shaw jnr, Griffin and Abdul provided some entertainment. In the end Bodley were all out for 123 from thirty overs as Alex was undone by a deadeye straight one. All things considered not a bad effort and we now look forward to our next fixture, a regular friendly against a our chums the Mads on Friday at Jesus college ground. All welcome, as ever! GJ.
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Pharmacology, Jack Cox group stage, 20 overs Bodley took on Pharmacology in their belated first Jack Cox match at Mansfield Rd, the proper first match having been forfeited due to lack of players. We fielded a good side, and skipper Neely was optimistic, in a Matthew sort of way, that victory was there for the taking. Two new players were welcomed into the Bodley fold - Lee and Alan - both graduate trainees brought into cricket by burgeoning recruiting sergeant Tom Dale. After Sunday's cancelled match we were keen for a game, though the weather looked 'changeable' at best. Well, off we went. Neely lost the toss, having called incorrectly. We were thus asked to bat first. A strange decision, we thought, with the weather about. Out strode our restored opening twosome of Neely and Shackleton, full of beans and ready to dominate the bowling. Shackleton in particular was looking very relaxed at the crease, even finding the time to sign autographs between balls. A maiden to start proceedings gave way to plenty of gentle running and the score crept up before Neely was controversially stumped having charged the bowler (not just charged, but also howled and growled at - Ed.). 18-1 off five. The languid, irresistible force that is Bodley number three Shaw rode out to take up the battle. Sadly, after two exciting runs he returned, being caught skying one. The bowling was a maddening mixture of decent quicker stuff and floaty medium pace flighters that so often pick up wickets. Webb was now in, and Shackleton was purring like a Morgan Plus 8 on a country lane. Sadly another catch was taken and Webb gave way to Burnett, who looked good for his two but after another catch gave way to Jones. Shackleton had by now reached a fine, tour-selection worthy 30 and retired to a comfortable seat on the boundary to relax and take questions. This bought Philipson out to play, having had time to finish his roll-up. After almost taking the umpire's head off thumping a four down the ground Jones too departed, bowled by some floaty stuff for six. A collapse you cry! It's like 1990s England you sob! Well, 1990s England didn't have a Philipson, did they? We do. And ours soon got his eye in and smashed 21 runs to all corners to batter the bowlers - by now giving us plenty of wides to boot - and get the score over 100. Wielding his bat like Mjolnir Tim was joined by Triggs and after a bit of entertaining running was run out in a quite comical fashion. Well played though Bubba. Dale joined Triggs and the runs ticked along, Dale picking up nine singles in a draining display of running between the wickets - these bowlers have far too much energy! So we ended up on 127-7 from our twenty. An excellent effort and one we felt we could defend to chalk up a well earned win. After a quick stretch and a look skyward we took up positions. Shaw and Burnett opened the bowling and after six overs had only conceded twenty runs. Hmm, said a lordly Neely from behind the stumps, this is alright. Well, quite, we thought. Bloody good start with both bowlers keeping a tight length and producing plenty of play and misses. Dale came on first change and steamed in like an E-type on the straight, a terrific sight and one that had the batsman swinging at every ball without once connecting - a valuable maiden. After causing the other batter to don a helmet with one that lifted and lifted a bit more to fly over his head, Dale, with Webb at the other end, kept things fairly tight, backed up by energetic fielding and plenty of shouting and clapping. Webb then summoned the mythical Norse God Thor to his aid and bowled to a soundtrack of thunder, lightning, and darkening skies. This excited everyone immensely and we felt the first wicket was surely not far away. The score was by now 36-0 from nine overs, and all were feeling confident with some top bowlers still to come on. The by now very enthusiastic Thor then misread our attempts to keep warm as a rain dance, and dumped the heavens upon us. After a bit of a soaking having tried in vain to play on we all trudged off to seek shelter and a beer in the club bar. Blast and damnation! Rain stopped play! Duckworth-Lewis is now used for Jack Cox but sixteen second innings overs need to be bowled for it to take effect. It looks very much like the match will be shared but confirmation will come in due course. Either way we played well, and can be rightly pleased with the total and our again excellent bowling. We next play on Sunday at Mansfield Rd against the clubs own team. All welcome. GJ Ps. Apologies to any classicists reading - blame Disney. Wolvercote CC at Cutteslowe Park, 20 overs Here we go again. Sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea trying to make sense of another Bodley match. But did we win this time? Well, read on... Bodley this evening faced Wolvercote CC, a side we played last year and memorably lost to, the match seeing the otherwise unflappable Shackleton score a rare golden duck. But moving on to this year, and we arrived at Cutteslowe Park in North Oxford with two new players courtesy of Leigh - Sizzler and Gerbil, or Dwight and Mark as the scorebook knows them. Under heavy skies and stifling heat we lost the toss and were asked to bowl. Good good, thought skipper Matthew, as that's our strongest suit these days. So after the usual comedy stretches and an Ill-advised game of catch we took the field, with the skipper barking orders from behind the stumps. This year's breakout superstar, Tom Dale, opened the bowling with his extra yard of pace and with Leigh at the other end the first few overs were a pretty miserly affair. Pretty soon the pressure produced a skied shot and the first wicket was taken, well caught by debutant Mark. A few overs later and Leigh had another, this time lbw. Two down for not much. The change bowlers came on, Iain and Gavin, and kept things tight, but the batters were by now realising they needed to swing a bit, and swing they did. Despite the council's attempt to create a wildflower meadow on sections of the outfield, the ball was finding the boundrary just enough to keep the score ticking over. But we reckoned we were still well ahead, and Gavin in particular deserved a wicket after some optimistic playing and missing. Dwight was brought on to bowl at this point to mix things up a bit, and our debutant Jamaican quick didn't disappoint, bowling at a good pace with a mixture of lengths to keep the batter guessing (and the keeper, at times). A wicket, bowled top of off, was celebrated with gusto but ruled a no ball. A few balls later another wicket came, a skier. Up it went, into the burgeoning rain overhead, and then back down to earth towards the hands of an unnamed fielder. Through those hands it went, onto the ground, via the front of his shirt coming to rest at his feet. Bowler was not best pleased. But the runs were still below 100 and we felt pretty good, though it was by now raining, with rumbles of thunder and the odd lightning flash in the distance. Dwight finally got a deserved wicket (of sorts - not technically his but he effected it) thanks to a nifty bit of fielding from Alex, standing (somewhat reluctantly) in the covers near the bowlers end. Picking up a driven ball Alec flicked it to an animated Dwight who took the bails of. Good work all round. From here the batters swung the bat, with Iain picking up a lovely wicket thanks to a perfect line and length that found the top off middle, whilst the score ticked over to finish up on 105-4 off 20 overs. Not too shabby. Captain Neely had a one man huddle and soon emerged with the batting order that would chase down 106 to win. With regular opener Shackleton boycotting the ground after last year's aberration, Mike walked out to set things up with the skipper. The rain had by now provided us with a wicket fit for seeding potatoes in, and both openers were watchful of the unpredictable bounce as the Wolvercote bowlers searched for a length. After a few overs Mike was victim of this very thing, with a shot aimed one way going another and landing in the grateful hands of a damp fielder. Iain came in at three and quickly found a groove, only to chop on as again the bounce decieved him. This brought Dwight to the crease, with the promise of some big hitting. Sadly, the pace of the pitch didn't make for easy hitting and those that did get through the fielders were soon swallowed by the long grass of the outfield. A few delicate cuts and nudges down behind square leg kept the score ticking over, but Bodley were well behind the rate. When Matthew too departed for a fine, grafted 25, out strode Leigh, chest puffed out and bat twirling. Leigh didn't disappoint, hitting some muscular fours and running like a man possessed. The score crept up but at ten an over needed with four left, could Bodley really pull this off? Well, no. Even taking into account the slippery underfoot conditions and slow outfield, we just didn't have enough on the board by now, and once Dwight was out, Gareth and then Gavin both struck a few lusty blows but could only scamper ones and twos. By the last over Tim was faced with an almighty Bubba Watson impression needed to turn things round. It was sadly not to be and Bodley fell short, again cursing a great start in the field that wasn't backed up with bat in hand. Ending up on 89-6 from our 20 we just couldn't get the ball away in the conditions. Another good display in the field and with the balk, and much to take forward. Our next match is Sunday against Cuxham CC, a lovely village with a nice pub. Do come along and enjoy the rarefied sight of librarians playing cricket. GJ It’s always a pleasure to play at Cumnor Cricket Club, a venue we have used for a couple of years now thanks to Stuart’s family connections. It’s a very well run club with a particularly attractive ground and, most importantly, the clubhouse has a bar which they kindly open for thirsty cricketers on match days. Hooray for Cumnor CC then. Our habitual opponents at the venue are those genial band of Oxford cricketers Far from the MCC, aka the “Mads” although most of them in fact appear remarkably sane and level headed. They also happen to be pretty decent cricketers and usually have the upper hand in encounters with Bodleian CC. Indeed, you have to go back to 2011, and a thrillingly dramatic finish in the rain at Mansfield Road, for the last occasion we were victorious in the fixture. Nothing if not optimistic we felt that perhaps we had a good chance this time. We’d gone close in our previous game at Blenheim, just missing out in the final over, and now with the youthful dynamic captaincy of Neely at the helm perhaps we could actually get over the winning line for a change.
Captain Neely won the toss and elected to bat. The sun was now out after a grey and cool day and batting first on the artificial strip was the wise choice all agreed. Neely and Shackleton, as so often, were our opening pair. They both looked comfortable in the first few overs keeping the scoreboard ticking over until Neely was bowled in the third and a promising partnership came to a premature end. Still, our go-to man Shackleton was looking in fine form and pleasingly, for connoisseurs of batsmanship, employing the high elbow, twenty over game or no. James came in at number three bat and hit some pleasing shots before being bowled by Reeves for 9. Leigh, Iain and Andrew joined the free flowing Shackleton at the crease in close succession but with none lasting much time and it was only when Mike Webb made his way to the middle that Bodley fortunes began to change. A very valuable partnership ensued, the backbone of our innings, which was curtailed when David had to retire on 30 under the agreed rules for the game. Mike, after some skilful stroke play, then departed bowled for a very enjoyable and highly useful 21. Darren, next in, was unlucky to get caught on 0 but the highlight of the innings was then provided by following man Tim Philipson who hit a memorable six clean on to the steps of the pavilion before being bowled for 8. Bravo Bubba! Tom Dale unfortunately didn’t trouble the scorers this time but number 11 Alec Paton played a well-crafted late cut for 3 not out, bringing riotous applause from his teammates. Return retiree Shackleton was left as top scorer on 34 not out to bring the Bodleian innings to a close on 98 for 9 off 20 overs. A quick turnaround and Bodleian were out in the field and ready to bowl at the FFTMCC openers. Both Leigh and James were bowling accurately and with real zip off the artificial pitch. Neither of the batsmen found scoring easy and catching chances were put down to the justifiable frustration of our bowlers. Cricket is often a game of fine margins and neither of our pair were getting a break. Change bowler Tom Dale, a real find for us this season, came charging in and immediately discomforted the batsmen. Pace, bounce and movement off the wicket tested them both. Tom found reward with a wicket through a ball that “got big” on their opener who skied it high into the air. James, ever cool and reliable in such circumstances, took a well taken catch at mid-off. Tom followed up this wicket by dismissing the other opener with a well-nigh unplayable ball that cut back to flatten the stumps. FFTMCC 65 for 2 off (around) 11 overs. Much celebration in the Bodley camp. Neely then swapped the keeper’s gloves with stand-in glovesman Leigh and took over the bowling together with Shackleton at the other end. Good, accurate stuff from both but the oppo batsmen were keeping up with the run rate. Matthew then took a wicket thanks to another good catch from James while David took one after Darren pouched a catch but FFTMCC were now closing in on our score and with one over to spare overtook us. FFTMCC finished up on 99 for 4 off 19 overs. The record shows we were defeated by six wickets but in reality it was much closer than that and if we had only scored another ten or fifteen runs who knows? We play the Mads twice more this season, and it's 1-0 after round one. We need to win the next one to set up the decider. Nets for the batters then... |
Note from the Ed.Generally always written late on the night of the game. Any accuracy or sparkling prose is purely accidental. Archives
September 2016
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