Oxfam CC at Stanton St. John, twenty overs
Scorecard - www.pitchero.com/clubs/bodleiancc/teams/255079/match-centre/0-5274131 Is it ever going to rain again? Newspapers full of pictures of parks and lawns looking like dustbowls and cricket pitches are the same. Last night’s game, against Oxfam, was played at Stanton St. John, a pitch we’ve use before which more often than not is a soggy puddin’ of a wicket. Yesterday it was the colour and consistency of a rich tea biscuit. Only the fool-hardy would dive for a ball on this, and only the foolish did (how is the knee skip?). Oxfam must be one of our longest continual fixtures, always a good game, always pleasant oppo, always a concerned glance at who turns up as they have some explosive batters to call on. A second match for young Archie, and a first for his Dad Roger after playing once a long time ago. Dave Shorten, fresh from a Mads tour to the Isle of White makes up a Bodley 11. Gareth wins the toss, and a new opening partnership of Matthew and Dave stride out. We seem to have as many new opening pairs as England since the Cook/Strauss era. Matthew straight away gets in a groove, using the pace of the ball and the dry ground to find the boundary. The speed of the pitch and the close in field set by Oxfam gives plenty of food for thought amongst Bod players. Dave takes a while to find his rhythm, but eventually starts to hit out. The scorer was just mentioning how tricky he was finding it to anyone bothering to listening when all of a sudden he comes down the wicket to the spinner and smacks him back over his head for a glorious six, this sets him off and regular scoring shots gets the scoreboard ticking over, finally out on a well-deserved 50. Matthew is out for 29, in the unluckiest of circumstances. Dave, facing, hits a ball back to the bowler who drops a caught and bowled only for the ball to deflect onto the stumps with Matthew out of his crease. Don’t think this has ever happened before in a Bod game. James comes and goes, falling for the village cricket curse of three balls of ill-directed buffet bowling followed by a perfect yorker, Archie carries on from last week, showing class way beyond his years, Tim smites a few and we finish on 118 off 20, below par but we’ve won here with less. Oxfam open with one of the best batters, and nicest cricketeers we regularly play against, their skipper Ben. James and Stuart start the Bodley attack. James is, as he has been for yonks now, very economical, while your reporter has the usual mix of three or four good ones followed by some dross down leg an over. Oxfam are scoring from one end and being restricted from the other, so a bowling change. Matthew comes on to replace Stuart, Dave replaces James after he completes an excellent spell (13 off 4). James then takes a smart catch off Dave’s bowling to remove Ben but Oxfam are scoring well, and, despite a brief bit of hope when Gavin gets a wicket first ball, they get to and then past our total with a few overs to spare. A great game, played on a pleasant evening against good oppo. What more do you need? When’s it going to rain though? SA.
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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
September 2022
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