2015 match archiveGreat Missenden Pelicans
Sunday April 19 at Great Missenden
Match drawn
Strollers 238-3 dec
(McDougall 108no, Swan 49no, Timperley 30, R Wood 18)
Pelicans 167-9
(Walder 4-27, Simon Brodbeck 2-29, Macaulay 2-29, Hodgson 1-21)
The first game of the 2015 season and the day dawned hot and humid, or so Strollers dreamed on Saturday night. In reality, Nag’s Head Meadow was bordering on the arctic, so much so that Aaron Walder opted to spend the first half an hour of the game circling Great Missenden safe inside his warm car. “It’s definitely a seven-jumper day,” cautioned one wizened sage.
Statisticians noted that veterans Jim Hodgson and Alastair Macaulay were on the verge of cricketing greatness. Hodgson began the match on 295 career wickets, with Macaulay just behind on 293. “I’ll buy a tanker full of beer if I take five today.” pledged Hodgson. Captain Piers Ovenden took note and considered emailing Mark Carney about that day off he was owed.
Rory Wood and Hamish McDougall opened up and negotiated some variable opening bowling before Wood fell for a watchful 18. Last season’s batsman of the year James Timperley strode to the wicket but was trudging back in fairly short order after racing to 30. McDougall meanwhile had passed 50, cutting loose deliveries across the quick outfield and driving over the top towards the railway.
The sun remained elusive but Wood helpfully provided minute-by-minute updates using the elaborate pavilion clock. “The hygrometer is at 62,” he noted as McDougall edged closer to three figures. Tim Swan provided typically elegant support, languidly stroking the ball to the boundary as the bowlers tired, and finished on 49 not out. Ovenden paced – “how many is too many?” - as McDougall pushed on past his century and the Strollers to 238 off a mammoth 48 overs. Little could the photographers have guessed, as they papped the beaming and sweat-drenched McDougall off the field, that the drama had barely begun.
Just half an hour into the Great Missenden innings, Warren Crocker dropped a sharp chance off his own bowling, and disfigured a finger in the process. He vainly tried to snap it back into place while Strollers with less strong stomachs looked away. As Crocker drove the Green Machine off to Stoke Mandeville hospital, the Strollers had yet to make a breakthrough.
Cometh the hour, cometh Walder. The twinkle-toed leg-spinner quickly took two wickets, inspiring Hodgson into making the batsman leave a ball that clattered into his off-stump. Macaulay picked up two wickets, leaving him just five short of the magic 300.
Then the finger of fate struck again. Ovenden put down another hard chance, ripping a nail clean off. After a short spell off the field, the captain returned to a round of applause from both sides with the light fading fast. But Great Missenden’s talented No 4 turned from scrappy to free flowing, frustrating the Strollers and running down the clock.
Simon Brodbeck finally took his wicket - Swan’s third catch of the match - and another, leaving just one wicket to win and two overs to go. Alas, it was not to be. Two gruesome finger injuries had shaken the team, or perhaps it was the realisation there would be no Hodgson-sponsored tanker today. Yet all was not lost. As the sun set it finally broke through the cloud, and hinted at good things to come. The Pelicans’ warm hospitality continued in The Cross Keys and the season was under way.
Capt: Piers Ovenden. Wkt and match fees: Hamish McDougall.
Harpsden
Sunday April 26 at Harpsden
Strollers lost by 112 runs
Harpsden 218-5
(40 overs; Swan 2-29, Hodgson 1-26, Timperley 1-29)
Strollers 106
(29.3 overs; Timperley 62, Hodgson 11)
After a heavy loss from their first visit to Harpsden in 2014, the Strollers were eager to put in a better showing. The ground is an idyllic setting and the outfield looked in great condition. The Strollers were in good spirits after the strong performance last week and looking sharp; James Timperley had acquired a new sock sponsor and Simon Brodbeck was sporting pristine whites.
The overnight rain had left the pitch slightly damp, and Timperley, predicting some early assistance for the bowlers, asked Harpsden to pad up. Those bowling stocks were somewhat limited after the injuries sustained last week, but Timperley was pleasantly surprised when Tim Swan had Harpsden’s opening batsmen playing on for a duck. Jim Hodgson, opening from the golf course end, bowled with his usual control and was rewarded when Sam Ferrick took a nonchalant one-handed catch at mid-off. Hodgson bowled his eight overs on the trot with excellent figures of 8-1-26-1. When Stephen Tjasink took a good running catch at mid-wicket Harpsden were 19-3 and the Strollers thought they were in the driving seat.
But the fourth-wicket stand of 173 between Whitaker and Stevens took the game away from the Strollers. The batsmen played low-risk cricket, keeping out the good balls, punishing the bad and running ones and twos to take advantage of the vast outfield. An array of bowlers were used, eight in all, including a tempting spell from debutant Matt Hilton-Dennis but a breakthrough could not be found. The fielding was of a high standard and special mention should be made of Sam Brodbeck who worked tirelessly in the deep, covering the vast expanse of the pavilion boundary. Spin twins Ferrick and Timperley kept the scoring in check, and the partnership was finally broken when Timperley bowled Whitaker. Stevens brought up his century with some powerful shots in the final over, but the Strollers went to tea agreeing they were still in the game. Or so they thought.
Tom Wood and Oonagh joined the supporters on the sidelines but would not have been impressed with the batting response. Harpsden’s opening bowler Jones (5-2-7-2) generated good pace and Hamish McDougall, last week’s hero, was bowled second ball. From here the snowball started that couldn’t be held back as wickets fell at regular intervals. Only Timperley offered any real resistance with a solid 62, including two maximums on to the grass bank, and Hodgson showed promise with a couple of powerful boundaries. The innings eventually petered out and Harpsden were clapped in as deserving victors.
Rebellions were enjoyed in what really is a delightful spot with convivial hospitality, as the Strollers were left to do some deep soul-searching. There was even talk of ceremonial burnings of cricket pads.
As the team made their way back towards London they were left musing a quote from former England captain Colin Cowdrey:
“Nine times out of ten you should bat first. The other time, you should think about fielding, then bat.”
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Hamish McDougall. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Maidenhead and Bray
Sunday May 3 at Bray
Strollers lost by three wickets
Strollers 234-5
(40 overs; Ferrick 154, Timperley 29, Fredrickson 20)
Maidenhead & Bray 237-7
(35.3 overs; Timperley 4-27, Simon Brodbeck 2-50, Loan 1-23)
With the morning rain clearing, the Strollers made their way to the Maidenhead and Bray Cricket Club for this limited overs Sunday game. Bart Fine arrived on debut as Stroller number 700. He joins from the ranks of the Karori Bakery team, which was suggested to have obtained the status of an official nursery club for the Strollers.
The pitch looked to be in great nick (the covers having kept the rain at bay) and the surroundings were idyllic. Captain James Timperley duly won the toss and opted to bat first, with his team was in good spirits and keen to put in a strong performance.
But it was the Maidenhead and Bray bowlers who started strongly, dismissing the two Strollers openers cheaply. Timperley came in at No 3 and was quickly joined by Sam Ferrick at No 4. Ferrick’s first ball was short and outside off and was attacked with a swinging cut. Thankfully the nick went too low and wide for the keeper and Ferrick took his chance to build an innings. And what an innings he built, supported by Captain Timperley who was unwavering as he looked to stem the loss of wickets.
Ferrick combined masterful concentration with attacking shot play to great effect. It was a superb innings and a joy to watch. His back-foot straight drives for six were a highlight. Finishing in the closing overs on 154, Ferrick notched up the third-highest individual score in the club’s history. Only Jono Addis’s 207 not out (v Pinkneys Green in 2010) and 201 (v Pinkneys Green in 2011) rank above him.
With a handy contribution from Justin Fredrickson (20) and Timperley finishing on 29 (for a third-wicket partnership of 126), the Strollers posted 234-5 and felt confident going into tea.
Unfortunately, the Strollers could not replicate their batting effort with the ball. The Maidenhead and Bray batsmen capitalised on the early-season inaccuracy and it soon became apparent that the run-rate was not an issue. The Strollers then focused on taking wickets. Simon Brodbeck and Captain Timperley gave a glimmer of hope, taking two wickets and four wickets respectively, but the batsmen could not be reeled in. Maidenhead and Bray claimed a well-deserved victory in the 36th over, finishing on 237-7.
The Strollers retired for a quiet beer in the clubhouse and reflected on a good game, if a disappointing defeat.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Hamish McDougall. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Jordans Taverners
Saturday May 9 at Seer Green
Strollers won by eight wickets
Taverners 156
(39.1 overs; Rice 3-36, Meadows 1-8, Logan 1-11, Crocker 1-14, Rory Wood 1-22, Simon Brodbeck 1-25)
Strollers 157-2
(23 overs; Rice 83no, Sam Brodbeck 35no, Fredrickson 23, Calvocoressi 13)
An early arrival at Seer Green meant an early visit to the Jolly Cricketers for some Strollers, only to find that one of the opposition team had opted for a game of golf instead of facing a visitors’ side boasting no less than three debutants: Nick Logan, Jack Meadows and David Rice. As the rest of the Strollers made their way outside the M25 they seemed to be chasing away the covering cloud to reveal a much needed warming sun, the perfect antidote to the bristling wind that was running across the moss coloured Seer Green pitch.
Captain for the day Sam Brodbeck ran a mini-inquisition of the new talent and quickly put them into bowl into solitary net at the ground. Seeing bowling promise, Sam decided that rolling the arm over first was the best course of action after winning the toss.
Warren Crocker, back from the infirmary with ten working digits, was put straight into action at one end, producing swing that would make bananas look straight. So prodigious was the swing and accuracy from Warren that the batsmen failed to get anywhere near the ball and he would have to wait until his second spell to notch up his first wicket of the season.
At the other end Rory Wood picked up his first victim of the season from his third ball, clean bowling Charlie Yolland for a duck. What followed was a succession of firsts - debutants Rice, Meadows and Logan all took their first Strollers wickets (Meadows claimed Steve Leybourne in his first over). Rice ripped through the middle order and it was left to Tim Sonnex to make a courageous 46 in the face of the Strollers attack. When Justin Fredrickson stumped Giovanni for 13 off Simon Brodbeck the innings was over with a total of 156 being reached.
At this stage Sam Brodbeck settled into his sandwiches and constructing his batting order. Sam went with two well-known Strollers - Fredrickson and George Calvocoressi - to open the batting. They were steadfast in the face of three maiden overs first up before they opened their account. Fredrickson pasted a few lovely boundaries and Calvocoressi played some classical shots to take the Strollers to 39. But the quick falling of both openers in successive overs induced a mild worry on the sidelines.
Rice and Sam Brodbeck arrived at the crease and quickly took the attack to the Taverners bowlers. Spirits were bolstered by this sure-footed batting performance in the middle and by club treasurer Tom Wood, who was visiting the ground where he made his debut in 2003.
Possibly buoyed by the appearance of the treasurer, Rice set out to impress and started clobbering the bowling, particularly taking a penchant for the long-on boundary. From there on it was plain sailing and the game was over at the end of the 23rd over with Sam Brodbeck on 35 not out and David Rice on 83 out (seven sixes and six fours). A good first win of the season for the Strollers and an exceptional debut from Rice with three wickets and 83 runs unbeaten.
Capt: Sam Brodbeck. Wkt: Justin Fredrickson. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Hadley Wood Green
Sunday May 10 at Botany Bay
Strollers won by seven wickets
Hadley Wood Green Sports 91
(38.3 overs; Duff 3-17, Hodgson 2-15, Tjasink 2-15, Fine 1-7, Macaulay 1-20)
Strollers 94-3
(18.2 overs; Tom Wood 48no, Swan 20, Ball 16no)
There was a late change in the fixtures as Berkhamsted surprisingly failed to muster a side and thanks to the efforts of fixtures supremo Simon Brodbeck a game against the very amicable Hadley Wood was arranged. To a man the Strollers responded to the change and were there at one o’clock sharp and were greeted with a fabulous clubhouse, great facilities and a billiard table of a pitch – however, it transpired that we were playing on a pitch just adjacent to the one in the view. Our pitch over the road was a slightly different proposition – a posse of Strollers assessed matters but the unanimous decision was that nobody quite knew how the pitch was going to play.
Captain Jono Addis considered the options – a good toss to lose, he surmised. He promptly lost and we were in the field. A 40-over format was agreed and with a sparkling array of bowling at his disposal, he elected to open with Jim Hodgson and Ryan Duff.
Both opening bowlers played to their strengths. A difficult early chance was put down and Rory Wood took a magnificent low “catch” in the gully but sportingly declared that the ball had bounced just before the catch was taken. Duff’s opening spell went unrewarded; his time was to come in the latter stages of the innings, whilst the niggardly Hodgson reeled off eight overs on the bounce. He had two top order lbws and returned impressive figures of 8-3-15-2.
Next up newcomer (and guess what – Kiwi!) Bart Fine, who had debuted at Bray. He bowled a quick five-over spell which went for only seven runs. He was also rewarded with a sharp catch by Alastair Macaulay, who took the catch above his head, looking into the sun.
Macaulay himself then got in on the bowling action and his eight overs went for a miserly 20 – he also picked up a wicket, bowled. Stephen Tjasink and Jack Meadows, whom we “stole” during a nets mix-up, completed the bowling line-up. Meadows bowled well but went unrewarded, his four overs just costing 10 runs and Tjasink picked up two wickets, one bowled and another catch from Fine, who just about clung on at the second attempt.
It was then left to the returning Duff (supported by the watching Sharon and his Mum and Dad, who have taken an extended two-month holiday) to take three quick wickets. Two were bowled and one caught courtesy of captain Addis. They should come to watch more often!
In between their top scorer Arqum Goraya was superbly run out by a direct hit from Rory Wood. Our hosts were all out for 91 and in truth, never really managed to up the run rate. The equal top scorer came from the “extras” column, although extras would have been a clear top scorer had it not been for a very good keeping performance by Tim Swan. The Strollers retired to tea pleased with the afternoon’s work thus far. A delicious tea was taken with the ginger cake getting particular mention (at least from this hack who had three pieces).
Addis and Rory Wood opened but both were soon back in the hutch – both uncharacteristically bowled playing around straight deliveries. Swan came in and hit a quick-fire 20, which included some textbook straight drives before he too was bowled.
Enter Tom Wood, who made his first appearance of the season and gave a lesson in the art of brutal hitting. He quickly smashed seven fours and two sixes to bring the game to a rapid conclusion; he was supported in part by Ball, whose role was reduced to watching the Wood cameo. Ball was to finish on 16 not out and the statisticians will note that he has an average of 78 in his last two innings – nose-bleed inducing stuff. In the end it was a comfortable victory by seven wickets.
We retired to the pavilion, thanked our convivial hosts for the game and enjoyed the rest of the evening sun. A special mention to Simon, who once again demonstrated mastery in the art of pulling a rabbit out of a hat – without him, there would have been no fixture this weekend, and for that we are eternally grateful.
Capt: Jono Addis. Wkt: Tim Swan. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Roehampton
Sunday May 17 in Putney
Strollers won by eight wickets
Roehampton 164-9 dec
(43.4 overs; Crocker 3-26, Fine 2-27, Samuel 1-8, Macaulay 1-11, Kelsey 1-19, Allsopp 1-30)
Strollers 168-2
(28 overs; Timperley 68, Swan 42no, Sam Brodbeck 30)
On a pleasant afternoon in one of London's leafier enclaves the usual gaggle of Strollers convened for the traditional pitch inspection. There were as many opinions on the track's likely character as there were people looking at it. In the event it had slightly less life in it than KP's England career.
Skipper James Timperley won the toss and opted to bowl, probably on the grounds that "we've got eight middle order batsmen who can bowl a bit" and chasing seemed the right thing to do.
Fortunately he also had Warren Crocker and Bart Fine to open proceedings and they promptly gave a masterclass in the slow strangulation of an innings. With virtually no help from the pitch they still managed to move the ball both ways and after 12 overs Roehampton were 29-3, Fine having removed one opener and Crocker the other, plus the No 3, all bowled. An optimistic Timperley was keeping a slip in place but less because he thought an edge would carry than because Evan Samuel, playing his first game since July 2011, was obviously incapable of moving at anything other than a hobble and therefore useless anywhere else.
Crocker was taken out of the attack (2-17 off six) and leggie David Kelsey brought on. It took him all of five balls to take a wicket in an encouraging maiden first over, finding plenty of turn. Crocker raced in to take the catch, which was to become the second-place winner in the day's Best Utterly Misjudged Catch competition.
At the other end Fine carried on, claiming his second (again bowled) before being given a well-earned rest (with 2-10 after eight niggardly overs) to be replaced by Alastair Macaulay, still seeking four wickets to reach his career 300 for the Strollers. He did not take a wicket until his 11th ball (tut!) - courtesy of Laurie Allsopp, who ran in, paused, dodged, moved one way and stuck out his hand the other to convincingly win the BUMC trophy. Macaulay would finish with figures of 5-0-11-1 with no boundaries conceded - superb work. Three wickets to go...will Hodgson get there first?
He was then replaced by Allsopp, who rewarded the skipper with a superb first over of spin leading to a catch off a leading edge by wicketkeeper Tim Swan on his way to figures of 5-0-30-1.
Kelsey (5-1-19-1 - "I've never bowled five overs before," he said - well, he'll bowl a few more now) was replaced by the shambling figure of Samuel, who finally managed to eke out a wicket in his fourth and final over (Quoth Macaulay: "The wilderness years are over!") of slow dross. Roehampton were 71-8 after 30 overs.
Then Roehampton's Peter Dandy (62no) and Joe Arnold (48) combined in a strong partnership of 93 as Timperley released some of the pressure, the innings finally being declared on 164-9 in the 44th over after Crocker (who gets faster when he's angry) returned and removed Arnold, bowled. A latish tea was declared perfectly splendid and the Strollers girded their loins for the chase.
In a time game it turned out that we would have only 30 overs to score the 165 needed to win. In the event, the Strollers only needed 28 of them.
Timperley and Sam Brodbeck weathered early accurate bowling from Arnold in particular, easing their way to 50 off 11 overs - a partnership notable for excellent running. Brodbeck hit five good boundaries in between practising the pop-up drive, which he finally perfected to be caught for 30. His more circumspect skipper was on 15 and trying to remember not to open the face and give catches to the cordon.
He was joined by Swan and the pair set about a measured partnership, at first just about keeping up with the required rate and not taking undue risks. As each found the pace of the pitch the boundaries began to flow: seven fours and four sixes for Timperley and six fours for Swan. With victory in sight JT was given lbw for a composed 68 in a partnership of 95, and Swan (42no), Jeff Ball (another six not out to boost his increasingly impressive average) and eight byes saw the Strollers home as the light began to fade.
The post-mortems were variously held in the Roehampton clubhouse and in the presence of the chairman at the Curry Mahal ...
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Tim Swan. Match fees: Laurie Allsopp.
Marlow Park
Sunday May 24 in Marlow
Strollers won by 33 runs
Strollers 226-7
(40 overs; Addis 58, Crocker 44no, Sam Brodbeck 37, Tom Wood 37, Swale 13, Calvocoressi 10)
Marlow Park 193-7
(40 overs; Macaulay 3-35, Duff 1-24, Sam Brodbeck 1-27, Crocker 1-36)
Marlow Park cricket club rather modestly describe their ground as “situated on the banks of the Thames in the attractive town of Marlow.” The well maintained pitch (“if you can’t score runs at Marlow, you can’t score them anywhere” stated the captain on inspection) also happens to sit in a natural bowl, overlooked by the Court Garden House (a delightful 18th century Georgian mansion steeped in local and Royal history) with trees on one side and the river a short distance away.
Ten Strollers dutifully made it to the ground on time, with the eleventh (David Kelsey), staying in North London to guard his car. Luckily for the Strollers, the opposition were also short of a player or two.
Captain Jono Addis won the toss, and, eyeing an increase to his average, elected to bat. Openers Eric Swale, making his debut for the season, and George Calvocoressi made their way to the middle and got things under way. In a lesson for those to come, they didn’t risk taking a quick single off the first ball against the arm of John Gibson, fielding for the opposition.
Four overs in and the openers had played a couple of lovely drives, in particular, one from George through the covers clattering into the base of the House. Both were getting excited but both were soon removed, misjudging left arm inswingers from Alex Head.
The two quick wickets brought Addis and Sam Brodbeck together, who immediately showed positive intent and lifted the run rate. During the 98-run partnership the only real chance for a wicket was when sub-fielder Ryan Duff nearly caught Addis easing through for a single (cue some tough words at the tea break, and lots of running from deep cover to midwicket in the next in innings for Duff). Highlight of the partnership was a scoop to deep backward square by Addis that AB de Villiers would have been proud of – with pure timing the ball flew over the pavilion and nearly broke the windscreen of the opening bowler’s late model Audi.
Against the run of play, Addis was adjudged lbw (58) to the off-spin of Barlow, and Brodbeck, seeing his partner back in the hutch, played a glorious cover drive straight into the hands of Woodward at short extra (37).
Once again, two quick wickets had fallen, and a new partnership needed to be established. After a couple of lusty blows from Gibson, Tom Wood (sporting a beard that wouldn’t look out of place behind a Chemex brewer or Hario Dripper in Shoreditch) and Warren Crocker established themselves. Quick running between the wickets interspersed with boundaries moved the partnership along quickly. The pair however had not heeded the warning from earlier in the innings and Wood was promptly run out with assistance from Gibson for 37. Duff scored a couple of boundaries, and Alastair Macaulay gave the strike to Crocker to do the same, as the Strollers finished their 40-over innings on 226.
Tea as usual, was delicious, the sandwiches and Battenburg cakes were fantastic.
Refreshed, the Strollers took the field. Crocker, opening from the Thames end, made an immediate impact, having Woodward caught by Swale in the covers for a duck. Duff at the other end was also miserly, tying White, the other opener, in knots. Lombard at number three had fewer difficulties scoring, and the Strollers were forced into a holding pattern; a spread field for Lombard and a tight one for White.
The field placements would have been grand, but for the outfield catching of the Strollers: three dropped chances to Swale (one fingertips at full reach on the boundary and two full-length “dives” (if a Swale falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it fall, does it make a noise?) and one taken chance by Duff (unfortunately back-pedalling over the boundary in the process). Eventually, however, the pressure told, and the Strollers ran out White for seven. His partner by this stage had reached the sixties. Luckily for the Strollers, Duff returned and had Lombard leg before for a fine 71.
With the departure of Lombard, the required rate was rapidly increasing. Macaulay came to the bowling crease, and, with three wickets required to become the fourth member of the 300 club, promptly ran through the Marlow Park middle order, finishing with 3-35 off his eight overs.
The Brodbecks (father and son) bowled some tight and aggressive lines at the other end; Brodbeck (young) getting a wicket thanks to a fine slip catch from Calvocoressi. As the sun went down behind the trees, the game reached its conclusion, with Marlow Park finishing on 193 in their allotted overs. The Strollers retired to the pavilion for a pint of Rebellion and to savour the victory.
Thanks must go to Mike Barlow, chairman of Marlow Park, who, in addition to keeping score and organising the fixture also kept any nearby antipodeans appraised of the score in the Test match…
Capt and wkt: Jono Addis. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Thames Valley
Thursday May 28 in Sunbury
Strollers won by 29 runs
Strollers 152-5
(20 overs; Salvesen 35no, Swale 34no, Selby 26no, Leach 21, Oliver 11no)
Thames Valley 123-5
(20 overs; Herath 2-19, Oliver 1-13, Selby 1-13, Salvesen 1-40)
The midweek Strollers emerged from their winter hibernation for the traditional season opener against Thames Valley at the Spelthorne Sports Club in Sunbury. Following the even more traditional game of "find the man with the key to the gate to the ground", skipper Richie Stubbs elected to bat.
Jeff Ball, Keith Shannon and John Gibson all fell to variable bounce at the Water Treatment Works end and Sudip Ray was out to a fine catch low down at mid-off. But Tom Salvesen, Eric Swale, Aidan Selby, Spencer Leach and Glen Oliver held the middle order together and the Strollers reached a competitive 152-5 at the end of their 20 overs.
Graham Doggett opened Thames Valley's innings in his usual swashbuckling fashion, smashing good balls to all corners of the ground, with one enormous six even landing on the central reservation of the A308 Staines Road West. But tight bowling from Salvesen, Selby, Raj Herath, Oliver and Stubbs, some neat keeping by Leach, and sharp fielding by all Strollers limited the batting side's scoring opportunities.
The later-than-planned start to the match meant that Thames Valley’s innings closed in darkening and increasingly chilly conditions on 123-5, 29 runs short of the target. The victorious Strollers were glad of the warm hospitality offered by their generous Thames Valley hosts in the shelter of the clubhouse patio. Special mention must be made of the Battenberg cake...which must surely be the reason why some of Thames Valley's younger players appear to have grown about six inches since last season.
The midweek Strollers look forward to facing Thames Valley again at Spelthorne on Tuesday 14 July.
Capt and match fees: Richie Stubbs. Wkt: Spencer Leach.
Ivanhoe
Saturday May 30 in South Mimms
Strollers won by six wickets
Ivanhoe 170-8
(40 overs; Fine 3-34, Thanushan 1-8, Duff 1-10, Stubbs 1-34, Macaulay 1-40)
Strollers 174-4
(37.5 overs; Swale 59no, Thanushan 53, Crocker 21no, Fredrickson 19, Duff 16)
Sunshine was accompanied by a brisk breeze as the Strollers arrived at South Mimms for their maiden fixture against Ivanhoe. It proved some feat to assemble the team; legend has it that match manager and captain Rory Wood sent in excess of 200 emails to ensure a full XI. Three Strollers were guided to their destination by the well-spoken but rather depressed GPS in Simon Brodbeck’s new chariot.
Skipper Wood, upon examining the pitch, drolly remarked that the pitch was “green but not green, flat but not flat”. Pitch conditions aside, the Strollers were brimming with bowling talent and so, upon winning the toss, Wood elected to bowl.
It was a solid start from both Warren Crocker and Bart Fine, who tied down the Ivanhoe openers. Fine struck first, the beneficiary of a sharp piece of fielding from Dan Thanushan, who took an excellent catch at gully. Fine again had Thanushan to thank when he took another good catch off the first ball of his next over, putting Fine on an unfortunately unconverted hat-trick. Those two wickets brought Richard Parnell (one of four Parnells playing for Ivanhoe) to the crease. Richard wasted no time before he advanced down the wicket and began to plunder the Strollers bowlers.
The introduction of Alastair Macaulay had Richard Parnell licking his lips but he was unable to get hold of the wily veteran. A few tight overs from Richie Stubbs and Macaulay meant that something had to give and Parnell was eventually bowled by Stubbs. Despite Simon Brodbeck reducing the runs to a trickle from his end (five overs at the cost of eight runs), Ivanhoe were still ticking along nicely with Bob Collins acting as lynchpin. However, after the fast scoring Phil Parnell was smartly stumped by Justin Frederickson off the bowling of Thanushan and good spells were bowled by Ryan Duff, Bart and Crocker, the Ivanhoe innings did not quite end with the bang it could have – finishing on 170. It was very solid fielding effort by the Strollers and Captain Wood led by example, sprinting for every ball.
It was a watchful start by Justin Fredrickson and Wood. After Wood was unfortunately out early in his innings, Eric Swale then strode in with a point to, silently, prove - having being chided for his loquaciousness in the slips earlier on in the day. After hitting a few idiosyncratic boundaries a dehydrated Fredrickson, perhaps suffering from his sleepover at Paul Dorrans’ house the night before, was bowled and Thanushan joined Swale at the crease.
Dan and Eric then put on a profitable and eye-catching stand, with Swale playing handsomely down the ground and Thanushan peppering the boundary. After Thanushan was bowled for 53, the required rate was five and the game was poised. However, Duff and his new unstickered bat (sponsors get in fast) quickly put paid to that with some robust hitting. Following Duff’s dismissal, Crocker then arrived to hit some useful boundaries and along with Swale, the anchor of the innings, they comfortably sailed past the target of 171 with 13 balls to spare.
It was an excellent weekend debut for Thanushan, who took three catches, returned figures of 2-0-8-1 and scored 53. Swale’s half-century was his first for the Strollers and, allegedly, ever.
After the match the Strollers joined Ivanhoe for a drink to celebrate a fine day’s cricket and it was agreed the fixture will be repeated.
Capt: Rory Wood. Wkt: Justin Fredrickson. Match fees: Ryan Duff.
Bricklayers Arms
Thursday June 4 in Wandsworth Park
Strollers won by 111 runs
Strollers 210-0
(20 overs; Ferrick 103no, Loan 82no)
Bricklayers Arms 99-6
(20 overs; Stubbs 2-9, Troughton 1-7, Held 1-16, Thanushan 1-16, Selby 1-22)
The midweek Strollers played their second fixture of the season against old friends from the Bricklayer’s Arms in Putney. Eight changes were made from the previous week with Sean Held and Nick Waring making their Strollers debut. Unlike the other midweek matches, the retirement rule was not played in this fixture.
On a glorious, sunny evening next to the Thames in Putney, captain Tom Wood won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat. Sam Ferrick and Mike Loan opened the batting and quickly set to work. Bart Fine, guesting for the Bricklayers, opened the bowling with a good spell but was despatched to the boundary by Ferrick and Loan at a rate of eight runs per over. His colleagues, also bowling from the Wandsworth end due to the low sun at the Putney end of the ground, went for even more. The bowlers changed but the punishment did not and the 100 came up in the eleventh over. Ferrick continued to smash the ball to the boundary with three sixes and 14 fours while Loan hit some graceful late cuts that raced away across a very dry outfield, eventually scoring 11 fours.
Nasser Kiyingi, the pick of the Bricklayers bowlers, thought he had made a breakthrough by clipping Loan's off stump but it was declared a no-ball. Ferrick retired on 103, allowing Waring to come in for the last two overs, while Loan finished on 82 not out.
Facing a massive target of 211, the Bricklayers’ openers tried some aggressive stroke-making against the tight opening bowling of Sean Held and Aidan Selby. Yogi Patel hit three boundaries before being bowled by Held. Dan Thanushan came on and bowled Lewis Caley before Selby picked up his wicket by bowling Greg Tremain.
Fine, next in for the Bricklayers, thumped a couple of boundaries before lofting the ball to Selby at mid-on to give Christian Troughton a wicket. Mike Knowles bowled an over before Richie Stubbs (a last minute call-up for the game) came on with a double wicket maiden, picking up Bricklayers opener Lewis Blunn, well caught by Troughton at point, and Mike Grant, caught by Held at extra cover. A very tidy spell from Waring wrapped up the Bricklayers' innings and the players retired to the pub. It didn't take many beers to convince our old friend Chris Locke to play the retirement rule in future, starting with the return fixture on 4th August!
Capt and match fees: Tom Wood. Wkt: Spencer Leach.
Arkley
Saturday June 6 in Whetstone
Strollers won by seven wickets
Arkley 187-7 dec
(44 overs; Kelsey 3-45, Dorrans 1-12, Thomas 1-15, Simon Brodbeck 1-16, Crocker 1-22)
Strollers 190-3
(36.2 overs; Loan 58, Timperley 52no, Addis 41, McDougall 16no)
Whetstone, where once travellers would stop to sharpen their blades in preparation for meeting highwaymen along the Great North Road, was the scene where the Strollers, armed with bat and ball, happened upon a clearing. Enclosed by North London suburbia, this was the ground where once, in a more golden age, the England football team prepared for their 1966 World Cup victory.
The early June sky was bright, and the winds were blowing the spring-time clouds on their final passage, but history did not weigh heavily on the Strollers.
Greetings were extended to Sue, the mother of James Timperley, and to Helen, mother of Piers Ovenden. Green must have been the hearts of the opposition at the sight such distinguished support for the Strollers, but the pitch was not of unequal hue. After losing the toss the Strollers were put in the field. This was to be a timed game, and so the Strollers had to make quick work of an opposition on a slow pitch.
Warren Crocker and Paul Dorrans opened the bowling and at first met an unforgiving pitch, but the first breakthrough came when Arkley’s No1 was caught by Matt Thomas from a well-pitched ball from Dorrans. Soon after, Arkley’s No3 had both his middle and off-stump dislodged by Crocker. Invigorated by his catch, Mr Thomas took the ball. A short ball resulted in a lofted shot to mid-off by Mr Rakesh Sheth. As the Strollers gazed upon its ascent, cries of “Mine! Mine” echoed around the ground. What treasures had been so vociferously claimed? Answers were put to rest when the ball landed in the hands of Warren ‘Mine’ Crocker, as the innings of Arkey’s No4 came to an end.
Arkley’s middle order then settled in. The white-helmeted Mr Ben Candy began to dispatch balls through the off-side field to good effect as Arkley’s run rate climbed. The Strollers welcomed Mr Ovenden to the attack, back from injury (had he travelled alone on the Great North Road?), and also the lofted leg spin of Mr David Kelsey. Almost tempted by the flight, Arkley’s No 2 was caught at cover.
Not long after, an aesthetic innings of 65 was brought to a close as the quick hands of Mr Hamish McDougall stumped Mr Candy as he stepped down the pitch to a ball that spun past his outside edge. Mr Candy, to his credit, walked. The next wicket came as the hard-hitting No 7 played a leg break spinning clearly wide straight into the hands of cover. Mr Kelsey finished his spell with 3-45. Mr Simon Brodbeck claimed the final wicket before tea, the batsman playing a leading edge skyward to be eventually caught after some confusion by Mr McDougall.
187 was the score to beat. But first, tea. Delightful brownies and a victoria sponge were wolfed down by a Strollers team anxious to get the job done in time. In first at the crease: Mr Jono Addis and Mr Mike Loan. The Strollers openers put up impressive scores to see off Arkley’s openers. Mr Addis hit seven boundaries to reach a score of 41 before being bowled. In came the steady hands of Mr Timperley. Mr Loan hit an exciting 58 which consisted of six fours and a six, before being stumped for 58. The return of Mr Ovenden saw three quick singles before he was caught for three. Mr McDougal came to finish the innings, not without boundaries himself (two fours off just six balls) as the Strollers,with just three down, reached their target. Mr Timperley (52 not out, six fours, one six) and Mr McDougall carried their bats to the pavilion to end a successful chase with ample time to spare.
No need to sharpen weapons, danger was averted on the Great North Road with a steady display with both bat and ball. Thanks to Arkley for their hospitality and the magnificent tea. And thanks to the Arkley’s club president Mr Mervyn Lack for providing the scores.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Hamish McDougall. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Warfield
Sunday June 7 in Warfield
Strollers won by two wickets
Warfield 136
(Allsopp 3-38, Samuel 2-7, Meadows 2-29, Macaulay 2-32, Ovenden 1-2)
Strollers 137-8
(Ovenden 35, Samuel 23no, Swan 19, Hilton-Dennis 15)
June had turned up the flames for this fixture, sending a handful of early Strollers to the Plough and Harrow over the road for some pre-match stiffeners. With everyone finally gathered, skipper Piers Ovenden announced in laconic manner that he had lost the toss over a pitch with plenty of bounce. Earlier he had confessed to being out-sledged in 2012 by a 15-year-old Warfielder, who, while umpiring at square-leg, had declared quite innocently how much he was looking forward to their first win of the season. Only a triumph for the Strollers today, Piers remarked, would heal the lingering trauma.
The Warfield openers were looking composed under the contrasting pace attack of Jack Meadows and Evan Samuel, but it was the latter who prompted a hesitant prod into Matt Hilton-Dennis’s awaiting hands; and it wasn’t long before Meadows got lofted dreamily into the air to be caught down the throat of Alastair Macaulay at mid-wicket.
The Strollers had struck and continued in economical fashion to keep the run rate down through a mixture of tight bowling and heroic efforts in the field, notably Sam Brodbeck behind the stumps, boundary-saving running from John Gibson and a very fine instinctive catch by Tom Wood at slip. Warfield’s middle-order proved resistant to Hilton-Dennis’s left-arm spin and radical reinterpretation of the lbw rule, but were eventually caught off-guard by sly deliveries courtesy of Macaulay and Laurie Allsopp – the Warfield innings coming to a close with a neat caught and bowled by the captain, who had generously reserved his energies for the tail.
After tea, the Strollers began the chase with promising stroke play from Tim Swan and Jeff Ball, but like their counterparts in the England side a top order wobble suddenly put the result in doubt. It was left to the captain, supported by Brodbeck, to steady the ship with crisp drives off the front foot: an elegant innings rudely cut short by a stumping off the slower ball leading to Ovenden’s quietly seething return to the clubhouse.
But by this time the Strollers had found their mettle, epitomised by the triumphant return of Evan Samuel – after no less than four years away from the game – who put bitter memories of Switzerland 2011 behind him and led the rearguard action here at Warfield.
Accompanying him at the crease, Allsopp carved out a useful handful, Hilton-Dennis struck a maximum and Meadows descended from on high to block out the low and the straight. Even so it was a nervy ending with the Strollers needing a dozen runs off the last four overs with only two wickets remaining. Samuel held firm, however, and the tension finally broke when the ball beat both batsman and wicketkeeper and trundled down to the boundary for four byes and a Strollers victory in the late evening sunshine.
Later, as the team loitered with ales in the outfield, their shadows lengthening over the scene of the day’s play, captain Ovenden took a discreet sip and put the past behind him.
Capt: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Sam Brodbeck. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Wandsworth Planners
Wednesday June 10 in Wandsworth Park
Strollers won by five wickets
Wandsworth Planners 130-8
(20 overs; Stubbs 2-12, Rice 2-15, Allsopp 1-8, Tjasink 1-11, Herath 1-28)
Strollers 134-5
(17.4 overs; Ovenden 30no, Leach 24, Loan 23, Hilton-Dennis 20no)
We arrived at Wandsworth Park for our midweek game against Wandsworth Planners to find the sun shining, but also the wind blowing strongly off the river. The outfield was populated by sunbathers, picnickers and a fly-fisherman but they soon dispersed when it became obvious that we were about to start a game. Wandsworth Planners won the toss and chose to bat first on a wicket that had more than a hint of green to it. Given the sun's position near the horizon and the pitch's east-west orientation, all overs were to be bowled from one end to prevent the batsmen having to stare directly into the setting sun.
Amar Mahadeva opened the bowling for the Strollers and the nature of the pitch soon became obvious, with a couple of balls rearing up sharply off the surface. Landsberg and Gruppen-Hall opened for the Planners and survived the first over, but Gruppen-Hall fell without scoring in the second over, caught at mid-on off the bowling of David Rice. Matt Hilton-Dennis took the catch and was the only fielder without a cap or sun-hat, which made it a difficult catch to take in the circumstances. Landsberg eventually fell bowled by Rice for 18.
The Planners brought some stability to their innings with Shaw and Drummond at the crease. The outfield was surprisingly quick given its unkempt appearance in parts, which gave good value for any well-struck shots. Once Shaw and Drummond had had to retire at 30, wickets started to fall at regular intervals, starting when Raj Herath had Dodgson caught by Rice. Captain Tom Wood rotated his bowlers in two-over spells through the middle period, with Stephen Tjasink bowling Canning and Piers Ovenden and Hilton-Dennis bowling tidy spells but unlucky not to pick up wickets. Richie Stubbs and Laurie Allsopp both bowled some very miserly overs at the death, with Stubbs picking up the wickets of Spurgen and the returning Shaw during his three overs for only 12 runs and Allsopp having Oates caught. With a run-out to complete the innings, Planners posted 130.
Aware of the demons in the wicket, Wood and Mike Loan opened for the Strollers. Wood fell for five early on, caught off the bowling of Canning. This brought Spencer Leach to the crease and he kept up with the scoring rate required until trapped leg before by Indy for 24. Ovenden picked up where he had left off and he and Loan almost compiled a 50 partnership before Loan was bowled by Oates for 23.
Rice fell shortly after for four, leg before to a ball that did not bounce at all and shot through, and Mahaveda added two before being bowled by Jamie. When Ovenden's very well compiled innings came to an end with his compulsory retirement at 30, the Strollers were well within striking range of the total. With Herath not out on eight and Hilton-Dennis not out on 20 having struck a number of boundaries, they kept up the scoring pace and brought the Strollers over the line with more than four overs and five wickets to spare.
In the end, it was a good all-round performance by the Strollers whose batsmen coped with the variations of the pitch better than the Planners and never let the run-rate get ahead of them, overhauling the total with plenty of time to spare.
Capt and match fees: Tom Wood. Wkt: Spencer Leach.
West Chiltington
Sunday June 14 in West Chiltington
Strollers won by 62 runs
Strollers 287-4
(40 overs; Ferrick 147, Fredrickson 37, Sam Brodbeck 29, Addis 25, Swan 24no)
West Chiltington 225
(39.5 overs; Ovenden 4-45, Simon Brodbeck 3-47, Timperley 1-27, Fine 1-41, Swan 1-50)
Positive, aggressive cricket: it’s the modern way. So says every cricket scribe in the land, especially when Brendon McCullum smashes the ball into the stands or stacks the slips cordon.
Had the Strollers selectors bought into the media hype? The team for West Chiltington certainly looked customised for the run-gorged era. No less than eight of the XI had scored 100s for the Club, collectively boasting 38 centuries (including two double hundreds), 174 half-centuries and over 32,000 runs.
So unsurprisingly, the Fleet Street Galaticos assembled in West Sussex in a positive mindset. “It’s the strongest batting line-up ever,” said one. “Yes, but cricket isn’t played on paper,” responded Captain James Timperley. He was correct; even Fleet Street’s finest are forced to play on grass, and when the coin fell the wrong way the skipper found his team inserted on a hard, green wicket facing a sharp bowling attack.
Plenty of balls beat the bat early and a couple of chances were missed, but openers Justin Frederickson (37) and Jono Addis (25) kept the ship steady. Both departed just before drinks, at which point the score was an old fashioned 79-2 after 20 overs.
The burgeoning crowd in the lovely West Chiltington pavilion included a broken-thumbed Mike Morgan, a delightful young Bethany Addis and the cynophobic Oonagh Wood. They may have thought the bluster about a positive mindset was overblown; that steady accumulation, building an innings, playing the ball on its merits and other such clichés were still de rigueur.
Sam Ferrick was about to prove them wrong, smashing 15 fours and 9 sixes on his way to 147, a second consecutive century for the Strollers. The club record for most sixes in an innings stands at 10, and a share would have been Sam’s had he not broken a £400 bat, with the hit from the cracked willow caught a mere metre inside the boundary. During the onslaught there was able support from Sam Brodbeck (29) and Tim Swan (24no). Timperley finished unbeaten on two, which hasn’t happened since he batted 11 for Onslow CC in Wellington around the turn of the century.
So the last 20 overs of the Strollers innings had yielded 208. This may have stunned an opposition of yesteryear, but not in 2015. West Chiltington set off at a cracking pace, with Charlie Reeves and Mick Armstrong going at 10 an over. Bart Fine swung the ball around corners without luck but it was skipper Timperley who took the vital wicket of Armstrong, who chipped up to cover. West Chiltington, like last year, fought valiantly throughout. Piers Ovenden, with a career-best 4-45, secured the match towards the end with some vital wickets.
The last man was smartly caught by Tom Wood, who had been enthusiastic all day. His fielding position was, of course, the omnipresent slip. It ended a match played aggressively but in a fine spirit, with the Strollers retaining the Marshall Cup. Some commentators have described Brendon McCullum’s approach as contagious. On the evidence of this match, the Strollers have caught the bug.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Hamish McDougall. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Chelsea Cobblers
Wednesday June 17 in Tooting
Strollers won by nine wickets
The Chelsea Cobblers 64
(15.3 overs; Ovenden 3-14, Stubbs 2-2, Salvesen 1-12, Oliver 1-8)
Strollers 65-1
(13.1 overs; Ross 28no, Low 26no)
The midweek Strollers maintained their 100% winning record for this season by overcoming the Chelsea Cobblers at Tooting's delightfully named Fishponds Road Playing Fields.
Shortish boundaries posed no problem for the Strollers in the field, as fine bowling from Tom Salvesen, Piers Ovenden, Aidan Selby, Glen Oliver, Nick Logan, and skipper Richie Stubbs, plus good catches from Ovenden, Stubbs and the Strollers' tallest ever wicket keeper Eric Swale saw the Cobblers fall to 64 all out.
In reply, Keith Shannon's eagerness to push the score on to ensure that adequate time would be available for everyone to enjoy the beer garden of the excellent local gastropub The Selkirk saw him somehow run himself out for a single that was never ever there. But firm hitting of the pink ball from John Low and Kim Ross, even against some high quality guest bowling by Dan Thanushan, saw the Strollers home by nine wickets and with more than six overs to spare.
And so to the pub with our convivial opponents to discuss today's popular Tooting agenda of gentrification, craft beers, and ODI par scores. What on earth would Wolfie Smith have thought of it all?
Capt and match fees: Richie Stubbs. Wkt: Eric Swale.
Kempsford
Saturday June 20 in Kempsford
Match drawn
Strollers 284-2 dec
(35.4 overs; Tom Wood 133, Timperley 92no, McDougall 37)
Kempsford 171-5
(48 overs; Macaulay 3-53, Crocker 2-12)
The heavy rain that had been forecast for the previous two days thankfully failed to materialise so the match started promptly at 1.30pm as scheduled. Skipper James Timperley lost the toss and was asked to bat in a time game. Hamish McDougall and Tom Wood strode out onto the picturesque ground and made a decent start against the accurate medium pace of Anthony Axel-Berg and leg-spinning S Francis. They put on 62 for the first wicket before Hamish, advancing down the track to Francis, got one that turned and was stumped.
James joined Tom in the middle and the pair proceeded to demolish the home attack in a display similar to the aggressive batting in most of the England v NZ ODI series. Talk on the boundary was of heavy bats, flat tracks and short boundaries, similar to much talk on the same issues in the England camp. Oblivious to these discussions the Strollers pair cantered on past their 100, 150 and 200 partnership markers. Many boundaries were struck and many twos run, some even called by Tom. Such were his athletic efforts that perspiration dissolved his first pair of batting gloves and saturated his second pair, leading to an unprecedented third pair being required in a single innings. Some say the fielding side requested he wore dry gloves after one lusty pull shot saw the ball fly to the boundary and the bat towards midwicket.
As Tom notched up a run-a-ball century James reached his 50, then accelerated dramatically with a series of huge sixes that got the home side disappearing into the hedge to the retrieve the ball and Maggie to reach for the record books to check the second-wicket record. It stood at 237, and remains at that for now as when Tom finally holed out for a magnificent 133 the pair had put on 222. James selflessly declared with himself on 92 not out and the total an impressive 284-2 off 35.4 overs. Once Tom had caught his breath for his tea interview he said: “After I’d got to 40 I thought I was going to die.”
Credit must go to Kempsford too who didn’t let their heads drop in the field, played in good spirits and served up a delicious tea, including excellent scones with strawberry jam.
Warren Crocker and Piers Ovenden opened the bowling and kept things very tight, particularly Warren whose first five overs went for no runs and one wicket. Having had plenty of time to assess the wicket, James replaced the pace of Piers with the slow spin of Alastair Macaulay. This was a good move as Alastair was the most potent of all the many Strollers bowlers used, returning figures of 3-52 off 13 overs. In a neat moment of cricketing symmetry Hamish stumped Ashley Tranter, the Kempsford keeper, and at 72-4 things were looking good. But that was as good as it got, as despite the best efforts of many Strollers, the pair of J Deamon and Mark Strange could not be winkled out and put on 99 for the next wicket. Deamon scored a fine 106* and Strange, in a supporting role, 22. When Strange was eventually bowled by Warren the incoming batsman only had to keep out the final three balls of the match.
Slightly deflated, the Strollers retired to The George for a refreshing drink and a pleasant chat with the friendly Kempsford side before heading to The Green Dragon for a splendid dinner.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Hamish McDougall.
Cricklade
Saturday June 11 in Cricklade
Strollers won by 151 runs
Strollers 237-3
(40 overs; Sam Brodbeck 68no, Ovenden 43no, Hodgson 37, McDougall 32)
Cricklade 86
(30.4 overs; Crocker 3-14, Ovenden 2-2, Simon Brodbeck 2-26, Patston 2-29, Macaulay 1-3)
In 1821, reformist pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, William Cobbett, had this to say in his ‘Rural Rides’: “I passed through that villainous hole Cricklade about two hours ago, and certainly a more rascally looking place I never set my eyes on. The labourers look very poor; dwellings little better than pigbeds and their food nearly equal to that of a pig.”
This weekend’s Strollers who enjoyed their own rural ride in the Cotswolds no doubt contained within their number some reformists, a pamphleteer or two, and even the odd journalist (although no farmer comes to mind, despite the occasional agricultural element in Tom Wood's mighty assault on Kempsford the previous day). All would agree that Cobbett’s description does not hold true today. A charming town, bedecked with the flowers of early summer, Cricklade was easy on the eye with not a pig in sight. And the tea was splendid. Clearly the town has been transformed.
Cobbett would surely have written differently had he been able to enjoy the Cricklade Annual Festival which was in full swing when the Strollers arrived. You could listen to the town brass band giving it some, buy trinkets and cuddly toys, replenish your James Patterson collection from the second-hand book stall or buy that DVD of “Extras” that you always wanted. All manner of beverage was for sale. You could tune in to the bluesy troubadour on the edge of the festival (although not too many did). There were a few people dressed up in green, pursuing some extra-terrestrial theme, but no-one looked rascally.
As with Cricklade, great change has occurred in Strollers’ cricket. Echoing the national team, Strollers on tour have embraced a new radical “hit ’n’ giggle” style, importing the razzmatazz of IPL T20 into the longer game. With ‘We Will Rock You,’ and ‘All Right Now’ wafting over from the festival, all it needed was for a troupe of WAGS to throw some shapes when boundaries were hit to complete the transition.
Following the example of Wood and James Timperley from the day before, the main exponent of Kriket Nu-Brand was Sam Brodbeck, playing with style and power, and with a smile. True, there may be some Old School Strollers to whom playing with a smile is as alien as wearing either a long-sleeve inner skin under a sleeveless sweater, or a baseball cap, but it does seem that we are at a tipping point towards individual self-expression and enjoyment. “Good Grief,” you hear Old Schoolers exclaim. Yet, contrarily, Old School reasserted itself when Peter Patston was sent packing to fetch his cap, his sun hat not conforming to the team ethic that captain Piers Ovenden was keen to enforce.
Pies won the toss and chose to bat. He paired Hamish McDougall with the left-field choice of Jim Hodgson. As Finn shrewdly observed: “Piers might have made a mistake there.” No pressure then. Neither player felt completely at ease in making runs on a slow wicket with low bounce against erratic bowling, but Hodgson started to find his feet, spurred on by the encouragement of Finn - “Jim, get on with it!” He duly did, reaching 37 before being adjudged lbw. Hamish scored 32 but was a little off-key, like his singing of the previous evening.
With both openers gone for 87, a third-wicket partnership between Nu-brand and Old School, godson and godfather, Sam Brodbeck and Brian Taylor, produced 54 runs in nine overs. Whereas the latter announced his arrival at the wicket with a lunging forward defensive, which had umpire Wood purring in appreciation, Sam started with a sumptuous off-drive and proceeded to have little difficulty in reaching the boundary. His running between wickets kept everyone on their toes, as he seemed to be keen on running out the older man in the manner of Botham running out Boycott.
At the fall of the third wicket, Piers strode to the wicket, having just completed a set of pre-batting exercises. (He also does a pre-bowling routine, and an after-match session completes his vigorous regime. Truly, for a man approaching 40 – but still with blond locks flowing and a hint of gel at the side temples – Piers sets an example which fellow Strollers would do well to follow. But I digress). The last 10 overs produced a stand of 96, with Sam hitting several boundaries and Piers launching a straight six into the stream which is the beginning of the River Thames.
Strollers ended on 237, with Sam not out on 68. Second highest scorer was Extras (no need for the DVD, then) on 48, closely followed by Piers on 43.
In reply, Cricklade never threatened to reach their target. A largely young and inexperienced side, they were undone by the wiles of Simon Brodbeck (2-26) and Alastair Macaulay (1-3), and the pace of Warren Crocker (3-14). Peter Patston, in his first long bowl of the season, picked up 2-29 in seven overs. A ninth-wicket partnership doubled the score to 86, which spurred the captain to do a few warm-up stretches and wrap up the innings with 2-1 in his first over.
We ended the tour in the beer garden behind the Red Lion. The evening sun was shining. The opposition had been hospitable. A good time had been had by all. Thanks to the organisers.
Capt: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Hamish McDougall.
Tilburg Regents
Thursday June 25 in Dulwich
Strollers won by three wickets
Tilburg Regents 130-7
(20 overs; Macaulay 2-20, Ovenden 1-9, Tjasink 1-14, Herath 1-17, Allsopp 1-22)
Strollers 132-7
(19.3 overs; Herath 27no, Tjasink 26no, Troughton 22, Leach 20no)
A new fixture, a new ground on a sunny Thursday evening. What more could a Stroller want? Perhaps more entry points into the Dulwich Sports Ground would be the answer. Reminiscent of a leaky faucet, Strollers arrived at the venue with a collective knowledge of the surrounding area that could make Google quiver: Belair House, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich College...
Greeting the Strollers were the Tilburg Regents (TR). A interesting name you say. Thankfully the Strollers' historical archivist in tenure, Simon Brodbeck, discovered that TR is in actual fact a football team, who bought their first strip from Tilburg FC in the Netherlands. They then played their first season in Regents Park.
Taking the field with eight Strollers (and two TR) at the start of the match meant that Captain Tom Wood was stretched for resources from the get go. Against the opening attack of Christian Troughton and Stephen Tjasink, TR put the pedal to the floor with some 'new style' cricket. Taking full advantage of the lightning fast outfield and giving very few chances the Strollers were soon on the end of 42-1 after five overs.
Wood then introduced Raj Herath, who nailed down one end with three tidy overs with the game at 71-2 after 10 - a platform that worried some Strollers, but not Captain Wood. Richie Stubbs, Alastair Macaulay and Laurie Allsopp expertly pulled matters back, bowling 10 overs between them for a miserly 21 runs. They were backed up well by the 10-man Strollers, who walked off facing 131 to win. It should also be noted that three golden ducks were taken by the Strollers during a spirited bowling effort.
Piers Ovenden and Captain Wood walked out to the middle, but walked almost as quickly back, followed by Spencer Leach and Rory Wood, leaving the Strollers’ batting in disarray at 33-4 after five overs. Despair was aplenty but, seemingly oblivious to this, Troughton and Herath found the boundary regularly as the bowling started to lose its quality. When Troughton departed for a resilient 22, Tjasink quickly picked up where he left off, finding the boundary at will. With Herath retiring for 25 the lower order was exposed, but it managed to hang around long enough to see Tjasink get to 25 and retire. So all 10 Strollers had gone, no more batting...
...until a previous conversation between the two captains was remembered. With only 10 men the Strollers were invited to field their lowest-scoring batsmen. This (to the glee of the Strollers) was Leach, who had left for a golden duck. A new hope!
With the best TR bowlers having filled their allotment of overs, Leach was able to knock up a quickfire 20 off a few overs and was supported by a steadfast Allsopp. The two were able to see the Strollers home with four balls to spare. A great match - that featured more emotions than the New Zealand tourists’ series - was had by all, and will surely be well enjoyed next year.
Capt: Tom Wood. Wkt: Spencer Leach. Match fees: Richie Stubbs.
Peppard
Sunday June 28 in Peppard
Strollers won by seven wickets
Peppard 108
(30.3 overs; Fine 4-17, Stubbs 3-33, Hodgson 1-7, Simon Brodbeck 1-13, Macaulay 1-18)
Strollers 109-3
(21.4 overs; Ovenden 46no, Timperley 28no, Swan 15)
The Sunday Kites of the newly amalgamated Peppard Stoke Rowe CC have had a glorious start to their 2015 season, the one blip being a chastening experience at the hands of Harpsden CC. A narrative then, that is familiar to the Strollers and readers of this munificent organ.
Despite some morning rain the pitch was hard and true thanks to the club covers. Nonetheless, with the lingering humidity, it was a crucial toss to win for Captain James Timperley. He had no hesitation in inviting our hosts to bat.
From the pavilion end Bart Fine and then Richie Stubbs demolished the Kites’ line-up with the help of Alastair Macaulay, who held on to two screamers at square leg, and Simon Brodbeck, who took a sound catch at mid-on. Fine, admired from the boundary by his supporter, generated swing, bounce and carry to defeat the top four. In a sign of his creeping anglicisation he apologised for his performance. At the other end, Warren Crocker, Jim Hodgson, Macaulay and Brodbeck restrained the Kites. Crocker was particularly unlucky not to pick up any wickets. Some clean takes by Tim Swan impressed all. Hodgson, in a metronomic mood, took the one wicket needed to reach 300 for the Strollers, with the help of a backpedalling Rory Wood at point. Though he didn’t look it, Hodgson confirmed that yes, anyone else getting to 300 wickets will be bloody tired.
With the sun now shining through the clouds and a good tea under their elasticated waist bands, Piers Ovenden and Evan Samuel started the Strollers’ chase. Samuel and then Hodgson were defeated by the wicket, the ball coming back down the slope into the stumps. A typically stylish Swan knock was cut short by one that swung back into the pads and crowned him. Timperley punished some occasional leg-spin to get the Strollers across the line in quick time. His reward was to be accused of complicity in jug avoidance. Ovenden stubbornly refused to reach the half-century mark in a distinctly non-nu-krikkit, and some might say pleasingly old fashioned (or just fashioned), approach to his innings.
On what was now a lovely summer evening, the Strollers retired to the Unicorn to celebrate a fine landmark for Hodgson with the jubilant High Wycombe crew. Well done Jim!
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Tim Swan. Match fees: Jim Hodgson.
Parrys Whippets
Thursday July 2 in Teddington
Strollers won by 19 runs
Strollers 154-4
(20 overs; Leach 50no, Low 46, Swale 17no, Vipu 13no, Tom Wood 10)
Parrys Whippets 135-8
(20 overs; Selby 3-26, Rauf 2-19, Stubbs 1-33, Vipu 1-39)
Our long-time midweek opponents play on the old Imperial College grounds at Teddington, a large acreage sadly threatened with being sold off for housing following various college amalgamations and accompanying internecine academic warfare. However this dire prospect did not deter the teams as they gathered for what was to be an incident-packed match on a classic summer evening.
Strollers skipper Tom Wood having duly done his duty by winning the toss and electing to bat, openers Justin Fredrickson and John Low got off to a steady start but it was with the advent of Spencer Leach after the first wicket that the run rate began to accelerate as he took advantage of the bounce to dispatch the ball to all parts of the boundary, involving fielders in many lengthy ball retrievals from the nether regions of the various outlying pitches. The highlight came from a hit which neatly hurdled the hedge defending the multi-windowed pavilion and produced the highly satisfying tinkle of broken glass from the kitchen window.
Low, in contrasting style, flicked and nudged the ball away, his boundaries mainly coming from balls that, equally frustratingly for the fielders, rolled gently just over the perimeter rope. With 84 coming off the first 10 overs, the pair kept pace with each other until Leach’s compulsory retirement at 50 - 44 of which had come from boundaries - and Low’ s dismissal when a thumping off-drive that looked like achieving a rare 50 was plucked out of mid-air by a leaping mid-off.
Eric Swale continued the fine work with a couple of boundaries and a good few of his customary long-legged singles and with contributions from Nick Waring, Wood and young recruited-on-the-day Vipu, (who bats beautifully despite a disabling and disfiguring cricket injury to his left hand), the Strollers had a competitive total of 154.
The Whippets’ openers responded solidly but the scoring rate was kept contained by nagging bowling from Rauf (also a late recruit on the day) and Aidan Selby. Wickets fell steadily with five between the two of them, aided by a rather un-Stroller-like four catches in a row, including a headlong diving grass-high one from Waring. However his departure from the field with a hand injury from a subsequent cover drive meant there were gaps in the field and the sixth-wicket partnership of Sumo and JC profited with a surge of runs that threatened to take the game away from the Strollers.
Things were looking grim with the deposition by JC of a short delivery from Richie Stubbs onto the pavilion roof but the very next ball, an even shorter one which was due the same treatment, somehow evaded the bat and got the wicket.
This started the turnaround, with Vipu adding to his all-round performance; having held one of the aforementioned catches, he also bowled top scorer Sumo (37) and then, ignoring universal shouts of ‘wicketkeeper!’, ran out the bamboozled Whippets’ No 8 Taylor, with a direct hit at the bowler’s end all the way from fine leg. This pretty much ended any realistic run chase for the Whippets, who ended on 138-8.
As a footnote, this was the second Strollers’ evening match attended by John Low’s neighbour Len Jewell, who was 100 in April and has a rich fund of stories about Tooting life over that time. He was a keen batsman and wicket keeper until giving up the game at the early age (by Strollers standards) of 59 and wants to come and watch as many games as possible (“It gets me out of the house of an evening”). He has watched two good victories so let’s hope we can do the hat-trick for him this Thursday on his old stomping ground at Wandsworth Common.
Capt and match fees: Tom Wood. Wkt: Spencer Leach.
Demijohns
Sunday July 5 at Pinkneys Green
Strollers lost by 79 runs
Demijohns 309-4
(40 overs; Duff 3-63, Fine 1-67)
Strollers 230-9
(40 overs; Addis 73, Fine 28, Sam Brodbeck 23, Hodgson 23, Swale 14, Macaulay 12no, Crocker 11)
As you can see, the Strollers lost this game heavily after conceding the second-highest total in the club’s history. So rather than dwell upon the whys and wherefores, your scribe humbly suggests time will be more enjoyably spent reliving – in joyous detail – five boundaries scored off one Demijohns bowler.
He Who Must Not Be Named arrived sheepishly at a humid Pinkneys Green almost as if he would rather go unnoticed. But he found his voice when summoned by his new team. “I didn’t realise we were playing football”, he scoffed, as heroic Stroller batsmen ran leg byes hard, battling to stay in the match.
And while he picked up two wickets in a bowling spell displaying control rarely seen in Strollers’ colours, the crowd cheered as Jono Addis drove and cut him to the boundary, Sam Brodbeck slapped him over his head, John Low spanked him first ball and Warren Crocker cashed in.
Before these brief glimmers of fun, the Strollers were subjected to a battery normally delivered by the likes of Sam Ferrick or, in yesteryear, Marc Friday.
Despite looking scratchy in the first few overs, opener Tom Parsons soon settled down and plundered 140 before falling to a fine Eric Swale catch. After he departed the magnificently-bearded Ed Wilman scored 86 not out with some astonishingly clean hits out of the ground. Ryan Duff was the pick of the bowlers, snaring three wickets while Demijohns cut lose.
In reply, there was hope while Captain Addis remained at the crease. But canny bowling and a rising run rate ensured victory was always a distant dream. Jim Hodgson, Bart Fine and Alastair Macaulay refused to give up and exacted some pay- back for Demijohns’ mammoth score. Fine’s enormous six over long-on, two roads and a ditch, drew applause from both sides.
The Strollers look forward to settling the score next year but it remains unclear whether Piers (for it was he) will make the long boat journey from New Zealand. An urgent appeal has already been launched – revenge is a priority.
Capt and wkt: Jono Addis. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
L J Clark
Thursday July 9 on Wandsworth Common
Strollers won by three wickets
L J Clark 127-8
(20 overs; Oliver 3-7, Ray 2-16, Rauf 2-24, Selby 1-31)
Strollers 128-7
(16.5 overs; Low 31no, Selby 21, Rauf 16)
This is what midweek Strolling is all about. Perfect summer evening weather. Friendly and familiar opposition accompanied by a sizeable supporters club. Chairman Kimball Bailey in attendance. A close match in which everyone contributed. Followed by refreshments in The County Arms, one of the best pubs in south London.
LJ Clark won the toss and chose to bat, declining Richie Stubbs' pink ball in favour of the traditional red. Their two openers got off to a blistering start, scoring 47 runs off the first four overs before a change of bowling saw Glen Oliver send the middle stump flying high with his first ball.
The run rate slowed after that, with skipper Tom Wood mixing up the attack with pace and spin to unsettle the LJ Clark middle order. Wickets fell too, with Oliver, Aidan Selby, Hakeem Rauf, and Sudip Ray all having success with the ball. A fine catch by John Gibson and an extraordinary diving stop and run-out by Ray were also highlights of what was an impressive Strollers fielding performance.
LJ Clark closed on 127-8. A competitive total, but perhaps 20-or-so runs less that they might have hoped.
The Strollers began the chase with Wood opening with in-form John Low. Debutant Niall McNevin came in for Wood sooner than expected and did well against some quickish bowling in fading light, but it was not until Keith Shannon came in to partner Low that the runs really began to flow, with 23 (albeit most of them extras) coming off the ninth over and putting the Strollers in command. Low eventually retired on 31 not out, pushing his midweek average for the season to over 100. A series of boundaries from Steven Tjasink, Rauf and Ray saw the Strollers home with three and a bit overs and three wickets to spare.
So the midweek Strollers retain their 100% record for the season, unbeaten even by the striking London Underground workers.
Capt: Tom Wood,.Wkt: Hakim Rauf/Aidan Selby.
Substitute Fielder and Scorer: Harry Ray. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Bank of England
Saturday July 11 at Pinkneys Green
Strollers lost by one wicket
Strollers 194
(39.3 overs; Ovenden 66, Crocker 30, Addis 22)
Bank of England 197-9
(43.4 overs; Crocker 3-61, Ovenden 2-19, Logan 2-27, Calvocoressi 1-14, Macaulay 1-15)
The Strollers returned to Pinkneys Green after the drubbing by the Demijohns the previous week. The opponents this time were the Bank of England IVs, who stepped in when Fulmer, our original opponents, pulled out. Piers Ovenden felt that he should really have been playing for his employers but two weeks in a row of Ovenden in opposition would have raised questions about his Stroller loyalty. We made him skipper so that seemed to do the trick.
Piers won the toss and decided to bat (generally the best decision on a hot day or indeed any day). Also one of our opening bowlers, Paul Dorrans, had further enhanced his tardy reputation by choosing the North Circular over the M25 and arrived some time after the start.
Mike Loan and Dan Thanushan made slow progress in the first few overs, particularly against Nag. Skipper Kendall had pulled up after only two balls with the recurrence of a back injury and was replaced by Croker. In the fifth over Thanushan was bowled by an excellent delivery by Nag. Loan and Jono Addis consolidated the innings until Kosky lured Addis into clipping the ball to midwicket for only 29. Loan was then promptly lbw to Nag and the Strollers were not looking too healthy at 56-3.
Rory Wood and Ovenden then put on 31 before Rory was also lured into a catch by Kosky for 12. George Calvocoressi was caught and bowled by spinner Eddels for three. Ovenden and Warren Crocker then set about increasing the run rate, with Warren playing his normal role of middle order enforcer. Suddenly ones became twos but the acceleration was brought to a premature end when Warren skied one to Eddels off his own bowling for 31 out of a partnership of 42 (including one six). On a pitch which was not very threatening the Strollers kept finding ways of getting out (mainly caught).
Piers then started opening up, determined that the Strollers should have at least 200 to defend. He passed 50 and was eventually caught off Nag at deep mid-off for 66. Wickets also fell at the other end mostly now to Nag, who had returned for a second spell. Dorrans was the last wicket to fall in the over before tea and the Strollers were somewhat under par at 194. Nag finished with a fine 6-51. At no point was it tempting to mention his nagging length.
After the usual splendid tea provided by Cathy Snapes, the Strollers set out to defend the total. Bank had 90 minutes plus 20 overs on a ground with a fast outfield and short boundaries.
Pierse was lbw to Crocker in the first over but another breakthrough was slow in coming despite good bowling from Crocker and Dorrans. Left-hander Adey was content to play the anchor role as first Broughton and then Austin moved the score along briskly. Broughton was caught behind off Crocker and Austin bowled by Alastair Macaulay. Bank were looking pretty secure though, and well up with the required rate. Adey and Chapman pushed on until Nick Logan had Chapman caught by Crocker diving forward at mid-off. At 120-4 the Strollers had an opening, which looked even more promising when Logan also dismissed Adey to a catch.by Ovenden.
Piers then went into full funky captaincy mode, giving David Kelsey one over and then George Calvocoressi who took a wicket (bowled) with his first ball, which was an absolute beauty. The Bank’s danger man in the lower order turned out to be Eddels and he took 11 runs off the rest of the over. Crocker was summoned back and another inspired bowling change saw Piers turning to Piers, who bowled Kosky with his first ball. Warren and Piers picked up another wicket each as the runs continued to flow. The ninth wicket fell for 181, leaving the Bank 17 to win.
The field was spread but still Eddels was finding gaps. The 11th man was their unfortunate skipper, who had a runner. He kept the good balls out as Eddels nudged the Bank to victory. With two needed he edged Piers to first slip where Calvocoressi could not hang on and the ball sped to the boundary.
So, in summary, a good game between two well-matched sides. The Strollers needed at least 220 on that pitch as we saw last week and the Bank batted all the way down and caught everything that came their way.
Historical note:
Nick Logan spoke to his grandfather during the week before the game and he revealed that he had played at Pinkneys Green during the war as an evacuee from East Ham. He must have been a handy player as he opened the batting and bowling and skippered the side, much as Piers has done on occasion. Seventy-five years later N Logan claimed 7-1-25-2 and seven runs.
Thanks once again to Pinkneys Green for their hospitality and especially to Cathy Snapes for the teas.
Capt and match fees: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Jono Addis.
Prestcold
Sunday July 12 at Binfield Heath
Match abandoned
Strollers 175-4
(27 overs; Sam Brodbeck 48no, Oliver 47no, Swale 39, Ferrick 16)
A typical English summer day greeted the Strollers as they rocked up to Prestcold: cold, cloudy, windy with a feel that rain was not far away. Undeterred, the team got stuck into their warm-ups which predominantly consisted of discussions and happiness over the recent drubbing of the Aussies in the first Ashes Test the previous day. Also highly discussed was the unusual sight of a tree that proudly stood on the ground and the pros and cons of having a 12th fielder that conceded two runs every time it was hit. After it was pointed out that some Strollers give away four runs every time the ball is hit at them, it was deemed to be a positive.
After James Timperley won the toss and elected to bat, the two openers, Eric Swale and Sam Ferrick, confidently marched out to the middle. With the new ball swinging and moving off the pitch, a solid and circumspect start was made. Some crisp boundaries were struck by Ferrick (4, 4, 4, 4) while Swale (1, 1, 1, 1) was accumulating the singles in what looked a bit like a Brendon McCullum/John Wright batting partnership. After Ferrick was caught in the covers for 16 playing a loose drive, Swale took over the run scoring with some beautifully timed shots.
Timperley took on the supporting role by working some singles and despite being dropped by first slip looked fairly comfortable until he was out lbw for three. As poor Ryan Duff raised his finger sending the captain on his way, the stare he received confirmed that he would no doubt be batting No 11 and fielding at third man for the remainder of the game.
Sam Brodbeck and Swale then put on a good partnership of 50 with Swale dominating the scoring but just as Swale was looking to cut loose he flicked a full ball off his pad to square leg to be out for 39.
Jim Hodgson (1) came and went very quickly which brought debutant Glen Oliver, another good Kiwi boy, to the crease. After taking one delivery to get his eye in, he then dispatched his second ball over the long-on boundary, thankfully just clearing the parked cars, to set the tone for his innings. Anything short, or full, or basically just bowled, was put away with Glen racing through to 46 in quick time. Sam was as solid as usual, playing a range of shots which included a five as well as taking a chunk of bark off the 12th man tree which he couldn’t have hit more dead centre if he tried.
Unfortunately the rain had started to drizzle and after a few overs got heavier. Glen faced the last ball on 46 but, no doubt playing for his Strollers average, just worked a single to be left 47 not out while Sam was left on 48 not out, no doubt rueing the two runs the tree prevented him from reaching his half-century. So with an unbroken 83- run partnership and the Strollers in a good position at 175-4 off 27 overs, they were forced from the field.
An early - and splendid - tea was taken with more interest now in the Wimbledon final than the constant rain outside. When the rain did clear after an hour or so, the pitch was waterlogged so the game was called off. As the Strollers were saying their goodbyes the heavens decided to fully open up and drench everyone before reaching their cars to cap off a very wet and unfortunately doomed attempt to play cricket.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Sam Brodbeck. Match fees: Ryan Duff.
Thames Valley
Tuesday July 14 in Spelthorne
Strollers won by 68 runs
Strollers 163-4
(18 overs; Selby 27no, Oliver 27no, Tom Wood 25no, McNevin 25no, Herath 15no, Gibson 10)
Thames Valley 95-6
(18 overs; Salvesen 2-28, Oliver 1-2, Herath 1-4, James Stubbs 1-6)
The eighth Strollers midweek match of the season saw a return to Sunbury to play Thames Valley for a second time. After a 20-minute delay due to a set of locked gates at the ground, the captains agreed to an 18-over-a-side game with retirements at 25 and a pink ball. Tom Wood won the toss and chose to bat.
Wood opened the batting with John Low and found his old form with four boundaries on his way to a retirement at 25 off 12 balls. Low was unable to maintain his great run, being bowled for seven. Aidan Selby and John Gibson were next in and continued the high scoring rate with Selby retiring on 27 and Gibson being caught and bowled for 10 attempting his third boundary.
As it started to drizzle, Niall McNevin (25*) held up one end while Matthew Hilton-Dennis and 12-year-old James Stubbs were both bowled. This brought Glen Oliver to the crease and he too retired for 27 after facing 11 balls. Raj Herath (15*) and Tom Salvesen (8*) picked up some more useful runs to bring the Strollers up to 163-4 off their 18 overs.
It was still drizzling at the start of the Thames Valley innings. Salvesen and Richie Stubbs opened for the Strollers with Salvesen picking up two wickets (both bowled) including the key one of Ian Doggett for six. Sharp fielding by Herath saw the useful-looking Cieran Lewis run out for 14 before he picked up a wicket himself when Oliver took a catch at mid-on.
Hilton-Dennis and Oliver came on for the next few overs as the rain abated. Oliver bowled the next batsman to finish with very tidy figures of 3-1-2-1. Finally, captain Wood threw the ball to James Stubbs, who picked up his first Strollers wicket with the last ball of the 18th over to much celebration from the fielding side as Thames Valley finished on 95-6.
Capt: Tom Wood. Wkt: Aidan Selby. Match Fees: Richie Stubbs.
Tadworth
Sunday July 19 at Tadworth
Strollers lost by four wickets
Strollers 134
(33.3 overs; Elton 45, Samuel 18, Wood 11)
Tadworth 136-6
(31 overs; Crocker 2-12, Elton 2-34, Samuel 1-14, Simon Brodbeck 1-21)
A perfect day for cricket ... sun shining, classic location, and a rampant visiting team racing to a thoroughly deserved and indeed crushing victory.
Meanwhile, at Tadworth, the Strollers weren't doing quite as well as Australia (though markedly better than England).
Pre-match conversation in the car driven by skipper Tom Wood centred around the composition of a team somewhat weakened by both the Lord's Test and the Paul Dorrans stag do - with particular reference to the complete absence of a specialist 'keeper, a thin batting line-up and the potential roles of two new players (Tom Elton, another from the Kiwi production line, and James [son of Richie] Stubbs, 12 years and 178 days old, bidding to be the Strollers' youngest debutant). Should we bat? Bowl? Stay inside and watch England get man-shamed?
In the event, the toss was lost and Tadworth's young skipper Mike Kirkham put us in. Wood strode to the crease accompanied by Jeff Ball, to face Kirkham - a lively and accurate swing bowler - and spinner James Robinson; some eight balls and 11 runs later (including five overthrows) he strode back, well held by the keeper after a possibly unwise early cut shot.
He was replaced by Evan Samuel (in his 150th game for the club - not an excessive number after 25 years in harness), proving that the "thin" in the batting referred to the talent, not the size. He proceeded to do not very much extremely slowly as first Ball and then John Gibson succumbed rapidly to Robinson (who would finish with an excellent 3-24 off eight).
Enter Elton, a strongly built gentleman who had previously declared he was "not a No11 but more like an eight or nine, bowl a bit of medium pace". Wood correctly interpreted this as Kiwi-speak for "I'm ideal for 3, 4 or 5 and really, really like to hit the ball hard" and pencilled him in to open the bowling, as well.
Elton proceeded to flay the youthful Tadworth attack to all parts as Samuel continued his well-known impersonation of a particularly somnolent tortoise. Unfortunately, having hit 45 with 10 fours he finally went for one wide one too many and spooned up a catch gratefully taken behind point, departing with the score 76-4 (roughly - there are some gaps in the scorebook).
Enter Warren Crocker: two fours, catching practice to second slip, depart Crocker. Enter Ryan Duff; raise bat, watch first ball hit middle stump, depart Duff, chuntering.
Veteran Simon Brodbeck weathered the hat-trick ball (a no ball, as it turned out) and then settled in to defend. With Samuel that meant there were 121 years of experience at the crease. With Samuel's knees, 240. Alas, it was not enough and after hitting two fours, helping a partnership of 20 (extras did well) Brodbeck was bowled off his pads. 109-7.
Steve Tjasink joined Samuel, who by this stage had actually put down roots. This showed in his lack of speed as he was run out by Kirkham at the theoretically non-danger end attempting a second. James Stubbs played a nice pull shot for two - extremely close to being four - before being given run out and his father Richie joined Tjasink to help add 14 and take the total to 134.
Tea was its normal excellent standard - Tadworth never disappoints in that regard - and enlivened by Andy Murray's excellence in the Davis Cup and England's collapse at the home of cricket.
Crocker was given the gloves for the first 12 overs as Duff and Elton opened the attack. Unfortunately the opening salvos came mainly from the bat, as short and wide deliveries were smashed around the park. Our total looked extremely vulnerable. But both bowlers regrouped, managing to slow the punishment, and as Elton found his rhythm after three years out of the game he showed both pace and movement - and was rewarded with the wickets of young opener Lachlan Coyle, well held by Ball, and No3 Jatin Karia, comprehensively bowled.
After 12 overs Crocker handed the pads to Stubbs Snr and proceeded to give his usual masterclass in seam and swing, removing dangerous opener Charlie Conway (giving Stubbs his first dismissal as keeper) and bowling No4 John Mears - finishing with 2-12 off six, and it could have been four. Suddenly, the Strollers were in with a chance.
Brodbeck had taken over from Elton and took a nonchalant caught and bowled on his way to 1-21 from eight. Alas, Tjasink, replacing Crocker, was treated harshly in his two overs; Samuel replaced him and had Will Ireland brilliantly caught by Stubbs. But that, unfortunately, was that.
Kirkham came to the crease and, one scare aside as the ball fell between fielders, calmly slapped Samuel's 12th ball over his head for six to give Tadworth the win by four wickets. In the end, another 20 runs might have been enough ... but then maybe not.
What had looked like being a pretty poor game had turned out well. Tadworth, as ever, were genial hosts and the setting is a delight.
And Australia won. Did I mention that?
Capt and match fees: Tom Wood. Wkt: Warren Crocker/Richie Stubbs.
Westminster
Thursday July 23 on Wandsworth Common
Strollers won by 63 runs
Strollers 161-7
(20 overs; Dan Thanushan 28no, Leach 27no, Rice 26no, Low 24)
Westminster 138
(20 overs; Dan Thanushan 3-27, Allsopp 2-23, Rice 1-12, Rory Wood 1-17)
Middlesex may have been playing Surrey at Lord’s, but the most entertaining Twenty20 match in London on Thursday night was undoubtedly on Wandsworth Common, where the Strollers midweek machine rolled on to make it nine from nine with a convincing 63-run victory over Westminster.
Skipper Rory Wood won the toss and batted, and Aidan Selby and David Rice opened up. Selby tucked in quickly with nine off the opening two overs before getting bowled by a swinging delivery from Clyde Besler, whose movement in the air and off the wicket made him by far the pick of the Westminster attack. He bowled Mike Knowles as well, and it was his removal from the attack that let the Strollers hit top gear.
Rice hit two fours and two sixes on his way to 26, making good use of the short legside boundary, while Spencer Leach played another exemplary innings to add to his 50 against Parry’s Whippets and match-winning golden duck against Tilburg Regents. Of his 27 runs, 26 came in boundaries as the Strollers passed 100 in only 10 overs.
Another Strollers batsman who was intent in dealing in boundaries was John Low, whose midweek average this season has at stages tickled three figures. With the green patches on the pitch causing the occasional delivery to leap up, Low was patient in waiting for the full ball to drive. He was eventually caught on 24, giving Besler a third wicket. Dan Thanushan, meanwhile, stroked his way to 28, getting off the mark with a single after Leach’s retirement then flicking the ball over midwicket for his first of five boundaries, including two sixes.
With 18 overs gone, the Strollers were on 148 as Westminster managed to put the brakes on the innings. Arun Thanushan, Dan’s brother and the answerer of a late SOS call from match manager John Gibson, was dismissed by an acrobatic slip catch, and skipper Rory Wood was unfortunate in picking out midwicket while thumping the ball to leg. Besler claimed his five-for by bowling Allsopp, and finished with 6-9 after getting James Stubbs out caught in the final over, leaving the Strollers on 161.
Richie Stubbs eagerly unwrapped a pink ball as the clouds darkened, attracting the attention of a few passing moths as it gleamed in the dusk. It also let the Westminster openers get off to a good start, with wickets and chances initially proving hard to come by. No 2 bat Sizeland retired on 25, then Rice finally made a breakthrough with the opener Powell on 24. From then on there was a regular fall of wickets as the run-rate climbed for Westminster.
Dan Thanushan calmly took a high catch off Wood’s bowling at long-off, then Allsopp claimed two in an over, one stumped and one bowled as the batsmen sallied forth on ill-fated forays down the track. Dan Thanushan’s left-arm spin took three wickets, with Leach making another stumping as the batsman was tricked by the flight.
More than 30 runs were required off the final two overs. James Stubbs, rapidly gaining a reputation as a death-bowler, sent down some perfect line and length during the 19th and would not have conceded any fours had it not been for a fielding error on the boundary. We shan’t name the culprit, but sources said that James was allowed to stay up late that night and got an extra helping of pudding. Arun Thanushan’s pace proved unplayable in the final over and the Strollers skipped off the field with two more fixtures to go in pursuit of the clean sweep.
Capt and match fees: Rory Wood. Wkt: Spencer Leach.
Commons Old Boys
Wednesday July 29 on Wandsworth Common
Strollers won by six wickets
Common Old Boys 135-4
(18 overs; Ovenden 2-22, Herath 1-24)
Strollers 138-4
(17.4 overs; Loan 27no, Garside 25no, Mahadeva 25no ,Ovnden 17no, Duff 10)
The delayed arrival of one set of stumps meant the game was reduced from 20 overs to 18 per side. Colourful umbrellas and a fence paling were used at the non-striker's end.
Parsimonious Ryan Duff (3-0-12-0) and Rajan Herath (4-0-24-1) kept a lid on the COBs' scoring. Piers Ovenden picked up a couple of lbw decisions courtesy of our gracious hosts... their hospitality repaid by a smart run-out effected by Rory Wood and Mike Loan, keeping wicket.
Loan, Amar Mahadeva and Tom Garside all retired on passing 25 in a thrilling chase. John Low was run out in bizarre circumstances for 1. The QE was politely deployed in the direction of umpire Herath.
Duff cleared long-off and Stephan Joseph and Herath punched boundaries to bring the scores level after 17 overs. Ovenden built the tension a little but finally made contact with the ball to win the match.
One midweek game to go, on August 4, for a crack at becoming The Invincibles. Bring on the Bricklayers!
Capt and match fees: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Mike Loan.
Central Brittany Sat
Saturday August 1 in Silfiac
Strollers lost by six wickets
Strollers 177-7
(35 overs; Ovenden 43no, Taylor 39, McDougall 24, Duff 15, Ball 14, Tom Wood 10)
Central Brittany 179-4
(25 overs; Duff 1-15, Hodgson 1-24, Macaulay 1-28)
The Fleet Street High Command had prepared the invasion plans for months, poring over maps and selecting their best men for the job. A Patston advance foray assembled valuable reconnaissance. Cemeteries were located, troops were given uniforms to help pass incognito and advisories were dispensed on how many times to kiss les filles de Bretagne. It seemed no detail was left to chance.
On D-Day, 31 July, the invasion came by sea, by air, by rail and by road. The Addis family tunnelled under the ocean, with Bethany disappointed by the lack of fish and lobsters to be seen in the murky depths. Others came via Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches. A visit to the town of Sainte Marie Eglise gave a glimpse into what can go wrong, with a hapless paratrooper dangling from a church steeple. Down the road at Bayeux an Englishman clutched at an arrow in his eye. ‘Hubris is the enemy,’ such portents seemed to say. If only the Strollers had taken heed.
Instead, they assembled in Silfiac a confident lot. The hangovers felt manageable, the boundaries looked small and the weather was set fair. Captain Piers Ovenden won the toss and batted. A sizeable total seemed on the cards, especially when openers Brian Taylor and Hamish McDougall roared off at 10s from the first three overs. But a muddling batting performance followed, and only the skipper’s 43 not out and some lusty late hitting from Jeff Ball and Ryan Duff (including a straight six) salvaged 177 from 35 overs.
Still the Strollers began their bowling efforts with confidence. The pitch had a certain je ne sais quoi, although no one could quite put their finger on it. The bowlers struggled to put the ball on it too, as they were dispatched to all parts by Madu Bala, who scored a brilliant hundred before promptly retiring amidst rapturous applause. A lamentable bowling effort saw the total hauled in off only 25 overs, four wickets down.
Central Brittany were gracious in victory, putting on a lovely BBQ and plenty of beer. Bala was rightly recognised for his fine hundred with a Strollers tour shirt, and Maggie Patston earned cheers all round for wielding the coloured pencils for the 600th time, a magnificent achievement.
The Strollers retired to base in Pontivy suitably chastened at losing to a superior side. It was among the carefully laid-out streets of the Napoleonic military town that they began to question what had gone wrong. At le Bob Pub, over a Calvados or two, it dawned that the pitch’s je ne sais quoi may have been a result of errant measurement. Sure enough, in true French-style, it had been drawn at 22 metres instead of 22 yards. No wonder the bowlers struggled for to find a length. La vengeance de Napoléon! Old Boney would have smirked at the metric system undoing the English invaders in such a way.
The only consolation, as the night wore on, was plentiful knee squeezes by Brian Taylor and the knowledge that tomorrow was another day. And another pitch, hopefully not quite as long.
Capt: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Hamish McDougall.
Central Brittany Sun
Sunday August 2 in Silfiac
Strollers won by eight wickets
Central Brittany 123-10
(35 overs; Ovenden 4-26, Simon Brodbeck 3-24, Macaulay 2-22, Patston 1-7)
Strollers 126-2
(20 overs; Addis 81no, McDougall 34)
It was a somewhat sobering Saturday evening following our earlier thrashing. We settled on a creperie aptly named the “belle epoque”; a new era was being called for and in a startling comparison to the famous series of ’81, captain Piers Ovenden stepped down to be replaced by Brian Taylor in a replica of Botham and Brearley.
Both pondered long and hard about how to yield a turnaround a la Headingly: Tom vowed to go easy on the red wine; Jim and Jo decided that positive powers may have lain in the nearby menhirs whilst Simon celebrated 29 years of marriage with a slightly stronger orange squash than usual. The rest of the strolling party hit the local calvados until the 2am curfew, imposed by Taylor, was immaculately adhered to.
And so we woke bright and early to another perfect cricket day – breakfast was taken, followed by coffee at the strangely named “Le Cul de Poule” which fortunately had nothing on the menu that its name suggested (translation available on request – it certainly amused young Finlay, who is still thinking about how to tell his French teacher when he returns to school) before making our way to the ground.
We were further boosted on arrival to discover that we were playing 12 a side and we had been loaned Madu Bala, the centurion from Saturday, who had been the scourge of the bowlers 24 hours earlier. We also then learned that the pitch on the previous day had been measured out at 23 yards and not the usual 22. The short-pitched bowling was thus rapidly explained away although the high number of full tosses was strangely not up for discussion.
Taylor walked out for the toss, with a view to batting again if we were to win – unfortunately he followed his politics and opted for the republican tail rather than the regal head – tails landed face up and we were ushered into the field for a 35-over game with 11 players on the pitch, and a 12th being rotated every five overs (respite for the numerous injuries on show) – a quick huddle (a Taylor invention) and away we went.
We had been warned on Saturday that the Sunday side would be stronger and that the opener Biswal was someone whom we needed to get out quickly. Piers, free from the shackles of captaincy, ran in like a man possessed and the fourth ball of the innings induced an uppish cut which was well snaffled by Addis at deep point. Pies bowled unchanged for seven overs, bowling a superb, hostile spell of accurate bowling which ripped through the top order – he finished with 4-26, and was well supported by the metronome that is Jim Hodgson who went wicketless but exerted scoreboard pressure, his miserly spell yielding just nine runs (although that was nine too many for Fin, who expressed disappointment at the figures).
Alastair Macaulay and Simon Brodbeck were next up and both continued where the opening pair had left off, bowling with guile and accuracy. Simon’s first ball turned no less than a foot to bowl the dangerous captain Snelling and he was then assisted in the field by catches from Bala and Ryan Duff. Macaulay’s spell yielded two catches from Jeff Ball and Hamish McDougall. Both bowlers were to finish with figures of 3-24 and 2-22 respectively.
With the Strollers well on top in the opening exchanges, it was club president Low who took the game on for Central Brittany with a well compiled 41 – he was ably supported by Piran and Cox to take CBCC to a total of 123 off their allotted 35 overs. Low was finally lured into one shot too many by Patston and the catch was taken by Bala. Duff, Patston and Bala all bowled tight spells, returning 0-7, 1-7 and 0-13 respectively. The Strollers reached the halfway point with a renewed enthusiasm for the game and the sandwiches would have tasted good to captain Taylor, who had marshalled the troops superbly.
After a delicious lunch prepared by Mrs Snelling (celebrating a 17th wedding anniversary with a monster of a hangover), Jono Addis and McDougall went out to bat; Jono under strict instructions by Caroline and Bethany not to be out there too long so that Bethany could get her afternoon nap; and started off at a lick, punishing anything short or wide and scoring at around eight runs an over. They both played beautifully for a chanceless hour until with 88 on the board, McDougall on 34 was bowled attempting to hook. Addis reached his half-century and continued to finish not out on 81. Wood sportingly walked when caught by the wicket keeper although there was no appeal from the fielding side. Ball joined Addis for the last rites and the win was duly completed in the 19th over when Jono smashed one final six. The Strollers won by eight wickets, with 15 overs to spare – a comprehensive reversal from 24 hours previously.
We retired to the pavilion to enjoy the setting sun and beers with our convivial hosts – speeches were made on the performance of the day as well as the celebrations of anniversaries of the Snellings and the Brodbecks – we toasted their good fortunes, as well as two splendid days of cricket, new-found friends, and a desire to return to CBCC in the near future. We bade farewell before heading into Pontivy for one final dinner where further presentations were made to Maggie for her 600th scoring appearance, and the weekend was sweetened as news filtered through of the domestic 11 winning well at Amersham Hill. It was a good tour, which will hopefully be repeated in the coming seasons.
Capt: Brian Taylor. Wkt: Hamish McDougall.
Amersham Hill
Sunday August 2 in Amersham
Strollers won by 163 runs
Strollers 311-5
(40 overs; Timperley 139, Swale 54, Oliver 52no)
Amersham Hill 148
(32.5 overs; Loan 3-14, Fine 3-15, Selby 2-18, Oliver 1-1, Aurora 1-31)
With the Strollers’ celebrities sunning themselves in Brittany, an assortment of colonials met at the delightfully bucolic village of Amersham on a stunning August day. The ground was well manicured, the pitch was in fantastic condition (“one of the best”, claimed one) and all was set for good day. There had been concern during the week that the Ride London event would cause havoc to travel plans, but all Strollers were present and correct when captain James Timperley (Wellington) lost the toss and Amersham Hill chose to field.
Eric Swale (Canterbury) and Tim Swan (Otago) strode out to open the innings as the rest of the team settled into the comfortable deck chairs. It was a conservative start with Amersham Hill’s opening bowlers Christopher Tucker and Rahul Mall bowling straight with challenging lengths. Tucker’s left-arm seamers proved particularly hard to get away and his first spell was a very tidy 5-2-7-0. Swan drove Mall back down the ground, tried to repeat the shot to the next ball and had his stumps rearranged.
Timperley joined Swale and they combined to put together the partnership of the match that put the Strollers in a position of dominance they would not relinquish. After seeing off the opening bowlers, they went about collecting runs firstly in well run ones and twos and then, once settled, collected multiple boundaries. Balls overpitched or short were dispatched, as anything that bet the inner circle raced through to the rope on the quick outfield. The advertising hoarding on the northern boundary provided a pleasing “thwack” as well hit balls smacked into it.
Timperley brought up his 50 and Swale followed closely after the drinks break. Quick running, including a well run four, kept the pressure on the fielders but, as the mercury pushed into the high twenties, this took its toll as Swale was bowled by a full pitched delivery from Anurag Abinashi. The partnership for the second wicket was worth 126.
Mike Loan (Central Districts) arrived at the crease but could not hang around for long, a leading edge ballooning to midwicket. The elder statesman of the team, John Gibson (Canterbury), played a fine supporting role, as Timperley continued his assault, racing through the nineties and bringing up a well deserved century. When Gaz Ashton bowled Gibson for six, Glen Oliver (Northern Districts) entered and the run scoring suddenly accelerated. Oliver threw the bat at everything, collecting seven fours and one six on his way to a memorable 52 not out off only 26 balls.
Timperley eventually parried one to slip and was patted on the back by our friendly hosts for a superb innings as he departed. Evan Samuel (Western Australia), still having nightmares from the 2011 edition of this fixture, helped Oliver see the innings through to 311 – the second-highest total in Strollers history.
Tea, consisting of pizza, sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and biscuits was enjoyed under the warm afternoon sun. As the Strollers’ fielders were limbering up, Gibson quietly queried if a second helping of scones and cream was such a good idea.
With one new ball to be used for the entire game and already having had 40 overs of heavy punishment, there was not a hint of shine left for bowlers Bart Fine and Rory Wood (both Northern Districts) when the Amersham Hill innings began. Wood realised this situation and delivered a chest-high full toss that was clobbered over the pavilion and subsequently lost. Fine gave a nod of acceptance when the replacement ball was offered from the boundary and then went on to give a lesson in the art of fast-medium bowling. He took three wickets in his first four overs without conceding a run using deft cutters and subtle changes of pace.
Wood was not having the same luck from the Allotment End as opener Abinashi went on the attack, scoring multiple boundaries generally over mid-on and mid-off. Aidan Selby (Northern Districts) and Sunny Aurora (Ontario) were brought on and bowled impressively. Aurora picked up his first Strollers wicket courtesy of a smart slip catch by Timperley and Selby bowled Abinashi one short of what would have been a richly deserved half-century. Samuel bowled a tidy wicketless spell before Timperley tossed the ball to Oliver and his pace, disguised by his three-step run-up, surprised Mall with a sharp yorker. Loan was left to wrap up the innings with Fine taking a juggling catch at cover.
Beers were enjoyed with our friendly opponents in the warm evening glow as Samuel spoke of the harrowing treatment his bowling received from a young South African batsman four years ago. Thankfully, the 2015 version was much more enjoyable. A glorious day in a beautiful setting against convivial hosts – cheers!
Capt & match fees: James Timperley. Wkt: Tim Swan.
Redeemed: Evan “Phoenix” Samuel.
Bricklayers Arms
Tuesday August 4 in Wandsworth Park
Strollers won by seven wickets
Bricklayers Arms 112
(19.2 overs; Oliver 3-13, Rory Wood 3-21, Herath 1-19)
Strollers 114-3
(17.1 overs; Tom Wood 29, Loan 32no, Selby 21no)
The midweek Strollers assembled at Wandsworth Park in Putney for the 11th and final scheduled fixture of the season, having won the previous 10 games. For the second time this season the opposition was old friend Chris Locke and his team from the Bricklayer’s Arms. Captains Tom Wood and Mike Ottley agreed to bowl all 40 overs from the Wandsworth end with retirements at 30 and a pink ball.
Ottley won the toss and elected to bat. which looked like a good choice as Bricklayers' openers Lewis Caley and (special guest) Bart Fine set off at a fine pace reaching 26 in the fourth over before a moment's hesitation, a fine throw from Glen Oliver and smart keeping from Mike Loan saw Caley run out.
Fine continued to punish the Strollers opening bowlers of Ryan Duff and Raj Herath before retiring, at which point wickets started falling at a regular pace. Glen Oliver came on for Duff and bowled the new batsman Lee Kazeem. while Herath bowled Carty, the Bricklayers' No 3. Rory Wood came on and picked up three wickets courtesy of a ball that Bricklayers' No 6, Grant, could only play onto his stumps and two fine catches by keeper Loan and Tom Wood at mid-on.
Two more run-outs followed due to a direct hit from Oliver and quick work from Richie Stubbs and Rory Wood. Stubbs bowled four tight overs and Aidan Selby one before Oliver came back for the last over as Fine returned to the middle with the idea of swinging the bat. After one four, the next ball went vertical and Oliver ran and dived to take the catch for his third wicket as the Bricklayers were dismissed for 112.
The Bricklayers' openers, the pacey Kazeem and Fine, bowled well and the Strollers reply started at a old fashioned pace with byes outscoring Tom Wood and John Low for the first few overs. Low was run out by a good throw from Fine, which brought Loan to the crease (continuing on from his
82* in the previous match this season).
After eight overs the score had moved to 42 but as the bowlers changed, the scoring increased. Loan soon retired on 32, having hit many graceful fours and Tom Wood increased his strike rate before being caught for 29 as he tried to hit a retirement boundary. Mike Knowles and Aidan Selby came in and almost saw the Strollers home but Knowles played around a straight slower ball in the fading light. Oliver came in to see Selby hit the winning boundary with 17 balls to spare.
The Strollers celebrated their 100% midweek season in the usual style with their hosts in the Brick.
Capt and match fees: Tom Wood. Wkt: Mike Loan.
Concorde
Sunday August 9 in Send
Match drawn
Strollers 282-6 dec
(39.2 overs; Oliver 103no, Ovenden 60, Osborne 43no, Colbeck 26, Timperley 15)
Concorde 150-4
(47 overs; Macaulay 2-11, Selby 2-20)
The small sign on Potters Lane indicating the entrance to the ground proclaims Sendholme Cricket Club. This a little odd as there is no club of this name and never has been. However it is a beautiful ground and home to Concorde CC, the latest iteration of the British Aerospace works team.
As the teams assembled news filtered through that Aidan Selby would be late as someone had placed a major triathlon in his way forcing him to reroute via the Woolwich ferry. Is this the first time a Stroller has used a ferry to get to a UK game? Tom Colbeck proved himself a truly dedicated Stroller when he revealed he had bought a car specifically to get to cricket matches.
Skipper James Timperley, recovering from a nasty bout of manflu, won the toss and elected to bat in a time game. Mike Loan and Jim Hodgson were asked to open and after an inelegant eight Jim played the popular Australian slash outside off stump and was caught at first slip. James joined Mike in the middle, albeit briefly as Mike then ran himself out for eight.
Piers Ovenden was next in and helped the innings settle down on a track that was slower than expected and with some uneven bounce. They took the total to 57 before James was caught off a leading edge at cover. Tom Elton got off the mark with a glorious extra cover drive for four, added a single then nicked a decent ball from Andy Marshall to the keeper.
Glen Oliver was next, supporting Piers to a well constructed half-century. Both punished the bad balls which sped away to the boundary over the quick outfield. Much to his own annoyance Piers was smartly stumped by Chris Turvill for 60 which brought Colbeck to the wicket. He scored a quickfire 26 including three straight sixes before also being stumped. Next in was Sam Osborn, who had let it be known that he was an unlucky batsman as fielders never dropped the catches he offered. His first ball was chipped to cover where the fielder promptly dropped probably the easiest chance he’ll ever have. The second ball was hit straight back at the bowler and while not as easy as the first was definitely catchable. Perhaps your luck has changed, Sam!
Glen motored past 50 and continued to launch fours and sixes to all parts. At the other end Sam had got his eye in and was scoring freely and both players ran well between the wickets. As Glen was homing in on his first century James was eyeing the rapidly increasing total, mulling over the hardnosed option of declaring before Glen got to three figures. Thankfully for Glen the captain’s softer side prevailed and he finished on an excellent 103 not out. Sam’s aggressive batting saw him finish on 43 not out and the total at 282 in just under 40 overs.
A pleasant tea was had before the Strollers took to the field. Elton and Selby opened the bowling and despite Aidan protesting he wasn’t an opening bowler he proceeded to remove Concorde’s No 1 and No 2 batsmen for nought, the first thanks to a very good catch by Osborn low to his left at gully and the second smartly taken by keeper Loan diving in front of first slip.
Marshall, the Concorde No 3, scored an attractive 34 before being well caught by Oliver off Alastair Macaulay, who also went on to get Mark Neale for 46, caught by Timperley at mid-on. Alastair finished with excellent figures of 9-4-11-2.
However, that was pretty much it as despite James using everyone except keeper Loan to bowl we couldn’t dislodge Neale until very late in the game and wicketkeeper Turvill was not out 58 at stumps with the home side reaching 150-4. It was a bit frustrating but it’s a lovely ground, the weather was perfect and we shared some post-match beers and conversation with our friendly hosts.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Mike Loan. Match fees: Piers Ovenden.
Wandsworth Planners
Wednesday August 12 at the Fishponds Playing Field
Strollers won by 58 runs
Strollers 180-5
(18 overs; Loan 27no + 11, Ovenden 26no, Selby 26no, Ferrick 19, Symonds-Baig 17, Howsam 10)
Wandsworth Planners 122-8
(18 overs; Herath 3-35, Howsam 2-13, Ovenden 1-5, Symonds-Baig 1-16, Selby 1-20)
The midweek superstars, proclaimed The Invincibles only a week before on completion of their published fixture list, had their honorific title withdrawn by the hyper-active Joint Series Manager, John Gibson. The Wandsworth Planners, last met at a sunny Wandsworth Park on 10 June, were keen for a re-match. Gibson was keen to oblige. Only with a twelfth victory would the midweek men enter the sporting annals of perfection next to Preston North End (1888-89), the 1924 All Blacks (not to mention 2013) and Arsenal (2003-04).
Unfortunately Wandsworth Park and the sun were unavailable on 12 August. Instead the Strollers made their way to an overcast and blustery Fishponds Playing Field in the gentrifying surrounds of Tooting. With fears of rapidly diminishing light, an 18-over match was negotiated, yet with the usual maximum of four overs per bowler and retirements upon reaching 25.
Burdened with the weight of this potentially epoch and career-defining match was Captain Piers Ovenden. Fortunately he called correctly, won the toss, and set in motion the ineluctable triumphal march towards victory and sporting immortality. Were it ever so simple. Before the first over was complete Keith Shannon was back by the locked brick hutch (“that swung a mile”) and John Low was on his way to St George’s Hospital for an x-ray on his wrist. The sickening crack of ball on bone made everyone on the boundary, including superfan Len Jewell, wince.
With scant regard for both the historical implications and the uneven bounce of the Fishponds surface, Sam Ferrick and Mike Loan launched a jaunty riposte, raising the run rate to ten an over, a rate that would be maintained for the rest of the innings. The only pauses in the action were to replace the pink ball Ferrick dispatched over the fence and for Glen Oliver to hobble off the field after a quick single. There being no physio to call on, Ovenden was spared discovering whether he would have the Mourinho-esque urge to sack him/her on the spot for interrupting the game's flow. Oliver’s self-diagnosis alternated, depending on the audience, between "it's cramp due to my epic maiden century on Sunday" and, in slightly more hushed tones, “me hammy’s totally f[inishe]d skip”.
With five wickets falling (the last to a run-out involving Raj Herath), three batsmen retiring on reaching 25 and two batsmen retiring hurt, Mike Loan was invited to return to the crease for the last five balls of the innings, which he dispatched for 11 bonus runs.
181 was an imposing target. However, the Strollers were now shorn of their three-step bowling tornado, Oliver, and were down to nine fit fielders, Oliver gamely playing statues at short cover/midwicket. On top of that, the rumour was that Drummond, the Planners’ opener, was a David Willey type.
In Aidan Selby’s first over Drummond duly belted the ball out of the ground. But on attempting to repeat the feat from the next ball, Ferrick took a miraculous catch tumbling backwards at long-on. At the other end James Howsam increased the scoreboard pressure by bowling fast and straight, hitting the stumps twice to finish with figures of 4-1-13-2.
Herath took a wicket first ball, bowled, and high stepped and twirled his way through his allotment unchanged into the wind. Ferrick held another catch in the outfield, as did Aidan Selby, to give Herath two more victims. Niall McNevin reeled off three overs, frustrating the batsmen with a tight line. Ovenden and Naeman Symonds-Baig shared the last four overs, bowling with the luxury of 80 runs to defend.
Victory completed, title and laurels restored, text message proclamations dispatched to keen (but not so eager as to attend) audiences, the Strollers retired to the nearest Tooting gastro pub with their gracious and engaging hosts. News would trickle through that John's wrist was in a cast due to a broken ulna. We wish him a speedy recovery.
At 8.30pm the sun finally and definitively set on the midweek season for 2015. Dare anyone say…2016 repeat?
Capt: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Mike Loan. Match fees: Glen Oliver.
The Times
Saturday August 15 at the Trevor Bailey Sportsground in Dulwich
Strollers won by 163 runs
Strollers 298-6
(40 overs; Loan 132, Swan 65, Selby 34, Crocker 29, Baz-Sanchez 10no)
The Times 135-7
(40 overs; Logan 4-34, Baz-Sanchez 2-37, Macaulay 1-11)
Trevor Bailey is an alumnus of Dulwich College and is best remembered for his obdurate defensive batting, especially in matches against Australia.
In the Lords Test of 1953 he shared a defensive fifth wicket stand with Willie Watson, defying the bowlers for over four hours to earn a draw, taking 257 minutes to score 71 runs. Later that summer at Headingly. he scored 38 in 262 minutes in the second innings to leave Australia needing to score 177 in only 115 minutes. They reached a point where they needed only another 66 in 45 minutes with seven wickets left. But Bailey went back to his long run and slowed the over rate, as well as bowling negatively wide of the leg stump, Australia fell 30 runs short and the game was drawn. England went on to win the fifth and final Test and so regained the Ashes. So don't let anyone tell you that things were better in the old days.
Slow scoring and sharp practice have, of course, no part to play in the Strollers' cricket philosophy. So when we gathered at the Trevor Bailey Sports Ground on the South Circular, only victory and sparkling cricket was on our minds. We had the initial advantage over the opposition (The Times) as we had spread our recruiting net wider than they had, and turned up with 11 players. Skipper Alastair Macaulay had a look at the greenish pitch and small outfield and contemplated having a bowl given the wealth of all-rounders at his disposal. However commonsense prevailed and when he called correctly, called for Tim Swan and Mike Loan to put the pads on in a 40-over match.
The small boundary in every direction gave little room for error and the openers started steadily, scoring a boundary an over off The Times' opening bowlers Kallmann and Stevenson, who bowled well without reward. After 10 overs the score was 44. Gradually both batsmen were pushing the score along with anything loose being punished amid some lovely cover drives. The impressive Ryan replaced Stevenson and Kallmann was bowled out. However The Times struggled with their fourth and fifth bowlers who started to leak runs at a rate approaching ten an over. The run rate climbed to 106 off 20 overs and some generous full tosses were being dispatched, particularly by Loan who passed 50. Swan passed the landmark a few overs later and was well caught in the deep by Scott off Mike Prowse, The pair had added 170 runs for the first wicket and set up the Strollers for a big score with some big hitters to come.
Aidan Selby duly wasted no time and was soon hitting the ball cleanly. He and Mike put on 64 in six overs before Aidan was bowled by Murad Ahmed for a quickfire 34. Meanwhile Loan had gone on to score his maiden career 100, fulfilling the promise that had always been there. It was a chanceless knock, taking advantage of any loose delivery.
Nick Baker's stay was short-lived and so Mike was joined by Warren Crocker, who played a typical belligerent innings including two consecutive sixes down the ground. Mike was eventually bowled by Ryan for 132 in the 37th over, an innings that included 14 fours, a five, and 4 sixes. Warren was out soon after for a brisk 29. Debutant Lee Baz-Sanchez hit his second ball for six and his third gloved past the keeper for four as the innings concluded. The final act saw David Kelsey, spoofed by the scoreboard into thinking it was the penultimate over, shoulder arms to the last ball of the innings. The last 20 overs saw nearly 200 runs put on and the final score of 298 looked formidable even on a small ground.
After an alfresco tea, Crocker and Bart Fine opened the bowling. Both bowled well without striking but increasing the scoreboard pressure and after 12 overs The Times were already needing nine an over. Nick Logan replaced Bart and struck in his first over. First Cork skied a short ball to keeper Swan and then The Times skipper Nic Fildes was out next ball as the ball dribbled off his pads to the stumps with just enough energy to dislodge one bail. Simon Brodbeck bowled from the other end into the setting sun and then requested a move to the other end so he could actually see. Baz-Sanchez replaced him with some canny off-spin with rip and pace variation. Logan struck again as Kellmann clipped one to Brodbeck at square leg and Stevenson was snaffled at slip by Macaulay (a viciously spinning, looping ball coming right out the sun by his account).
Baz-Sanchez got his reward for a tidy spell as Ryan was caught by Crocker in the deep. The only batman to make an impact was opener Ahmed, who was severe on anything short. Eventually he was the sixth victim caught by Fine off Baz-Sanchez. With the target long out of sight the remaining batsmen contented themselves with occupying the crease. Even Kelsey's loopy leg breaks could not induce them to hit out. Macaulay bowled Prowse and innings closed quietly on 137-7.
In truth a one-sided game but Mike Loan won't care about that. Macaulay's second game in charge went rather better than the first (last season's hammering at Harpsden). It's much easier when the batsmen score nearly 300 it seems...
All the pubs in the Dulwich area seem to have closed so Tim Swan suggested adjourning to the Railway Tavern in Tulse Hill (where he happens to live). A small group celebrated Mike's century with beer, steaks and burgers and attempted to talk Bart Fine into coming on the Riviera tour.
Capt: Alastair Macaulay. Wkt: Tim Swan. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
Ripley
Sunday August 16 at Ripley
Strollers won by five wickets
Ripley 129-9
(40 overs; Elton 3-26, Ovenden 1-10, Macaulay 1-11, Simon Brodbeck 1-20, Swan 1-25, Tjasink 1-28)
Strollers 132-5
(32.1 overs; Swale 57, Swan 27)
Secret diary of a Strollers WAG
Wednesday
My husband tells me that the Strollers are playing locally on the weekend and it would be great if I could come and watch him play cricket. I still book a high tea and mani-pedi combo for Sunday afternoon with the girls; odds are good that either he’ll forget or it will rain. It is the English summer after all.
Thursday
Boutique called to confirm the mani-pedi. Can’t wait.
Saturday
BBC says the forecast is good for tomorrow. Damn. He still hasn’t mentioned the cricket so I should be able to get away with it.
Sunday
9am. Husband wakes up and starts stretching. I peek from beneath the covers and see the sun is peeking through some rather thick clouds. I cross my fingers but suspect I’m in for a trip down south to Ripley.
Midday. Seven Stars pub for lunch. Ask for a chicken breast, avocado and buckwheat salad and a Sweet Tempered Greens juice (bok choy, cucumber, spinach parsley and mint – you should try it, it’s delightful). Unfortunately it’s Sunday and they only have roast. Lamb it is, with soda and lime on the side.
1pm. We arrive at the ground and test some viewing spots on various benches around the picturesque Ripley ground. Some wasps find our blue outfits attractive (who wouldn’t). We panic a little and head to the pavilion, where we are introduced to some of the opposition (who offer us a drink and the use of the bar already – our kind of people!) and reacquainted with the Strollers.
1.20pm. Apparently the Strollers captain (Pies or some other similar) hasn’t turned up yet. Simon Brodbeck takes the reins, but the captain hadn’t given him detailed enough instructions and he loses the toss. I’m not entirely sure what that means but think we may go for a walk instead of finding out.
1.30pm. The game appears starts. Only one of the Strollers (Justin, I think) is wearing pads. I think that means they’re fielding; although it looks like they are just standing around talking nonsense and throwing a ball around. The two guys bowling (from memory Tom and Stephen) seem fairly athletic and look like they’re bowling quite quickly. The ball is bouncing a lot and the batsmen are having trouble hitting it. A few times the ball goes behind the batsmen and all the Strollers cheer and the batsman walks off. I don’t know how they manage to hit the ball behind them when they’re trying to hit it forward. It must have been quite special because the Strollers are all very happy and joking about rarely taking three catches, let alone one in the gully. Which is strange, because the field is flat.
1.50pm. We’ve watched 20 minutes now and the same guys are still bowling, and the Strollers are still standing in the field. The score is something like 12 runs for three wickets. It seems like it's going on for ages so we decide to go for a walk.
3.30pm. What a great walk. Papercourt Lock was a highlight. I’ve heard it’s one of the prettiest on the River Wey. It had a beautiful cottage, although they didn’t serve pimms, which was annoying. Watching boats go up and down was therapeutic - a bit like watching cricket.
3.35pm. Back at the cricket ground now. The Strollers are still fielding. They must be tired. They are still running round a lot. I think the guy wearing the pads has changed too. It looks like Spencer. The batsmen are doing much better now. One of the Ripley team tells us that because they were short a couple their opening batters are having another go. The ball’s being hit very hard and the scores going up quite quickly.
4pm. The Strollers are coming off the field now. It sounds like they’re all really keen for tea. I don’t blame them. It looks delicious: handmade sandwiches on multi-seed loaf, Victoria sponge cake, carrot cake, lemon drizzle cake, fruit, expertly crafted tea. I thought I’d show an interest so I asked them how it went. They said that after the opening bowlers made inroads, Simon and Stair tied the batsmen up in knots. The fielding went back to the Strollers usual standard though, with Swale dropping two sitters and the captain (having finally turned up) dropping one. Alastair made three great attempts a la Daniel Vettori (I think he’s an Italian opera singer; not sure what that has to do with catching the ball) but couldn’t hold on. Luckily Elton had caught the top scorer Goyal. They said he was going really well and was looking dangerous. Swan bowled some off-cutters (a cake reference maybe?) and Ovenden hit some good lengths (only the batsmen hit the ball don’t they?)
4.30pm. Almost ready for some bubbly but the Strollers batsmen are ready to go. Found a place on the boundary to sit in the sun and pretend to watch.
4.50pm. The Strollers seem to be taking their time. I wanted to be back to watch the latest episode of Downton but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. A few of the Strollers come back from batting – Justin and Spencer I think. They said they were trying the get the run rate moving but got undone by some good bowling. It’s strange, the opening bowlers look like they’re bowling in the same place every time, if you know where he’s going to bowl it surely it’s easy to hit, right?
4.55pm. John runs out to bat. That’s more like it. He’s hitting a few balls hard. Ripley have changed their bowlers now and the new guy looks good. He hits the sticks and John walks back.
5.10pm. The tall guy Eric is still out there. So is the other tall guy Tim. They seem to be doing all right though. Some of the balls are even getting hit to the boundary. That’s more like the cricket I like. Just without the music and the fireworks.
5.40pm. Eric waves his bat at us. I’m not sure what that means. Maybe he’s only just noticed we’re here and is saying hello. The rest of the Strollers think him and Tim should be able to finish it by themselves. I thought this was a team game?
5.55pm . Obviously Eric and Tim think so too. hey both come back after getting out and give the next two guys, Tom and Piers a go. None of them seem too happy about it though. Piers and Tom hit the ball hard three times, everyone walks off and even though it’s getting a little cold people come out and clap.
8pm. Quite tired after a hard day. The husband owes me. Lovely bunch of people but I missed out on my mani-pedi. A foot massage and a shoulder rub will have to do.
Editor’s note: Ripley won the toss and chose to bat. Tom Elton and Stephen Tjasink bowled with pace and dismissed the top three to good catches behind the wicket (Leach’s at gully in particular). Goyal provided a spirited resistance and made a powerful 49 before being dismissed by Alastair Macaulay. Macaulay and Simon Brodbeck tightened the noose and were unlucky with a couple of tough chances going down. Tim Swan and Piers Ovenden were also miserly. The returning top order batsmen added some quick runs for Ripley to finish on 129 off their 40 overs. Spencer Leach and Justin Fredrickson were very good behind the stumps. Eric Swale and Fredrickson opened and found it tough to get the accurate opening bowling away. After 20 overs the Strollers were on 70 for the loss of Fredrickson (caught square leg), Leach (point) and John Gibson (bowled), who all fell trying to improve the scoring rate. Tim Swan and Swale formed a good partnership of 89 to get within 12 of victory before both fell on the same score. Ovenden and Tom Wood then finished strongly to give the Strollers a five-wicket victory with eight overs to spare.
Capt: Piers Ovenden. Wkt: Justin Fredrickson/Spencer Leach.
Match fees: Tom Wood.
Wall
Saturday August 29 in Lichfield
Strollers won by 25 runs
Strollers 176-7
(40 overs; Timperley 71no, Crocker 43, Fredrickson 24, Duff 10)
Wall 151
(35.5 overs; Ovenden 4-30, Duff 3-4, Simon Brodbeck 2-21, Timperley 1-7)
With the sun beating down, the Strollers assembled at the Friary School’s playing fields in Lichfield. Skipper Tom Wood, fresh from a night of rugby watching with Brizey in Nottingham, arranged for the Strollers to bat first. And away went Piers Ovenden and George Calvocoressi. And four balls later, back came Pies, out to a reasonably sharp catch at slip by Caddick off the bowling of Fuad Hasan. George, adopting the tried and tested approach to batting on this ground, played patiently, vigilantly and late. He had made it to eight (including one six) from 22 balls when he fell, in that tried and tested approach to being dismissed on this ground, caught and bowled by Ian Caddick.
James Timperley dug in for the long haul. Sam Brodbeck managed to restrain himself for 15 minutes before he ran himself out, coming back for a suicidal second. Justin Fredrickson also batted dutifully, mixing sound defence with some well-struck boundaries before he too ran himself out, coming back for a suicidal third. Wood tried to up the tempo but was caught by the human venus fly-trap that is Caddick.
At 85-5 after 30 overs, the scoreboard pressure was mounting on the batting side. Cue a blazing partnership of 74 between Timperley and Warren Crocker, who took the Strollers to a defensible total. When Crocker was caught in the deep there was just enough time left for a cameo from Ryan Duff. Duff’s three-ball innings consisted of a four (admittedly through his legs and down to fine leg), a monster six (think MS Dhoni winning the World Cup final) and an lbw to, yes, that man Caddick.
The legendary Wall tea did not disappoint. Your correspondent still has sponge cake dreams in whipped cream scone land and wakes salivating to the dour reality of his mournful breakfasts.
Wall set off at a fair lick, riding their luck as necessary. Four catches went down off the bowling of Crocker, all of them behind the wicket. Fortunately Simon Brodbeck made a double breakthrough at the other end. Craig, fils, was leg before wicket and Fredrickson stumped the dangerous Nick Edwards for 31. It was a very smart piece of work by the fastidiously helmeted keeper.
Hasan and Trupp maintained the early momentum, the score ticking along at four runs per over, and Wall looked strong favourites. Ovenden relieved the bowled-out, but still quietly chuntering, Crocker and was promptly dispatched for consecutive boundaries by Trupp. A brave half-volley resulted in a catch by Crocker (and a raised eyebrow in the direction of the slips). The elusive rhythm found, Ovenden picked up wickets in each of his subsequent three overs, including Craig, pere, caught behind.
At 103-6 after 23 overs, and key man Caddick rotating the strike nicely, the result was still in the balance. Alastair Macaulay wheeled away cannily but could not induce an indiscretion. Wood turned to Timperley, with almost immediate success - Caddick succumbing to the tried and tested approach by chipping one back to Timperley, to be caught and bowled for 31. There was still time for a second cameo of the day from Duff, who successfully pursued a personal vendetta against the women of the Winwood family, conceding only one scoring stroke to finish with the fine figures of 3.5-2-4-3.
Both sides retired to the garden at the Duke of Wellington to finish off tea and to start on the beers. It was a pleasure to catch up with our friends from Wall CC. We are very grateful to the club for hosting us and to David Craig in particular for continuing to champion this fixture. The Strollers then made their way to Ashby-de-la-Zouch, to check in to the Hotel Royal and assemble for a dinner, their numbers strengthened by the appearance of Chairman Kimball and Melissa.
Capt: Tom Wood. Wkt: Justin Fredrickson.
Stanton by Dale
Sunday August 30 at Stanton
Strollers won by 94 runs
Strollers 237-4
(42 overs; Timperley 111, Sam Brodbeck 67, Ovenden 17, Tom Wood 16no)
Stanton 143
(35 overs; Macaulay 2-16, Ovenden 2-22, Crocker 2-25, Salvesen 2-44, Simon Brodbeck 1-35)
It was the best of games, it was the worst of games...the best from a Strollers point of view, the worst if you happened to be of the Stanton faction. Brian Taylor is certainly of the latter, at least for this fixture, which he has contested for his beloved village side against his beloved Strollers these past 39 years.
The seriousness with which he regards the annual contest was apparent when he refused all invitations to socialise beforehand in order to chauffeur his main man, Walid Khan, to the ground. He then agreed with the Strollers’ captain, James Timperley, the sporting format of an 85-over match with no bowling limit and all four results possible. A draw after all would be enough to keep the Dave Tranter Cup in Stanton’s grasp, they having won it back after seven years in 2013. It was no surprise, therefore, that upon winning the toss, Brizey put us in.
Walid soon justified his skipper’s faith, charging in from the orchard end and bowling Justin Fredrikson in his second over then accounting for Piers Ovenden in his fifth. It was too much for Piers, whose average at this ground after two previous innings stood at 191. He left Sam Brodbeck to join Timperley in the middle and retreated to the changing room where he immersed himself in Bleak House.
The interminable saga of Jarndyce and Jarndyce failed to hold sway with the two Strollers now at the crease, however. On the contrary, it was a case of...
Runs everywhere. Runs up the ground, where they flowed over the green outfield from cover round to midwicket, runs down the ground, where they rolled untouched by the hands of third man and fine leg the far reaches of a great (and cherished) cricket pitch. Runs from nudges and pushes, runs from drives and glides...
Runs that amounted, in fact, to the Strollers’ highest-ever partnership against Stanton, 183 in a shade under two hours, beating the previous best of 172 that Sam chalked up with Tom Wood back in 2007. This time Sam played junior partner to Timperley, who accelerated off the change bowling to his second century of the season, and 14th overall for the club.
His innings was a thing of exemplary craftsmanship, tempering full-on assault (three sixes, 13 fours) with more pragmatic shot selection (29 singles, six twos). His first 50 came off 63 balls, his second just 30 more, and James was eventually caught off a rather nonchalant slap to backward point for 111, giving the returning Khan his third wicket.
Brodbeck fell on the same score at 210, to Makwana, the only other Stanton bowler to pose a threat, Although not without its hairy moments induced by his, let’s say, idiosyncratic calling and running, Sam’s knock of 67 showed a fair degree of patience, his 50 coming off 78 balls with just four fours. It was his second half-century of the year to date and his 14th for the club.
Wood, with a few belligerent blows including consecutive sixes, and George Calvocoressi, with some astute singles, advanced the Strollers’ cause until James could declare after 42 overs, leaving Stanton 43 in which to overhaul our 237 or hold on for the draw.
Tricia Taylor’s tea was up to its normal Michelin-star standard, with plum flan and olive bread making stand-out debuts. Once again Tricia received invaluable help from Stephanie Turner and this year their efforts deserve extra praise as they managed the feeding of the grateful throng without the aid of running water, the club’s supply having been unceremoniously cut off by a disputatious neighbour. We wish Stanton a speedy resolution to the crisis.
Back to the match and Phil Gregory greeted the Strollers’ attack of Warren Crocker and Tom Salvesen with some telling blows until he was neatly taken off the latter low down by keeper Fredrickson for 21 out of an opening stand of 23. Chris Guest was bowled by the same bowler almost immediately, which brought in Khan to see if he could wreak the same havoc as he had done with his whirlwind match-winning ton of 12 months previously.
He certainly held nothing back, despite two key wickets falling around him. Barry Taylor was the first, run out in an unfortunate non-calling incident by “cool-hand” Calvocoressi. Joe Pratt followed next ball, which was a deadly straight one – always a useful delivery – from Simon Brodbeck, who was on first change for the luckless Wozza.
Unperturbed, Walid blazed away in his simple but effective style. After 24 balls he was on 52 having just hit that last over from Salvesen for five cannon-ball fours. Time for a change, thought Cap’n Timpers, but who the Dickens could he turn to?
Step forward, Piers Ovenden. And indeed, it was a far, far better ball that he sent down fifth time around than he had ever bowled - or so it seemed after Tom S held his nerve to hold on to the catch at long-off. It was 89-5 at seven minutes past five in the 18th over, and the Strollers breathed a collective sigh of relief.
David Powick, resolutely, Brian Taylor, briefly, and Ian Baker, gamely, all pressed on with the task in hand but the impetus had gone from the Stanton challenge and, with a workmanlike performance astutely stage-managed by JT, the Strollers went on to wrap up the game with more than 10 overs to spare.
Alastair Macaulay accounted for Taylor, caught by his opposite number Timperley with a shot he’d rather forget, Crocker returned for a couple of well deserved wickets, and, fittingly enough, Ovenden administered the last rites by castling last man Ben Turner.
And so with the Dave Tranter Cup back where it belongs, the Strollers took their leave of Stanton for another year. As ever, the Stanhope beckoned with its convivial conversation and welcome victuals. As ever, the Thai restaurant in Ashby laid on its excellent banquet. As ever, Charles the night porter at the Royal, plied us with drink until the early hours. And as ever, the next day saw it chucking it down, forcing Sutton on the Hill to cancel our Bank Holiday fixture. The assembled guests enjoyed a hearty breakfast and went their several ways.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Justin Fredrickson.
The Lee
Sunday September 6 at The Lee
Strollers won by 103 runs
Strollers 238-4
(40 overs; Timperley 85, Addis 67, Ferrick 38, Sam Brodbeck 15, Loan13no, Oliver 12no)
The Lee 135
(30.1 overs; Ferrick 3-12, Simon Brodbeck 2-4, Macaulay 2-31, Oliver 1-22, Crocker 1-25, Ovenden 1-41)
You pass The Cock and Rabbit pub (regularly featured in TV’s Midsomer Murders with Italian food a speciality) on your left; turn right at the war memorial (see below*) on the picture postcard village green and down to the cricket ground on your right. The gentleman sitting in his camping chair at long-on declared that he had lived in The Lee for some 37 years and decreed it to be the perfect place.
The village – the name is Anglo Saxon in origin and means 'woodland clearing' – may be perfect; the ground certainly is, with a herd of cows presiding mournfully at Cow Corner, a view across the leafy valley and the fully deserved title of the most beautiful ground in Buckinghamshire. On a glorious late summer day, all the ingredients were there – including a Sam Brodbeck run-out.
The Lee skipper Ed Boakes won the toss and inserted. With eight of the Strollers line-up having scored a century for the club, he knew full well that the side was at its weakest when it was strongest – which is not a Chinese proverb, but means we invariably fall flat on our faces when we have, on paper, our strongest side. Of the starting XI, only Tim Swan, Warren Crocker and Alastair Macaulay have yet to record a century, with the first two coming ever closer in recent years. “If they would let me open the batting, I might have a chance,” said a wistful Macaulay.
Jono Addis and Sam Ferrick (just released from his Bank of England league contract) set off at a great rate. Ferrick, having disturbed a wasps’ nest in the undergrowth on the cover boundary, perished in the deep and James Timperley came in on the back of a recent run of 139, 71 not out and 111. Addis departed lbw for a fine 67 and then Sam Brodbeck came in to join James in that famous double act. It ended, as it often does, with Sam crashing the ball straight to a fielder, shouting yes, and both ending up at the same end in order to open negotiations. Quite how the comedy duo managed to put on a match-winning 183 runs at Stanton the previous Sunday without a similar disaster still baffles the pundits.
Timperley (87) eventually gave a leading edge and it was left to Mike Loan and Glen Oliver to push the score up to a respectable 238 in the 40 overs.
Weighed won by Patrick Walsh’s magnificent tea, The Strollers barely knew what hit them after an early victim for Crocker. The Lee opener, Mike Harris, and No3 Alex Morgan tore into the opening bowlers, dispatching the ball to all parts with some magnificent shots. Piers Ovenden induced Harris to hit his bravely bowled half-volley to Macaulay at cover but there was no stopping Morgan, who blazed away.
But the wily Ferrick tied him down and, in frustration, he hit to mid-on, where Sam Brodbeck held the vital catch. Macaulay (8-2-31-2) weaved his guile from the other end and the wickets began to fall. Simon Brodbeck picked up a couple and Oliver played his part too as The Lee ended on 135 all out, having been 90-1 at one point.
The post-match inquest was held in the evening sunshine in the company of our hospitable hosts to round off a splendid day.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Tim Swan. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
*A cricket match that was never completed due to the outbreak of the First World War was finally brought to a conclusion last year – a century after it started.
The original match between The Lee Cricket Club and a team from the village Manor House – owned by Sir Arthur Liberty, founder of the famous Regent Street store – was abandoned on August 3, 1914, due to rain. The First World War was declared the following day and players from both sides, expecting hostilities to be over by Christmas, said they would conclude the match when the fighting was over.
The game was never revisited after three players were killed in action and others left severely injured. The players were among 30 men from The Lee who were killed in the trenches and are honoured on the village war memorial.
But 100 years after the match was started The Lee replayed the game and brought it to its proper and peaceful conclusion in 2014.
Strongroom
Saturday September 12 at Pinkneys Green
Strollers lost by four wickets
Strollers 89
(23.5 overs; Addis 23, Loan 10)
Strongroom 90-6
(25 overs; Thanushan 3-22, Crocker 1-8, Simon Brodbeck 1-26, Fine 1-27)
As the early birds gathered at Pinkneys Green so too did an ominous cloud bringing the tail end of the overnight rain. A brief shower was chased away by the gathering players and things got under way with the toss won by the Strollers. Unconcerned by mere weather, Tom Wood had given clear instructions from his car that we would bat and Jono Addis and Mike Loan prepared to lay the foundations.
News came through that Dan Thanushan was “about to be delayed” and as such mysticism was pondered on the boundary, observers were treated to boundaries from both ends in the opening overs. The mood in the pavilion was settled and the run rate continued at four an over into the seventh. However, as Mike Loan’s (10) wicket fell, one wicket brought two and so our doughty captain came to the crease. Off the mark first ball, Wood was finding his range and his ball-striking continued to the end. Adjudged lbw for two, a disconsolate Wood dragged himself from the crease to whoops of delight from the players in the field whilst the treasurer admired the latest cherry on his bat.
Unusually unsettled by the procession of partners, Addis (23) followed in the next over and the middle order was as exposed as Thanushan’s continued absence.
With wickets falling regularly, five penalty runs were gratefully recorded in the 21st over as Alastair Macaulay and Simon Brodbeck combined for the second-highest partnership of the innings. When this was broken on 18 the extent of the task to come was laid bare. Credit first, though, to the youngest performer of the day. At nine wickets down Stubbs mi, aged 12, strode to the crease with an air of the invincible. Following his captain’s lead James was off the mark first ball with two through the covers - his third and fourth runs for the club on his second full appearance. In deference to his captain, he declined to exceed the example set, leaving Brodbeck stranded just 92 runs short of his century.
The innings closed at 14.15. It would have been uncivilised for tea to be ready, let alone taken at such an hour and so, whilst discussing the finer points of his dismissal, Wood lead us into the field to defend our 89 runs. Warren Crocker (1-8) started us off with a steady maiden before the wiles of Thanushan (3-22) opened matters from the pavilion end. Having loosened his arm, Thanushan’s next delivery was edged behind, sending the Strongroom No 2 packing for a golden duck. The rest of the over drew well deserved bemusement as the opposition top order tried to adjust to accurate and testing slow left-arm juxtaposed to the typically reliable Australian at t’other end.
Crocker had had his warm-up over, though, and blasted back with a wicket maiden to leave Strongroom 3-2 off three with no runs from the bat. Tea (good though we knew it would be) could wait; we had removed the opening pair, our bowlers were firing and the team was bent on defending what had appeared a clearly under-par total. Slow bowling accounted for the third and fourth wickets and tea was taken with Strongroom 21-4 off 10, Dan Thanushan 3-13 and Crocker a miserly 1-5.
Following tea, Brodbeck (1-26) replaced Thanushan with an immediate result, trapping his man in front with his second ball. Some decisions are hard to give, others you shouldn’t have given in the first place and then there are those that you simply cannot not give. This game had it all but we were ever conscious that what the game really lacked was a compelling first innings score; the settled mood was long gone, replaced by earnest expression and the search for honour. When the sixth wicket fell to Bart Fine (1-27), just 30 runs were needed but no result could be ruled out.
Fine’s first 11 deliveries may not have been frugal but the 12th was the wicket followed up by two maidens; the seal was set, now welcome thou dread power. Joe Rahmen was dictating Strongroom’s partnership but credit to their No 8, Ibrahim, who was heard assuring his partner that he wasn’t about to throw his wicket away. The teams of gladiators circled against each other and against the odds, there the buzz of eager nations ran in murmured pity or loud roared applause. However, after an honourable defence, the Strollers’ hope gave way to despair as man was slaughtered by his fellow man.
The Strollers gathered themselves and repaired to the outfield with the customary ales as they were left to mull over the short day. Our captain leant upon his hand, his manly brow conquers agony, and his drooped head sinks gradually low.
Capt and match fees: Tom Wood. Wkt: Mike Loan.
Valley End
Sunday September 13 at Valley End
Strollers won by 52 runs
Strollers 225-9
(40 overs; Ferrick 90, Ovenden 42, McDougall 27, Colbeck 19)
Valley End 173
(Colbeck 5-42, Macaulay 3-26, Oliver 1-7, Ovenden 1-20)
The Sunday dawned dryish and the traffic was kind en route to one of the fairer grounds this Stroller has had the pleasure of enjoying. A tree-lined amphitheatre of Surrey’s finest lowlands, modern scoreboard and gleaming white low-lying boundary boarding to (occasionally) prevent the ball from spilling through to adjoining fields and holly.
An autumnal dew laced the outfield, leaving a traceable path to the middle for the routine dissection. The pitch appeared hard and true. Bold statements of intent, (“It’s a 250 pitch, minimum!”, “The hardest pitch I’ve seen all year”, “No, it’s not a boil, it’s definitely a pimple!”), were intertwined with the general chatter of periodic Strollers catching up with the regular folk and newly enlisted. A captain’s enquiry, “So, what can you do? Oh, well that’s okay, we’ll figure something out”.
85 overs of attrition was the game, with a maximum of 44 for the team batting first. Captain Mike Morgan lost the toss and was invited to bat. Hamish McDougall and Sam Ferrick opened up, and opened up. For all the perceived hardness of pitch, it appeared localised to within six feet of each crease. Shorter length deliveries expectant to rise, found hot air and a sizzling woosh as opposed to willow. Eventually contact was made, as alien as they had made it look. Ferrick driving majestically and recklessly in equal measure. McDougall, despatching and despairing full tosses. With the openers seen off, Valley End turned to youth (Huse) and experience (Wordley). Experience was swept to the boundary, while youth found the edge. McDougall was caught for a balanced 27. Glen Oliver (0) with an opportunity at three, had a look and then a hit, and was well held by youth’s return catch. Experience, as experience does, had Aidan Selby (5) in similar fashion. Piers Ovenden joined Ferrick at the crease, to see play through to drinks and a respectable 118-3.
The sugar overload of strong squash put paid to the combustible Ferrick, clean bowled for 90. Tom Colbeck swung merrily (19), Laurie Allsopp conspired to york himself (2), whilst Ovenden remained resolute. Morgan (3), defied and upheld strong principle to turn and walk for the faintest of edges, not even waiting for the umpire. Ovenden looking to go over, went up, held well in the deep (42). Nick Logan longed for more (0), Rory Wood pressed and carved (9*), with Alastair Macaulay adding a last hurrah of aggression (10*). Experience and youth ended with 5-31 and 3-47, respectively as Captain Morgan told the ladies to switch the urn on and called time after 40 overs with the Strollers 225-9.
A delicious supper of fresh fruit, chicken, sandwiches and no less than five types of cake (!) was enough for all to refuse the polite offerings of a second round of tea before we rolled back onto the field.
Ovenden and Wood, opened to some counter-attacking stroke play from Valley End. When Wood applied the brakes with a timely maiden, Ovenden pounced to open his account with an lbw. The runs continued to flow for Valley End as Captain Morgan shuffled his deck with eight bowlers used across the innings. The classic triple-bluff from languid leggie Colbeck (rank long-hop, rank full-toss, unplayable), saw him claim the first of his five wickets and the first of his five clean bowled batsmen for the match.
Valley’s third-wicket partnership continued to push until Macaulay’s relentless barrage of 747’s eventually found their mark (3-26). From then on wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, punctuated by discussions of impending roasts, sage & onion gravy, as well as three very good catches from Allsopp, Macaulay and Ferrick. The last wicket fittingly fell to another Colbeck special to complete his maiden five-wicket haul for the Strollers (5-42); Valley End’s vigil closing on 173.
A celebratory early evening beverage for opposing five-wicket hauls was enjoyed in the low setting sun, and another enjoyable day consigned to the history of the Fleet Street Strollers Cricket Club.
Capt and wkt: Mike Morgan. Match fees: Piers Ovenden.
Follies Farm
Saturday September 19 in Chiddingfold
Strollers lost by six wickets
Strollers 145
(40 overs; McDougall 37, Elton 23no, Rory Wood 20, Loan 14, Fine 13)
Follies Farm Old Spots 148-4
(28 overs; Crocker 2-8, Macaulay 2-22)
Created in 1991, on the private grounds of a pig farm, the Follies Farm Cricket Club is presided over by Mr. Angelou Economou. The idyllic ground, manor house and estate is now on the market at £8.5 million. Such was the talk as the Strollers arrived, ready to play cricket and survey a potential home ground for the club. Can the Strollers funds run this far?
It was a bright sunny day for the Strollers, many of whom had celebrated a surprise birthday party for Piers Ovenden the night before. Overnight rain had softened the pitch, although it was drying out and still in good nick. Skipper Alastair Macaulay won the toss and put the Strollers in to bat.
Traffic jams had held up a few of the Follies Farm players, and so Ryan Duff fielded as a substitute, with Mike Loan and Hamish McDougall opening the batting. Three players came on in place of Duff when the latecomers arrived, a testament to the fielding prowess of Duff, who was obviously doing the work of three men. The opening bowlers bowled straight and gave little away. The latecomers, however, included the Follies Farm regular opening bowlers, and they quickly made an impact with Loan caught out driving on 14.
The batsmen were forced to defend and work hard for their runs, facing some good bowling and a moving ball. McDougall kept the score ticking over with singles and by punishing the rare wayward ball. He was bowled, however, by a great ball just after drinks, for a resolute 37. The Strollers were 75-3 after 21 overs. Rory Wood picked up where McDougall left off with the help of Bart Fine and Tom Elton, but unfortunately the wickets kept falling. H. Grant from Follies Farm was swinging the ball with great effect and finished with four wickets, all bowled and including Wood for 20. Elton pushed on and finished the innings on 23 not out, with the Strollers 145-9 after their 40 overs.
Tea was enjoyed in the pavilion and included the magnificent Follies Farm ham sandwiches. The Strollers knew they had their work cut out for them, and so topped up on some delicious carrot cake too.
Warren Crocker and Elton started strongly and generated good pace. It was a great length ball which gave Crocker his reward, just nicking the bail on the top of off stump. The celebrations were somewhat confused, however, as Crocker had not realised this and needed to be informed of his wicket after he started walking back towards his run-up. A smart caught and bowled saw Crocker take his second and finish a fine spell with figures of 2-8 off six overs.
Despite a good start for the Strollers it soon became apparent that the remaining Follies Farm opener (Grant) was as proficient with the bat as he was with the ball. The Strollers’ fielders responded well, diving to save runs on the soft ground. Duff continued his big fielding efforts, at one stage crashing face first into the boundary fence in an attempt to save a boundary.
Muddy whites portrayed the energetic Strollers, but it was wickets they needed. Follies Farm took drinks on 95-2 after 20 overs. On came Macaulay, who immediately picked up two wickets (caught by Fine) in his first over. Hopes were raised, but unfortunately only briefly. Grant found a new batting partner and finished the game on 82 not out, as Follies Farm secured their win in the 28th over.
It was an enjoyable day, despite a disappointing result, and the Strollers retired to the pavilion for a beer amongst good company.
Capt: Alastair Macaulay. Wkt: Hamish McDougall. Match fees: Nick Logan.
Braywood
Sunday September 20 in Fifield
Strollers won by 71 runs
Strollers 203-9
(40 overs; Swan 58, Hodgson 44no, Arun Thanushan 28, Calvocoressi 23, Latchford 16)
Braywood 132
(37 overs; Dan Thanushan 5-14, Hodgson 2-23, Fine 1-13, Taylor 1-16)
Thanks must go to Hamish McDougall who had a tough time getting an XI together for this game, contending with a double-header weekend and a sizeable group of regular Kiwis watching the All Blacks v Argentina at Wembley. Jim Hodgson Hodgson coaxed his neighbour Richard Latchford out of a five-year absence from the game, and introduced Finlay Perrin, his “stepson”, who at nine years and 11 months is certainly the youngest Stroller of the modern era and probably of all time.
And so to the game. The warm and sunny afternoon was most welcome after the heavy midweek rain with the only grey cloud being the closure of the M4 causing significant travel problems for both Strollers and the Braywood XI. The 12.30pm start became a 1pm start and following a successful toss skipper Brian Taylor opted to bat in a 40-over game.
Tom Wood and Tim Swan opened the innings and found it tough going against accurate bowling on a pudding wicket. Tom reached nine before falling to a very good diving catch by the Braywood keeper and skipper Nikhil Jathavedan. Richard Latchford replaced Wood and immediately unveiled some classy shots and a sound technique that drew mutterings of approval from the pavilion. However on 16 he was undone by another ball that held up on the pitch and was caught at midwicket. The patient Swan was getting the pace of the pitch and started unfurling an array of effortless drives. This, coupled with the arrival of the aggressive George Calvocoressi saw a sharp increase in our scoring rate. They put on 49 before George was caught for 23. Tim then passed his half-century but went shortly after for a very good 58. Ominously the total stood on Nelson at 111 and so Bart Fine was to succumb to the cricketing hoodoo, being caught for nought.
John Gibson and Arun Thanushan left Nelson behind but John was shortly run out for two. Arun was totally unfazed by the very slow pitch and played a series of wonderful full flowing shots while using his feet well. New batsman Hodgson helped himself to some short bowling from the Braywood youngsters, and he and Arun put on a quickfire 49 for the 7th wicket. Dan Thanushan came and went trying to score quickly and the innings closed with Jim on a season’s best 44 not out and Brian on five not out, including a delicious square drive for four. Eleventh man Finlay was disappointed not to get a bat on his debut but all agreed that 203 was a decent score. While we’re on scoring, thank you to Jim’s brother Tom for keeping the book for our innings and to Finlay’s grandfather Stu for doing the Braywood one.
A pleasant tea was had, punctuated by a brief visit from Patrick and Kirsten en route to London and New York. Back on the field Bart Fine and Hodgson opened up and while Bart’s first over was a maiden Jim’s went for eight, including a crisp straight six. Bart claimed the first wicket in his next over via a catch at mid-on by Jim. The young number three, Shubhkaran, fell to Jim in the following over thanks to a catch at short midwicket by Brian and he got a second in his next over courtesy of a very good catch low and to his right by George at short cover to dismiss the threatening looking Fida Shah. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, mostly to the excellent Dan, who finished with 5-14 off seven overs. Catches were taken by Arun, Richard, Tim behind the stumps and a second by Jim. Richard also proved he wasn’t just a batsman with a tidy but wicketless spell.
Finlay was then brought on and after few range-finding balls on a full length pitch with an adult ball, settled on a good line and length for his four overs. Mother Jo and grandparents watched proudly from the boundary as did Jim from the pitch. There was a lovely moment when Brian came on at the other end and youth and experience were separated by a mere 59 years. At this point Tim ran out Rohan Dey with a direct hit at the bowler’s end. Brian bowled the number 10 and the returning Dan had the last man stumped by Swan. Only the Braywood skipper Nikhil stuck to the task, finishing with an impressive unbeaten 70 out of a total of 132.
As celebratory beers were taken with our friendly hosts, Brian, with a 100% winning record in 2015, suggested he could run workshops in the closed season with the less successful 2015 skippers. One for the AGM perhaps?
Capt: Brian Taylor. Wkt: Tim Swan. Match fees: Tom Wood.
Pinkneys Green
Sunday September 27 at Pinkneys Green
Strollers won by 80 runs
Strollers 174-9
(40 overs; Timperley 86, Loan 18, McDougall 16, Sam Brodbeck 11)
Pinkneys Green 94
(27 overs; Simon Brodbeck 2-5, Crocker 2-11, Allsopp 2-22, Rory Wood 1-15, Fine 1-16, Hodgson 1-20)
The autumn leaves blowing across the ground at Pinkneys Green emphasised that the 2015 season was drawing to a close. So many roads travelled since the start of the journey at Great Missenden way back on April 19 – otherwise known as the match of the broken fingers as Warren Crocker and Piers Ovenden mangled their digits.
There were triumphs – glorious victories at West Chiltington and Stanton by Dale, in particular – and disasters, with thumpings from Harpsden and Follies Farm. The midweek Invincibles set a new benchmark with a return of played 12, won 12. Finlay Perrin became the youngest Stroller to make his debut, at nine years and 11 months. For the first time since joining the club in 1978 Ivor Fiala failed to make an appearance. Evan Samuel reappeared after three seasons lost on the ski slopes.
The Sunday record reads: Won 12 Lost 4 Drawn 2 Cancelled 3 Abandoned 1. Saturdays were a mixed bag: Played 7 Won 4 Lost 3. On tour we Won 4, Drew 1 and Lost 1 with 1 Cancelled. That's a total of W20 L8 D3 A1 C4. Not bad.
So at Pinkneys Green the seal was set on the 39th Strollers campaign. Next year the club celebrates its 40th birthday on Saturday May 14 with a gala dinner at the Honourable Artillery Company in the City.
But the talk at the final game of the season was whether England captain Chris Robshaw had made the right call in their 25-28 World Cup defeat by Wales. Should he have elected to kick the penalty that would have brought them level? Should Tim Swan have elected to have that new severe brush cut? “I needed something low maintenance,” he confessed. “It saves me two minutes each day and I spend so much less on product.”
As the debate raged amongst the metrosexuals in the visitors’ line-up, Pinkneys won the toss and inserted - but not before Bart Fine had been officially presented with his club cap. Congratulations to him.
With PG a player short, the Strollers lent them a fielder. Sam Brodbeck was the first to volunteer. “I would like to run James out,” he said. “But, on second thoughts, I can do that perfectly well when we’re batting together.”
It was tough going as PG’s opening bowlers gave little away with Jack Austin (7-1-30-0) and Will Heyes (8-1-21-0) beating the bat and keeping things tight. Hamish McDougall (16) lashed the ball back for a sharp caught and bowled by Anthony Fuller and Mike Loan (18) drove straight and uppishly into the safe hands of Dinesh Khan.
Khan then showed he could bowl too, with a masterly spell of 8-0-28-4. But skipper James Timperley (86) stood firm and kept the score moving along with some fine driving. He pulled one mighty six perilously close to the gleaming new Alfa Romeo Giulietta of Tom Wood [who dropped in on his way to Yorkshire and thence to a golfing break in Barcelona] before advancing down the pitch and being neatly stumped by Tim Snapes. At 174-9 from 40 overs tea was taken – and Cathy Snapes signed off her gastronomic season with another wonderful spread. Jono Addis drove over from St Albans just to test the scones and whipped cream.
Pinkneys too found the early going slow and tricky with Warren Crocker claiming two victims and Fine clipping the top of Heyes’ stumps with the delivery of the day. A stand developed between Charles Berger and Tim Snapes that looked like putting the home side back in contention but a cunning straight one from Simon Brodbeck defeated Berger and Snapes was left high and dry as Laurie Allsopp (2-22), Jim Hodgson (1-20) and Rory Wood (1-15) mopped up the wickets. At 94 all out Pinkneys fell 80 runs short of the target.
Once off the field the Strollers sherpas began packing for the imminent assault on the French Riviera. How would two pairs of pads, two bats and wicket-keeping gear fit into Timperley's hand luggage? Swan ditched his hair product to make room for some gear in his suitcase. The sat navs were switched from Pinkneys to St Vallier de Thiey where Riviera CC and Beausoleil CC await next weekend.
In Berkshire the sun went down - and the blood moon rose in the sky [a lunar phenomenon last seen in 1982 and next on view in 2033] - on an Indian summer of a day as the Strollers, their convivial hosts and most of the population of Pinkneys Green it seemed, conducted an inquest on the match and the 2015 domestic campaign. The unanimous verdict was that both had been thoroughly enjoyable...and that we should do it all again in 2016.
Capt: James Timperley. Wkt: Hamish McDougall. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
Beausoleil
Sunday October 4 at St Vallier de Thiey
Strollers won by 10 wickets
Beausoleil 58
(14.4 overs; Oliver 4-4, Ovenden 3-16, Ball 1-0, Dorrans 1-16)
Strollers 60-0
(9 overs; Timperley 33no, Swan 18no)
Saturday 3rd October, Antibes, Grasse, and Saint Vallier, France
After perpetual downpour throughout Friday night, the Strollers departed Antibes soon after breakfast to begin their journey up into the mountains hoping to leave the rain behind. The forecast suggested that this was not going to be a cricketing day and lo and behold, 15 minutes into the journey tour supremo Piers Ovenden informed us all that our hosts had deemed the pitch unplayable. After much discussion it was decided that we would head for nearby Grasse, famous for its perfumes, for a perusal of the ancient old town and a spot of lunch. We duly continued on to our interim destination.
The Southern Hemisphere constituents (all seven of them!) had been exercising “mind over merlot” until the early hours of the morning (celebrating an improbable victory) which explained why some of them found the car journey a little harrowing, Tim Swan in particular showed a full face spectrum of colours as the entourage snaked its way up the mountain. On arrival Tim needed to sit down, with head in hands, for a good 10 minutes. A subsequent return of normal colour and the tour went their separate ways: Brian Taylor went to inspect the 11th century cathedral whereas everyone else went in search for beer. Jeff Ball booked the group into an Italian restaurant for lunch. The meal was a long and delicious affair located in what can only be described as a cave from which one needed a map and compass to get to the toilet which was located in a nearby building.
Alas the forecast proved to be accurate and the rain started as we grazed and drank, and did not abate until the early hours of Sunday morning. A touch wearily we left our interim home of Grasse (pronounced “grass” by a northerner) and continued on up to St Vallier where we were greeted by Jean Pierre (an upgraded model) and made to feel as welcome as ever at L’Hotel Prejoly. Refreshments were taken at various locations (the local SPAR, the tabac and chez Stephanie, who was delighted to see that Pies had once again rejoined the tour party following his absence last year) before we moved to Le Relais Imperial for the first of two dinners.
Special arrangements had been made to show the rugby and as the sky cracked with thunder and fork lightning pierced the sky there was also something sinister at play on terra-firma as England suffered a crushing defeat against Australia in the Rugby World Cup. The author was disappointed to note that on a collective sample of seven Kiwis seem to favour Australia over their second homes. At least we had got to Saturday evening undefeated in the cricket.
Sunday 4th October, Saint Vallier, France
On Sunday morning the Strollers awoke to discover the thunderstorm and relentless rain had given way to a beautiful clear blue sky filled with sunshine. The next surprise was that the pitch was given the all-clear and so it looked like the Strollers would get to fulfil at least one of the scheduled fixtures.
With news filtering through of the terrible death toll and damage caused by the storms at the bottom of the mountain, we were unsure as to whether our opposition would be able to make it. Manfully, and despite a closed motorway, Beausoleil managed to get a side to the ground and play was scheduled to commence at 1pm. The WAGs scrambled to the local Spa to get some supplies in the form of baguettes (obviously), ham and cheese and those chocolate sandwich biscuit things you only seem to get on the Continent, whilst Beausoleil slowly made their way up the mountain. Pies also demonstrated how to drive on the left as he negotiated a roundabout – mercifully there was no other traffic.
The pitch glistened deep green and some members of the Strollers grew excited by what many agreed was a new piece of astroturf. Birds were chirping in the surrounding trees, autumn yet to grace the branches, horse riders were out embracing the fresh air and a dog show was in full swing over the road. It seemed the whole village was determined to enjoy the last days of summer. Although none of them came to watch the cricket match.
At last the opposition arrived after their arduous back road journey but alas they were a player short. Agreement was reached that Beausoleil would bat first. Pies and Bart Fine opened a strong looking attack. Beausoleil had developed a do or die attitude and it took no time for Pies to knock over the top order (one lbw and two bowled) while Bart bowled accurately but without much luck. A double Kiwi change saw the introduction of Paul Dorrans and tour debutant and Joseph Gordon Levitt lookalike Glen Oliver, who doesn’t have a run-up but bowls with serious pace.
He lulls Dobby, who confessed he thought Glen was a spinner, into a false stroke and loses his off stump. The same fate falls to the next three batsmen, all bowled. Glenn finishes with 4-4 off two overs and is diplomatically withdrawn. Dorrans also picks up a much deserved wicket before his three-year exile to Hong Kong. At eight wickets down and only one wicket left, the Strollers turned to Jeff “concede lots of runs whilst taking no wickets” Ball. Unfortunately a delivery of pure dross is top-edged and pouched by the watchful Alastair Macaulay at square leg and the opposition are bowled out for 60 - a target which is carefully overhauled by James Timperley and Swan off nine overs. A comfortable 10-wicket victory.
Tea is taken (a particularly good vegetable curry is had) and a beer match hastily arranged – Dorrans is given the opening honours along with Taylor and they muster the highest wicket partnership of the tour; a solid foundation which Hamish McDougall then supplements with some lusty straight hitting. A creditable 133 is reached for the loss of four wickets (Dorrans, Taylor, Macaulay and Ball for a tour duck!) with every member of the fielding side bowling two overs. Their innings starts as the other ended with Fine taking a very difficult chance at point, with a very nonchalant catch. Wickets fall at regular intervals and although Beausoleil get close to the target, with three overs to go, they still have to contend with two overs from Oliver. He gives away nothing and the unofficial, never to be scored statistics for the game, do not record a win by 14 runs.
We retired to the bar at Chez Stephanie, and then up on the “terrace” at the Prejoly before returning back to the Relais – a thoroughly enjoyable end to a thoroughly enjoyable and successful season. See you in April.
Capt: Peter Patston. Wkt: Hamish McDougall.
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