Inkpen CC at Inkpen, 30 overs
Scorecard - www.pitchero.com/clubs/bodleiancc/teams/255079/match-centre/0-5187381/scorecard Following a couple of cancellations, it was good to finally get the Bodley Cricket bandwagon back on the road, and on this fine but breezy afternoon the opposition would be old favourites Inkpen in what has traditionally been the fertile hunting ground of West Berkshire. This fixture has been kind to Bodley who have yet to lose, but Inkpen have been closing the gap over recent years as their contingent of youthful talent has matured, adding technique and talent to the veteran Inkpen campaigners. Add a wicket that has always been ‘challenging’ to batsmen into the mix and the prospects of an entertaining encounter were high indeed. Bodley were ringing the changes today, as the absence of our very own old cricketing guru and ‘Mr Minehead 1985’ Stu Ackland had opened up an opportunity to fill the much sought number-eleven batting spot as well as strike-bowling responsibilities. Somewhat fortuitously for Bodley, the old adage about ‘Shaw not letting you down’ delivered in spades today, as occasional stalwarts Ash Shaw and Roy McMillan stepped into the breach, and with Arthur Keegan-Bole also on board for events Bodley fielded a strong team that was up for any challenge that would undoubtedly unfold. As most followers of cricket are aware, much is made of the ‘state of the wicket’. Is it looking a little green? Is there a natural slope? Is it a little ‘sticky’? Are the foot-holes so vast that one false step could lead you to capsize? The sight of care-worn cricketers clustered around the wicket earnestly discussing how the surface will play, whilst vigorously yet discreetly attacking it with a hearty swing of spikes and mentally bagging the downhill end when bowling is one of the quintessential sights on village greens the length and breadth of the land. With Skipper Jones having lost the toss and been asked to bat, only time would tell if such philosophical ruminations would pay dividends to Bodley however. Although a traditionally low-scoring encounter, the recent dry spell had added serious tempo to the outfield, so as the old-faithful opening partnership of Matthew Neely and Phil Burnett strode out to the middle expectations were high that the recent run of high-scoring innings would continue. Among Bodley regulars, the Inkpen wicket has long been a source of fascination, never failing to deliver the much vaunted ‘variable bounce’ that has been the undoing of many a batter in this fixture. To add to the uncertainty, the sightscreens were flapping like a spinnaker in a force-ten rounding the Horn, and such conditions inevitably led to a cautious start. Perhaps it was a literary pre-occupation with Dickensian fog that clouded his mind, but it came as a mighty blow when big-hitting Burnett was undone by a ball that drifted in on the wind and evaded the bat, giving M.Darke an unlikely early wicket. On the back of a succession of productive innings, Gareth Jones was next in at number three, and the weight of responsibility seemed to have unlocked that inner Boycottian obduracy that used to be his hallmark. The perfect storm of an unpredictable wicket, a bowling attack that was being regularly rotated, and the desire to avoid leaking wickets all combined to limit scoring opportunities. In such circumstances, and with only ten runs on the board after six overs, it would always be tempting to try and force the pace of play, and so it was perhaps not entirely unexpected when Jones tried to accelerate, only to fall to one that pitched outside off, caught the gulf stream and hit middle. With two wickets down and only 20 runs on the board there was more than a little doubt creeping into the collective mind on the Bodley boundary. With a degree of sangfroid that belied the precariousness of the situation, Roy McMillan was next out to the middle, clearly unburdened by the hopes and dreams of 30 years or cricketing tradition that now rested on his shoulders. After a brief but clearly constructive confab, McMillan and Neely finally started to coax the Bodley innings into life and work through the gears, with McMillan establishing early intent by quickly finding and clearing the boundary, and Neely provided solid and increasingly expansive support as both appeared to negate the quirks of the wicket. Despite regular rotation of the bowling attack McMillan was clearly well-set now and soon chalked up his first Bodley half-century, and despite the slow start Bodley posted a hundred up in the twentieth over and looked to be kicking on for the final third. As any seasoned follower of Bodley Cricket will know, it is never wise to invest too much faith in an imminent run-fest, and today proved to be no exception to this general rule as Inkpen dug deep and somehow staunched the flow. Unusually, and somewhat mercifully, this proved to be a temporary set-back and the boundaries and purposeful running soon resumed to get Bodley back on track to set a competitive total. With Neely finally succumbing to a good ball from B.Darke after a well hit 65, Dan Shaw strode out with a single ball remaining and closed the innings with a hard-struck boundary that would ultimately prove more decisive than most might have reasonably thought. And so the innings drew to a close with McMillan unbeaten on 79, and Bodley posting what seemed a competitive total of 176 for the loss of only three wickets. As always, it would take time and Inkpen to determine whether this was indeed the case, but that would have to wait for the moment as it was time for tea. Now, it is not the purpose of reports such as this to rhapsodise about the joy that is the ‘cricketing tea’, that often splendid cornucopia of treats that satiate the appetites of a disparate group of cricketers who are, by nature, somewhat hard to please. And as perennial genial hosts, Inkpen didn’t disappoint, with a fine spread provided, and special mention having to go to the stupendous strawberry laden cream-rich cake and simply enormous Cheesy Wotsits, all vying for valuable plate space. All good thing must, of course, come to an end, and before long it was time for Bodley to take to the field of play, with a score to defend and that perennial niggling doubt about whether it would be quite enough. To be fair, a score just shy of 500 over 30 overs would never quite banish all doubt about possible defeat from the Bodley psyche, but the score was the score and all we could do now was have faith in the bowlers and pray to the Inkpen wicket. The Bodley attack would today open with probing line and length from James and sheer pace from Dan, and as seasoned openers Dikon and Donoghue took their place out in the middle there was a collective girding of Bodley loins and silent prayers offered up to the Cricketing Gods. As all club cricketers know, it is never wise to invest too much faith in a single point of failure, but the Inkpen wicket had always been one of the more challenging Bodley regularly play on, and as any regular would attest the competition was pretty stiff. The fact that we had lost only a couple of wickets in regulation play was more than a little vexing however, and if Inkpen could be equally resilient then it may prove to be a very long afternoon in the field indeed. With nine conceded off the first over, including a couple of fine deliveries casually biffed to the boundary, the initial signs were a little alarming, and it was clear that a little more girding was called for. As any disciple of Bodley cricket will know, it is always tempting to go into full panic mode, even when only a solitary over has been bowled. But we like to think that Bodley CC is made of slightly sterner stuff these days, and as Dan charged in and bowled a flawless maiden, loins could perhaps be relaxed just a little. When James followed this by a wicket-maiden, removing Donahue with a ball that fandangoed into the stumps, things were beginning to look rather more positive for Bodley, and with Dikon and B.Darke also succumbing in short order to similar balls, thoughts soon hubristically turned not just to the inevitable win, but to the likely margin of victory. With three wickets down and only 34 on the board, Inkpen may have breathed a sigh of relief when the Shaw onslaught was replaced by the Bristol-Boer Brotherhood of Keegan-Bole and Burnett. Any hoped for reprieve was short-lived however as Burnett merely picked up where James had left off, with both A.Darke and Bates likewise undone by good balls on an unpredictable wicket, and Hutchinson snicking one behind which was well taken by Neely. Meanwhile, at the other end, the spin of Keegan-Bole was textbook containment stuff so when, with 13 over gone, the baton was passed to Busby and Ash, Inkpen had been restricted to only 49 runs for the loss of six wickets. The size of that hallowed predicted margin of victory soon grew even larger when Ash took the scalp of Young-Gun M.Darke, and demonstrated the art of making the complex art of bowling look all so very simple. Busby has a somewhat different approach to the game, with a release that bears more than a passing resemblance to a Bucking-Bronko coughing up a hairball, and it this casual disregard for conventional technique that has made him one of the more entertaining, yet effective, bowlers in the Bodley armoury. It was perhaps his misfortune today that Inkpen now had Mitchell and Knape at the crease, who soon demonstrated the art of defending the good ball and punishing everything else, and it was inevitable that this approach would soon see the runs start to accumulate. Knape in particular had clearly got his eye in, and soon notched up his 50 with a frenetic mix of singles and boundaries, and with Mitchell providing an efficient supporting role at the other end, Inkpen started to claw their way back into the match. Indeed, despite the best endeavours of the Bodley attack, they had somehow surged to 160 with 28 overs gone. With all thoughts of an effortless victory now but a distant memory, McMillan stepped up for some tricky death bowling, and the close of the 29th over saw Inkpen sensing victory on 165. Having surrendered the gloves to Jones, Neely now entered the fray. With wickets in hand and victory tantalisingly close, Inkpen were always going to attack the bowling, and it was inevitable that the pattern of wild swings and boundaries would continue, though the margins were wafer-thin now. Bodley are no strangers to defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, and loins were now girded to the max out in the field as Neely tempted Mitchell to chance a suicidal single to one that went through to the keeper, only to see his partner Knape run-out by a gleeful Jones after a potentially match winning knock of 62. Despite such heroics, Next in was Cohen and he certainly looked like he was going to have a damn good bash. So it was with a sense of relief that Neely again forced the shot which Cohen top edged into the waiting gloves of Jones. One ball to go, new batter, Neely runs in with 6 winning it for Inkpen. and it's a dot ball, tidied up by the keeper, and Bodley win! And so ended yet another closely contested match for Bodley. Inkpen had once again been fabulous hosts and real competitors, taking the game to the final ball, but Bodley had just enough in the tank to take them over the line to secure their second victory of the season. And despite a sticky start and the best efforts of the infamous Inkpen wicket, Bodley yet again had much to be positive about during the traditional post-match debrief at the Crown & Garter. Neely and McMillan had constructed what must rank as one of the highest partnerships in Bodley history, putting on a colossal 152 runs, whilst each recording personal Bodley highs of 65 and 79 respectively. The bowling had likewise been impressive, with James Shaw and Burnett both bagging three-wicket hauls, Ash securing a first competitive Bodley wicket, and Neeley demonstrating intelligent death bowling to seal the victory. Curiously, the absence of Ackland had also meant this was one of the few games that did not see a Bodley batter being given LBW, or brooding Bodley fielders scrabbling around like Dads Army on manoeuvres whilst trying to retrieve yet another ‘slow ball’ from the undergrowth. Normal service will no doubt be resumed on these Bodley staples soon enough and cosmic cricketing equilibrium restored. Meanwhile, as the shadows started to lengthen, and Busby inexplicably attempted to get an amorous wasp drunk, all thoughts turned to making it two victories on the bounce as old rivals Alpine F1 would be next up to take their turn on the Bodley cricketing carousel. TP
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
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
September 2022
Categories |