Whippersnappers at the Home of Cricket, Great Tew, Oxfordshire. Four innings of 20 overs, just like a test match.
What a glorious end to this strange and truncated season. Weather looked like it had decided summer was now at an end early morning but by play the Sun was out, the wind had dropped and the sky was a beautiful blue. Whippersnappers are usually squeezed in sometime in September after work, games often played out in near darkness before beers and curry. Not this season. The luxury of a whole Sunday afternoon and another game at Great Tew meant we could take our time and play two T20 innings, guaranteeing everyone has at least one go to shine. The bare facts are these. The teams split nicely between a Florence Park 10 v the World, with Flo Park relying on non-Bods and quite a few Shaw’s to make a team with James and myself. We welcomed new players James Riley, James’s daughter Ella, Roy McMillan (who will be familiar from our Thorncombe matches) and Jeff Bowersox. Ella and Jeff have never played before, Jeff comes from a baseball background and everyone is keen to see if there are transferable skills. Bod occasionals Dips, Dave Shorten, Max Baldock and Bodley regular Tim make up the Florence Park X. For the World we welcomed back Dom and Leigh. The match starts with a bang, the highlight of the four innings, if not the highlight of the season/entire history of Bodleian cricket as Phil is bowled by Ella’s first ball ever, which according to Phil moved a fair bit. Ella is surrounded by congratulations and amazed hugs from father and brother. Dave Busby scores a quick-fire 13 and Leigh, Arthur and David Shackleton all get into double figures but good tight bowling from Flo Park restrict the World to a low score of 103. Apart from Ella special mention to Max and Dave Shorten (too many Dave's in this report!) for keeping things tight but Roy is the pick of the bunch, 2 overs, 2 maidens, 2 wickets. Opening with a Shaw double bill doesn't quite work as both James and Dan are out early but Dave Shorten and Roy steady a ship that looks a bit short on runs for a while, then Jeff entertains with some baseball hitting, including a 6 off David Shackleton before Max and Dips both score big to leave Flo Park on 133, 30 runs ahead. A break for tea, and a chance to mingle with a, for us, big crowd. Various partners, parents and friends have come for the last hurrah of the season, and we should here pay particular thanks to Sheila Alcock, a regular on the boundary for a number of years who turns up regardless of current form. At one point during the third innings there's even a very brief appearance of Andy Downey, down from Lancashire who popped in on his way to catch the sunset at the Rollrights. So to the second lot of T20s, with the scores carrying on. The World, needing runs, reverse their batting order and the established opening pair of Matthew and David stride out. David soon retires on 33 after paying Jeff back with a 6 of his own. Matthew is clean bowled on a useful 28, Arthur gets a quick-fire 13 and James Riley gets a welcome 15 after being stumped without scoring first-time round (thus proving the worth of this format, see, everyone gets another go). Strong bowling again for Flo Park, Roy with another set of amazing figures (2 overs, 3 runs), Dips gets to turn his arm and Ella continues where she left off. Finishing with figures of 5 overs, 2 wickets for 31 runs in your first game is something to be proud of, and it would be cruel here to mention that's better figures than her brother, so I won't. The World finish on 121, giving a combined score of 224, Florence Park need 92 to win. Another Shaw opening partnership, this time James and Ella. James retires after getting past 30, Tim has a typical and entertaining Tim-like innings; a couple of hard-hit 4s, some risky running and nearly getting out twice off the same delivery, first with a juggled drop by Leigh then nearly running himself out after going too far down the wicket. The winning total is reached thanks to a quick 10 by Dan and a quicker 20 by your author, who hopes the arrogant reverse sweep for 4 off his first ball is forgotten with being clean bowled by World skipper Gareth soon after (sorry Dave). Thanks to Gavin for umpiring throughout the afternoon. Thanks to the early start there's enough time to have a few beers after in the warmth of a late September evening. Despite everything it has been a very enjoyable season. We've played 6 and won 3 of them, and more importantly have avoided those games against frustrating opposition that usually end in defeat and questions as to whether we should play them next season, maybe there's a lesson there for us. Anyway, role on next season, in whatever form it takes, and thanks to all for making 2020 a success. SA.
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Bodley vs Aldworth CC at Aldworth, 35 overs Bodley's first match away from what is beginning to feel like a home ground at Great Tew took us down the A34 to the lovely village of Aldworth in Berkshire. In Aldworth sits a pub called The Bell Inn. It won CAMRA's National Pub of the Year in 1990, and received the accolade again for 2019. It is a grade II listed building and is the only pub in Berkshire with a grade II listed interior. Notably. it is also on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, so worth a visit for that alone. The pub is built of brick with a timber frame, and is said to have once been a medieval hall house or manor house before it became a pub. Built in the 15th century (or possibly earlier), with C17 and C19 alterations and a C20 addition, it has two rooms - a large panelled tap room with inglenook fireplace and quarry-tiled floor, and a smaller 'L' shaped room. The bar itself is a servery with sliding glass partitions and hatches, and has no bar fittings at all save for ebony handpumps, which were fitted in 1902. Besides its listing and awards, the pub is also notable for having been owned and run by the same family continuously since the 18th century. It is, as wikipedia has ably explained, quite marvellous, even in these socially distanced times where you cannot go inside the pub itself. As the Bodley eleven congregated around the pub before the game, one of our number bought himself a sandwich - nothing unusual about that. But upon attempting to eat the cheese roll, Phil realised his jaw was liable to be dislocated as the enormous wedge of cheese became apparent - another tick for the Bell Inn - proper sandwiches. Anyway, we were actually in Aldworth to play cricket, though Stuart was more interested in the locally brewed rhubarb cider on offer, but more of that later. With a full eleven, including two generations of Marshes - father Chris joining our new fielder of the year Thomas, and two generations of Shaws with James and Dan again forming a formidable pairing with bat and ball - we were raring to go and delighted after skipper Matthew Neely won the toss and elected to bat under rapidly warming skies. Neely and cheese sandwich fanatic Phil Burnett opened the batting, promptly discovering the pitch had been replaced by a scale model of the Somme. Dig in, get your eye in, see of the quicker bowlers, and then hope it'll be just as hard for them to bat on was the mantra. But as Barnes-Wallis bounced his way along the wicket and the openers ducked and weaved the wickets began to fall and it was clear this was going to be a very tough innings. Matches at Aldworth are rarely high-scoring, but being the visiting team makes it doubly difficult as caution reins the batters in. Thomas Marsh, batting at three and in partnership with Arthur Keegan-Bole, did exactly what was needed and put the bad balls away playing late and getting right over the ball - whilst keeping the rest of them out. Arthur was looking good at the other end, hitting shots, running well, building a partnership. It was perhaps inevitable that the pitch would do for someone eventually though, and with Arthur bowled by a good ball, wickets fell with some regularity thereafter - James, Dan, Gareth, Tim, and Stuart all going for less that they'd have liked. Thomas was out for a superb 29, an occupation of the crease that allowed others to scramble a few and let the wides build up as the bowlers searched for wickets. To cap the innings off Chris and entertaining David Busby put together a stellar twenty four run partnership to give Bodley a commendable total of exactly 100. Well played all - a tough pitch, with some good bowling, and sharp fielding from Aldworth. As with previous match reports, there is a distinct lack of tea in this week's dispatch due to the ongoing restriction of teas being provided. Instead, the coolbag competition was won by Matthew Neely for a very modern royal blue number with fabric strap and contrast lining. Well done Matthew. In other tea-related news Gareth and Arthur were stunned to discover that bananas placed in the vicinity of sandwiches impart their otherwise delicious taste onto that sandwich. Like putting a ginger biscuit in the biscuit barrel. So that explains why people use those silly plastic banana cases. Phil finally finished eating a weeks supply of cheddar in one sitting, and with the sun now really beating down on us, Bodley trudged back onto the field to defend 100 and then go to the pub. With thirty five overs to get the runs, a Bodley win was going to require ten wickets, so attacking fields were set and Phil charged in. Remember folks - Phil took the final wicket to win us the match by one run in last years fixture, and so it was utterly splendid that with his first ball this year he clean bowled a clearly over-excited opening better. What a start! Sadly, subsequent batters had more restraint and combined with a little more confidence to play some shots, Aldworth were able to push the score along and take advantage of the gaps in the field. Great work on the boundary by Dan Shaw in particular kept the rate slow enough to give us a chance, and at halfway another couple more wickets had fallen - making three for Phil - with still half the runs to be made. As Bodley toiled in the oppressive heat, the runs came for Aldworth, slowed temporarily by a wicket for Arthur, and then a late brace for Dan as he collected quite remarkable figures of 2-8 from four overs. Not to be outdone, Phil's final analysis was 3-13 from seven - again, a great performance. In the twenty fifth over the winning runs were finally scored, though only after an exiting maiden from Phil's last over, and a game that was closer than it looks on paper, was Aldworth's victory. Well played and thank you for the game, we had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Both teams then enthusiastically retired to The Bell for a socially distanced bit of rest and rehydration, before heading home to nurse sore knees and dream of runs that never were. Next match is old friends Hendricks XI at Stanton St. John on Sunday 16th. Can't wait. GJ. Bodley vs OXFAM CC at Great Tew & LIttle Tew Cricket Club, 20 overs
Bodley’s third game of the season and the third trek north to Great Tew, as good a home ground as they come at our level. Todays opponents, Oxfam, were suitably impressed. Holidays and Achilles problems meant that Bod were short of a few, so Dave Freeman taped into Tew’s youth policy to provide the James brothers and the welcome returns of old friends Asad and Dips and Thomas Marsh made up the rest, these three in particular were to play a crucial role in the way the game panned out. Bod bat first, a new opening pair of Dips and Dave Freeman. A greenish strip means the ball does the occasional unexpected thing at the pavilion end, resulting in quite a bit of ducking and weaving. The pair soon start to score but the bowling from one end is good, while from the other not so with one poor bowler going for a 13 bowl over with 7 wides, a serious case of the yips. Dave is bowled by one that jags in for a well-crafted 37, Thomas Marsh gets a quick 14 with some lovely (intentional) deflections but the highlight of the innings is 53 not out from Dips. Starting out searching for runs he slowly built up an innings based on quick running on a muggy evening and some lovely boundaries. Dave and Dips, with help from Thomas and a generous 19 in extras get us to 135, a decent score but considering some of the Oxfam batsmen a little below par. One of the Oxfam openers start well, using the pace of the ball to score before retiring on 50. At the other end wickets fall; a sharp catch in the slips by Dave, Phil getting a played on when a mixture of pace and bounce catches out the batsmen. Then a partnership starts to build and fielders start to give concerned glances to the scoreboard. Oxfam are 62 for 2 off 9 and scoring well, with their captain and explosive batsman Ben still to get going when Thomas changes the game with a stunning catch to get rid of Ben when he only had 6 to his name. Asad comes on to bowl and soon the run rate slows, Thomas takes another catch and more wickets fall as the game, now firmly back in Bodley’s hands, creeps towards its conclusion. Bodleys main concern is to take wickets but not too many as the opening bat can come back in. Matthew bowls well, your reporter less so with an over that went for 10 towards the end of the game giving Oxfam a faint sniff but a flurry of run-outs sees Bodley home for their second win of the season. Time for a beer and a catch up before the journey home. On to Aldworth for the next game and hopefully a pint at the Bell. We’ve played Aldworth three times now and each game has been different, wonder what we’ll get on Sunday. SA. Bodley vs White Hunter CC at Great Tew & LIttle Tew Cricket Club, 35 overs. It's been over three months of lockdown, of unprecedented changes and restrictions and uncertainty. It's also been raining ever since it was announced we could play cricket again. At times this year it looked like much that we took for granted would skip a year completely. But as eleven of us woke up across North Oxfordshire on a warm, clear Sunday morning in July we all shared the same fuzzy feeling that today, finally, we would play cricket We might play it badly, we might not play it for very long, but it mattered not! The important thing was that we would play together. Joining us for this curtain raiser were friends the White Hunter CC, a social and sociable team from Hampshire, that we've had a number of close games with over the past few years. All assembled at the immaculate Great Tew & Little Tew cricket club in picturesque Great Tew, a new venue for us and one we hope to see again. After a week of almost constant rain it was a blessed relief that the weather was in our favour, a perfect day for play. Captains Richard Perkins (for the WHCC) and Gareth Jones (for the Bod), agreed terms, and strode out to the middle for a socially distanced toss and conspicuous lack of handshakes. Amongst all the Covid-related restrictions it was actually the absence of shaking hands that many of us found hardest to get used to - it just seemed rude! Nevertheless, them's the rules now. But back to the toss - Perkins called correctly and after seeming to wish he hadn't, opted to bat. 35 overs was the order of the day, with retirement at 50, and 7 overs per bowler. WHCC had twelve, so a fielding sub was allowed in the second innings. Before play could start club Chairman Dave Freeman ran both teams through the new 2020 conditions of play - a hygiene break every six overs, during which all fielders must sanitise their hands and the skipper the ball; batters to run in marked lanes on either side of the wicket; no shining the ball with spit/sweat; and all players to remain socially distanced at all times. In practice, all of this was very easy to incorporate. Anyway, without delay, the game! WHCC opened with double Morgan-Grenville - father and son facing up for the first ball. The honour of delivering that shiny and spotlessly clean vector of joy went to Bodley quick Phil Burnett, who after lockdown definitely has something of the Nigel Havers about him. Phil took the final wicket of the final match last season, giving us a one run win, so it seemed apt that he opened the first act this year. A tidy few overs with young Dan Shaw gliding in at the other end saw a wicket apiece to account for the opening bats, leaving WHCC wobbling on 19-2 from 5 overs. With the first hygiene break completed (actually a welcome chance for a breather from all that energetic fielding we pretend we do) the skipper decided to take it as a cue to change the bowling and negate the need for complex maths and over totting-up. This meant the medium pace wibblying of Stuart Ackland and Gavin Robinson was gently unleashed on to the unsuspecting batsmen. A tight start ensured the score never got away at any great rate, though the batters were certainly playing very canny, risk-free cricket and chances were few and far between. Under warm skies with barely a breeze and frequent hygiene breaks, the afternoon settled into a familiar but belated rhythm, and Bodley kept things tight, fielded well (though one player was heard to remark that after not long at all it felt like day three on tour in the legs. Very true!), and generally soaked up the sheer joy of playing cricket. The other half of Bodley's own father and son partnership, James Shaw, kept things even tighter, whilst the fountain of youth that is David Shackleton chipped in from the other end. A stunning catch by Tim Philipson on the rope from an ball that went up miles was sadly actually over the rope upon landfall, but was a terrific effort regardless. With retirements for a few batters, and the score threatening to go beyond 200 after an impressive 155 runs scored without a wicket being lost, Bodley ceremoniously wheeled out the spirit of cricket himself, Andrew Milner. With Phil back on at the other end a couple of late wickets were taken and the run rate slowed, particular credit going to an ever busy David Busby at square leg constantly tidying up attempts to sweep. All this excitement left WHCC short of that but with a very challenging total of 175-4, so 176 for Bodley to win. Frankly a bloody good score for the first game back! Regular readers will know that we really only play cricket so that we can feast on sumptuous teas. Cakes are a favourite, as are creatively filled sandwiches, cut into little triangles. Delicious. However, another condition of play that the government has insisted upon is that there shall be no teas, so that particular pleasure will have to wait. I'm sure we'll make up for lost time when they're allowed again. In the absence of coordinated cake consumption, everyone was encouraged to bring their own, and a most agreeable twenty minutes was spent catching up with friends and discussing the game over a Mr Kipling slice. The second innings began with a familiar opening partnership, Burnett and Shackleton striding out to get us off to a good start. All agreed that if we just batted the full 35 overs, we should get enough to win. Simple. Sort of. Phil looked good (like Nigel Havers), but was soon out as the young guns in the WHCC ranks led the attack. But this just brought James Shaw in, and with Bodey's two most productive batsmen at the crease, a most wonderful partnership built, the kind of batting which so reassures that you feel able to read a paper or gaze idly at clouds, returning at the prompt of a crack on willow and a boundary crossed. WHCC gave their bowlers long spells, but the batters hung in there and began to unfurl quite the range of shots, James striking the ball far beyond the fielders, and David relentlessly punishing anything loose. The flourishing partnership was only broken by David retiring for a superb 52 not out in the fourteenth over, followed shortly after by a very loose ball striking James on the full, requiring a breather for the batter and precipitating a mini-collapse for Bodley as Matthew fell to a wicked inswinger, Dan was defeated, Tim was bamboozled by bounce, and Gareth was cleaned bowled by a member of the House of Lords. Quite a session. With the score on 108-5 and the total looking a little distant, Gavin and the thankfully uninjured and restored James set about restoring order. Good running and a few boundaries kept the run rate manageable, and after James retired for a quite fantastic 52, Andrew joined Gav to kept things ticking along. With about thirty runs needed from seven overs, things looked good for the hosts, but the wickets of Andrew followed by a buccaneering David Busby brought Bodley's storied number 11 to the crease. Indeed, Stuart was so excited to be batting that he strode out, bat in hand, gloves tightened, raring to go. His batting pads, however, were in his kit bag. Once this oversight had been remedied, Stuart entertained us all for a quick single, and was then, to the horror of the visitors, out. Which meant that David Shackleton returned to the crease to pick up where he'd left off as he joined anchor of the run chase Gavin at the crease. A classy boundary later and the total was chased down, 176-8. Bodley win a great match by two wickets in the thirty second over. Very well played all. Bows, curtsies, and elbow bumps all round, and both teams headed off the field with beaming smiles, regardless of the result. The bar was open, the sun was still warm, and a thoroughly good - socially distanced - evening was had by all. Big thank you to our dedicated spectators, to Dave Freeman, and to all who played on both sides for reminding us why we love cricket so much. GJ. |
Note from the Ed.Generally always written late on the night of the game. Any accuracy or sparkling prose is purely accidental. Archives
September 2020
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