Sunday 10th September, Aldworth CC at Aldworth, 35 overs.
Scorecards can be found here - www.pitchero.com/clubs/bodleiancc/teams/255079/match-centre/0-5462706/scorecard Mention of Aldworth will bring to mind a number of things for a Bodleian cricketer. The Bell Inn for a start, a gloriously old-fashioned pub with decent beer right next door to the pitch. Then the pitch, crikey, where to start? Sloping, a bowl-shaped depression at the top end which can hide a player if you’re fielding down the slope, an uncovered green strip which is a dream to bowl on and often a nightmare to bat and then an out-field which is more savannah than lawn, with grass tall enough to stop most well-struck balls. Aldworth themselves are decent oppo as well, a nice bunch who play good cricket, have a laugh and provide a very good tea. As we always play them in early to mid- September there’s also a sense of the season coming to an end, both ours and the summer, with the trees lining the pitch losing their leaves and the chance to get warmth and rain in the space of an afternoon. It’s always worth the drive despite the run of recent results not going our way. The key is winning the toss and batting second as following a spell of ridiculously warm weather rain started to fall as we sit in the Bell garden nursing a pint, cloudy skies and a dodgy wicket would mean whoever bowled first would more than likely get the best of the conditions. So it proved, losing the toss meant the rain and drizzle lasted most of our innings. The Aldworth bowlers used the conditions well, especially their young opening left-hander, who had Matthew clean bowled with a perfect swinging yorker, which he then repeated with Roy’s wicket. The other opener was the polar opposite, older and slower, moving the ball off the pitch and picking up Dan’s wicket caught behind. With more wickets lost and runs hard to come by Bodley, not for the first time this season were seriously concerned about setting a new lowest score. But James saves our blushes. Starting slowly and having to watch wickets fall at the other end suddenly a switch is thrown and runs start to flow. Mike, Tim and Andrew try and keep him company but all fall and then Dave comes in, nu 10, and manages through a mix of leaving balls, blocking balls and running between the wicket gives James the strike as much a possible. At the end of our 35 overs James is 68 not out, a magnificent knock which included a towering 6 to cow, Dave is 3 not out, soaking up 3 overs of blocks, leaves and occasional running to keep James company, Bodley have got to a respectable 132 and the number 11 is relieved he didn’t have to bat. Tea, always a treat, good sarnies and lovely cake. Labradors walking around looking for crumbs. Aldworth openers are soon sent back, a bowled for Dan and an LBW for Phil, both going for not many. Your writer and James take over and mostly keep things tight but the Aldworth batters start to hit out, helped by an ill-chosen Ackland slower ball going for 6. Then a break- through when Roy takes a good catch off James, seeing off the left-hander but Aldworth have more than enough in the tank, seemingly batting down with hardly a tail, one of their middle order players hits a monster six off a good ball from James so no surprise that Aldworth reach, and then pass our score after 26 overs, winning by 6 wickets. Aldworth yet again prove too much for us but as the season comes to a close and the amount of games cancelled this year any game, regardless of the result (well, almost always regardless of the result) is a good game. There’s always next year. SA.
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