Castle Rising CC v. Eton Ramblers The Rising skipper won the toss and requested that the visitors bat. The home team reacted with 100% enthusiasm to this news with opening bowlers Ward and Rosh producing exclamations of glee before racing down the pavilion steps to vigorously mark out their run-ups (warning this report may contain the occasional factual inaccuracy). The opening duo kept things tight for the first few overs, after each (especially Rosh) had unleashed looseners which redefined the term. Rosh then skidded one through Gibbs and Wardy knocked over Boyle’s stumps, reducing the Ramblers to 13-2. Normanton and MacLellan subsequently constructed a quite remarkable 130 run partnership. Normanton took big swings at the first two balls he faced and was very lucky that a ballooning edge somehow managed to arc its way through some sunlight to confuse the waiting fielder. After five overs Wardy staggered from the field fearing that the excesses of the previous night might be about to take their revenge. A note to our readers: regulars on this webpage may be starting to see a trend developing in terms of players being ‘delicate’ (or some other euphemism) after some serious socialising the night before. The Chairperson would like to make it clear that the club does not have a drinking culture, it’s just that young people today are complete wusses and cannot handle a couple of shandies. Normanton’s legside swishing became increasingly pronounced and he blasted his way to 50 managing to thread the ball through, over and even under in some cases, the packed legside field with alarming regularity. The scoring rate was positively obscene and the fielders adopted a pitiful (when’s lunch?) expression. Ward gave the Skipper a meaningful look – enough is enough. He was thrown the ball and immediately flattened Normanton’s stumps. This was following a match changing over from Sunil (playing as a sub whilst the erstwhile Chairperson put on his pinney and boiled the spuds for lunch) who removed the classy MacLellan with a cutter which held in the pitch, gently hit the bat and then rolled on to the stumps. Out strode the number 5 clutching a cut-down style big hitters Mongoose bat. First ball Sunil produced a snaking delivery that crept under the Mongoose. The next ball Wardy knocked over Normanton and thus the whole complexion of the game had changed in 3 balls. Two overs later Dan claimed his third wicket giving him incredible figures at that point of 3-3 from 8.4 overs. At lunch the scoreboard read a most improbable 159-7. Lunch was splendid. The Chairperson had excelled himself, producing a menu incorporating salad, boiled new potatoes, chicken, an array of cheeses and wine for the visitors, which Rosh purloined. Play started promptly after lunch and the game moved ahead rapidly with runs flowing and wickets falling. Jamie ‘Picasso’ Marsh produced his best spell of the season, taking three wickets. Thus, the Ramblers were all out by 3 o’clock for 245. Rising were quickly reduced to 13-2 as Chunky was bowled by a pearler from Crichton, who bowled admirably. Chima was adjudged LBW, obviously the banana skin that he had been sporting in his left pocket earlier had not brought him luck. Bek and Poll then consolidated taking Rising through safely to tea. Excellent cakes were then devoured, no donuts this week to unsettle the Chairperson. After tea the pair took the score to 87 before Poll was deceived by a yorker from the unfeasibly tall MacAdam, the trajectory of the ball being obscured by the trees behind. Mahesh came in and declared that he could not see the ball either and promptly smashed 3 fours. He then entered Warp Drive crashing three large sixes before making the mistake of playing a defensive shot and being plumb LBW. His rapid 40 had made a serious indentation into the total required. Bek went to fifty – twice as Rosh’s scoring had led to premature celebration on the bench when the score was only 48 but there was a quick rebuttal from the batsman. Wardy (35) came in and set about the task of ensuring victory, no heroics required just sensible batting against some decent bowling on a very slow track. Bek reached his hundred with a three through midwicket. Both batsman then lost their heads and tried to finish the match with panache and each got out with only 8 needed to win. This caused pandemonium and bad language as number 7 Rosh had not only taken off his pads but changed into his civvies (why???). He made it to the crease with seconds to spare but no box on. Sunil (also under prepared) struck the winning boundary to seal a 4 wicket win. A good match played in a great spirit with some fine individual performances. The team then adjourned to the Black Horse where a jug of ale was supplied by the centurion, prompting discussion about the pair of jugs which went missing from the clubhouse, providing a nice link to revelations about Jamie’s artistic masterpiece which he had doodled on the lounge wall at home. The latter apparently remains visible even after extra coats of paint. Hayes asked whether the artwork was inspired by the Impressonist school – Theresa confirmed otherwise. The Newcastle Uni brigade at the other end of the table had a quick discussion about feminist theories before reverting to type and comparing interpretations of AC/DC lyrics. And so ended another splendid day’s entertainment.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 22:57:26 +0000
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