Alpine F1 CC at Sandford St. Martin, 20 overs Scorecard - www.pitchero.com/clubs/bodleiancc/teams/255079/match-centre/0-5238978/scorecard To Sandford St. Martin this evening for one of our longer running fixtures, against Alpine F1 (formerly Renault F1 for those of you that watch the racing cars on TV). With the loss (mysterious disappearance?) of Jack Cox T20 cricket we have precious few twenty over games in the calendar, so this is a treat indeed, and double so when you consider there is a bbq after the game. As the teams rolled in from Oxford and the surrounding countryside to the picturesque village ground clouds gathered overhead and the conditions became somewhat muggy. Bowl first perhaps? In a twenty over game?! Nah. Matthew, skippering today and keen for a second win on the bounce, promptly lost the toss and to his great delight was asked to bat. That probably had more to do with the bbq being readied during the second innings that the overhead conditions, but we’ll take it all the same. Bodley welcomed two debutants for this match – Archie Lewins and Jono Taylor. Archie comes to us via friend of the club Roger Lewins, being his son and a very fine young batter at Horspath CC, and Jono comes to us via a cricketing apprenticeship stretching from South Africa to Taunton and also happens to be Dom's cousin. A new and frankly optimistic opening partnership of Matthew and Gareth strode out to get things going, only to be met by as close an approximation of New Zealand man-bear Colin de Grandhomme as you could hope for on the gentle pastures of North Oxfordshire. ‘Bowler’s name?’ came the shout from the boundary. ‘Mullet’ came the response. You’ve just got to love social cricket. Matthew, first up, settled into his work with the reassuring ease that has become a hallmark for us these past two years, and before long had found the ropes and was running well. Gareth, at the other end, was running well but rather wishing he was back in the middle order, and after a few heaves, one solid defensive push and a few choice words to the very talkative wicket keeper (actually a very nice chap), was out for very little. But this only brought cricketing colossus James Shaw to the crease, newly restored to full power and seeming to grow taller each year. Before Stu could yell 'run ‘em up' James and Matthew had pressed the accelerator and the score was ticking along nicely. In no time at all James had retired on 25 and it was time for our first debutant, Archie Lewins to make us all look quite pedestrian. Archie plays for the really quite good Horspath CC Juniors, and the injection of youth kept things moving along at quite a rate. What we hadn’t reckoned with was the sparkling technique that a properly coached cricketer could bring to proceedings, as Archie cut, flicked and guided the ball to the boundary off a succession of Alpine bowlers. In a bold show of strength that Bodley reserves solely for Whippersnappers, Alpine gave all ten outfield players a bowl, with two overs each. Rather than giving the batters a chance against those bowlers that have more, shall we say, variety in their bowling, this only reinforced how strong the Alpine bowling academy was, though. But never mind, Archie and Matthew were going well, and though Matthew fell just shy of his retirement for a terrific 23, Tim and then Asad picked up where he left off to chip in with valuable runs. Archie retired for a wonderfully fluent 25, and then Dom, James R and our other debutant, Jono – excellent technique there, definitely runs to come – added a few before Dave Busby and Stu saw out the final few balls. Bodley finished on a decent but perhaps under par 118-7. Defendable, probably. Hopefully. Yeah, defendable. A quick turnaround and the second innings begins. Matthew goes behind the stumps and Bodley open the bowling with James S and doing his best Fred Trueman impression in starched white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, Stu Ackland. With a close field and batters setting up for the shot, James glided in, and by the end of his first over had taken two in two, the first a perfect clean bowled and the second an edge to the keeper. 3-2 from 1 over, good start. Next up was Fred, all Somerset bluster and apple cores, and though the run up was more Warne that Trueman, five dot balls in the over meant the good start continued. James picked up another clean bowled in his second over, whilst Stu got smacked to all corners in his, but Bod were still well on top with the score 25-3 from 4 overs. A few more tidy overs and the skipper rung the changes, with Jono coming on to bowl with Dom at the other end. Dom’s bowling has been a revelation these past few years, with economy and a knack for taking wickets a hallmark, and whilst the batters were finding the rope just enough to keep up with the rate, the fielding from all concerned was exemplary and the game remained in the balance. Jono’s first over was met with whoops of delight from his new team mates, as it became immediately apparent that he very much knows what he’s doing. After his three overs Jono returned the most excellent figures of 1-10 from 3 overs, with young Archie taking a good catch for the wicket. Meanwhile there was more commendations in the field, with Dave using his polished teak chest to good effect on the boundary, Gareth doing yet more damage to his knees to perform sliding stops on the other boundary, and James R rocketing returns back in to further restrict the runs. As the match entered its final third the skipper came out from behind the stumps, Gareth took the gloves, and an eight over partnership of Matthew and Asad was deployed to keep things tight and hopefully see us home. Alpine’s destructive opening bat had by now retired, another had reached 24 and out, whilst yet another was going well. Alpine looked to have the momentum, and were ahead of the rate with batters to come, or come back in. But there’s always swings in a chase and soon enough Matthew picked one up with another catch from Archie in the covers. A few balls later Matthew found the edge and Gareth pouched the catch to see them eight down and then along came another with a full-throated lbw, followed next over by a well-deserved lbw for Asad, though that did mean the opening bat was back in and the boundary was again under threat. Asad was finding variable bounce from a full length at the other end, and though the runs were drying up an eminently gettable twenty were needed from the final two overs. Matthew bowled well, tight line, a passable impression of a pack of slightly elderly gazelles in the outfield, and only seven conceded. 13 needed from the final over and Asad to see us there. With the field largely back Asad roared in and produced a stunning succession of single, single, single, single, single (game won by this point), four. Nine from the over, Bod win by four runs. Another thriller, we do keep taking it to the last over! Well played everyone, and well played Alpine, could have gone either way. A thoroughly enjoyable game was topped off with a bbq and the bar being opened up, and both teams enjoyed the setting sun and the view across the Shire from our lofty vantage atop the ridge that the pitch sits on. Next up is Oxfam on the 4th August, at our home ground in Great Tew – players needed so if you can play do get in touch. GJ.
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Note from the Ed.Generally written on the night of the match after a valedictory pint. Any sparkling prose or accuracy is entirely accidental. Archives
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