Inkpen CC at Great Tew, thirty overs. www.pitchero.com/clubs/bodleiancc/teams/255079/match-centre/0-5106083 It is a fact of life for a village cricketer that you spend an unhealthy amount of time checking weather apps (looking for one that has an agreeable forecast) and generally looking up at the sky. An entire week of anticipation and careful planning (that 50 is just round the corner, after all) can go out the window if it rains, or rains the night before, or covers are left off, or the forecast looks dreadful but it is not in fact, not actually, not yet, actually raining at all. So it was with no small measure of dread that the mighty Bodley had cast their eyes over the daily dire forecasts for the weekend. After a week of at times barely tolerable heat and clear skies, the one day we were set to play cricket had that animated thundercloud the BBC like to chuck in occasionally. With agreement that the Great Tew groundsman would make a lateish call on the morning of the game, we were thankfully given the go ahead to play mid-morning on Sunday. Marvellous, and the forecast had even changed too – it’s basically guesswork these days anyway isn’t it, this weather forecasting lark? Today’s opposition was Inkpen CC, from the Berkshire village of the same name and a team we’ve always visited in previous years, so a first for them to come to Fortress Bodley. Ahem. Due to various reasons we were a depleted side today, shorn of a few regulars but with a strong nine and a cunning plan. The funny thing with having only nine though, is that if you lose any more you’re really very depleted, and that wouldn’t be at all funny. As the 1pm start time came and went Bodley were frantically texting two of our missing players, who were uncharacteristically very late. Wherever could they be? Naming no names, assurances from Shackleton and Burnett that they were on their way duly arrived, and having been asked to bat by the opposition we moved them down the batting order and constructed an impregnable opening partnership of Matthew Neely (an actual opener) and Stuart Ackland (an actual Stuart). With the time 1.15pm, play belatedly began, the seven men of Bodley against the eleven of Inkpen… Matthew and Stu started wonderfully, putting away anything wayward and (in Matthew’s case) defending stoutly to everything else. Stuart got off the mark with a surprise four whipped to square leg and beyond the chasing fielder, to great applause from the three Bodley players on the boundary once umpires were taken into account – a Bodley first, with more players on the pitch than off during our batting innings. Could this be a day for records?! Stu was caught biffing in the second over for a useful seven, bringing Dom Hewett in at three, just reward for his hare-like running and deft touch to the seamers. Dom was sadly out before he could get in, falling to a good catch from the Inkpen skipper. This brought the Bodley skipper, Gareth Jones, to the crease and with the score on 14-2 from five overs a little bit of digging in was required. After barely a hole could be dug the skipper was out to a ball that just skimmed the bails (it was a pearler, honest), but Matthew was looking ever more assured at the other end. Bodley’s picnic-loving statesman Andrew Milner was next in and like Jones and Hewett before, was out all too quickly. Next up, and with Bodley still only a seven-strong team was Bubba Watson’s stunt double, Tim Philipson. Thankfully Tim had packed his golf clubs and proceeded to go after the bowlers with some impressive hitting as Matthew likewise found the boundary at the other end. Now, you’ll remember that two Bodley players were running late, but were on their way? Well, at 2.17pm – over an hour after the scheduled start of play – a little red fun-wagon chundled up the Great Tew driveway past the pitch, to a boisterous round of applause as play stopped to mark the return of Shackleton and Burnett from their mysterious adventure. As Bodley’s answer to Jagger and Richards appeared from the car park, take-aways in hand, it transpired that they had indeed left in good time to reach the match, had got themselves sorted for the bring your own tea, and had simply got a little lost on the way to the ground but had nevertheless waited patiently for their apparently late team mates. The problem with this was that whilst they had arrived at the ground at broadly the correct time, they had somehow arrived at the wrong ground. In a different village. In a different county. They had, it seems, gone to our opposition's ground at Inkpen, which they reported was in terrific condition and sported a spanking new clubhouse and spacious car park. Once this ‘geographical error’ was apparent, they finished their lattes and headed back up the A40 to Great Tew as fast as their map-reading could take them. There was of course a funny side to all this, and sometime later that evening the skipper finally saw it! By the time all this excitement had played out, Tim had walloped a handsome 17 and the score had moved up to 93-5 from twenty overs, helped more than a little by a fair few welcome extras. James Riley was next in and picked up where Tim left off, swinging hard at the loose balls and running hard with the by now well set Matthew. As wickets fell at the other end and Inkpen shuffled their bowlers Matthew had steadily, purposefully built his score to form a magnificent backbone of the innings. A long-help personal top score of 49 (twice) was finally passed as he went on to 57 before falling to a sharp seamer – fantastic batting and an innings that totally held our side together as we pushed well beyond 100. With David Shackleton demoted, though perhaps still a place too high at number 8, James was adding to the score and finding the boundary, ending the innings on 17 not out as Shackleton fell trying to clear the ropes. At the end of our thirty overs Bodley had managed a very respectable 141-6. All things being taken into account, a competitive and defendable score. Very good. So, to tea. We couldn't help but notice that a giant marquee had been erected on the second pitch, which all of Bodley assumed was for Andrew to take his tea in, but in the event he decided to eat with the rest of us, allowing us to once again marvel at the sophistication and grandeur of his epicurean fantasy. Fresh baguettes, finest cuts of meat, cave-aged cheese and not just any fizzy drink but San Pellegrino was enjoyed as Andrew tucked into several courses of sustenance to ready himself for his taxing afternoon at first slip. Whilst it will be lovely when proper cricket teas return (more of a logistical issue now to be honest, so hopefully soon), it certainly is interesting to see what everyone brings. Shackleton and Burnett tucked into their second tea, having picked up more supplies on their detour via Berkshire. All were well fed, and with the weather continuing to improve, Bodley trundled out to commence their defence. Burnett and Ackland took the new (old) ball, and with a maiden from Phil, and a tidy over from Stu, things started well. It became quite clear quite rapidly however, that the Inkpen top order were going to hit the ball very hard indeed, and take their chances. As caches fell agonisingly short of fielders, and the outfield turned into an absolute belter (sure it was slower when we batted!), the score flew along, the skipper turning to first change bowlers, then to second change and eventually pushing the field back to stem the flow of runs. By the fifteenth over with the score on 81 things looked a tad worrying, so the skipper decided a change of tack was needed – pace totally off the ball. On came Dom, who has been steadily forging a reputation as a very handy bowler indeed. Right on cue Dom takes the first Inkpen wicket in his first over – clean bowled and a lovely sight to see. Another wicket followed in Dom’s next over, back up by a maiden in his third. Match well and truly back on! Burnett was pressed back into service at this point, and opting to bowl a bit of spin he collected two wickets of his own thanks to great catching from James and a hard-earned lbw. As Bodley shuffled their bowling and brought the field up, wickets fell regularly but the score still climbed. Andrew picked up a deserved wicket, whilst Dom bowled another three on the bounce to end with four wickets – another clean bowled and one to an outrageous running catch at cow from the sub fielder next ball. Dom’s figures of 6 overs, 2 maidens, 10 runs, for 4 wickets ranking right up there with Matthew’s batting in the first innings. With Inkpen seven down and twenty four behind, the match could still go both ways but the momentum was very much with the home team as the field stayed up and Shackleton, Riley, and Ackland finished off the innings. Two wickets for the spinning Shackleton had Inkpen nine down, and having bowled at the top it was Stu that finished things off with an unplayable slower ball delivered amidst a befuddling shuffle. Bodley win, with Inkpen all out for 127. Great game. A top score of 54 from one of the Inkpen openers, in an opening stand of 85 threatened to take the game well away from Bodley, but Dom’s terrific spell in the middle overs wrestled control back into the home team’s hands. Matthew’s perfectly constructed 57 gave Bodley the platform to defend a total, and the bowlers, and some good catching, did the rest. Well played all. Drinks were enjoyed by all after the game, and talk of next year’s fixture included a possible multi-team tournament, very interesting! Thank you to Inkpen for travelling up to play us at Tew, and to David and Phil for checking on the Inkpen ground whilst it was empty. Next game is this Thursday at Sandford St. Martin, against Alpine F1 (formerly Renault F1). GJ.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2021
Categories |