A gentlemanly 2pm start
time and the usual idyllic Chilterns setting was too tempting for some of the
Strollers, who decided it was a good idea to indulge in some pre-match
refreshments at a local ale house before making their way to the Winchmore Hill
Cricket Club ground. Can we attribute the ensuing circus-like performance to
this act alone? No doubt it will be a source of debate among cricketing
scholars for some time to come.
Another toss won by
captain Glen Oliver –
refreshed and sporting a full-body tan from his recent holiday to Cap d’Agde in
the south of France – had the Strollers openers strapping on the pads.
Spare a thought for the
unfortunate Blair Travis, looking forward to enjoying a day of peaceful cricket
as a brief respite from the rigours of parenting an energetic youngster, who
then had to endure the unremitting chatter of FSCC’s own energetic youngster,
Brad Trebilcock, during the two-hour drive to the ground.
Blair’s run of
misfortune continued after that, narrowly surviving a first over run-out thanks
to senseless running from batting partner Jack Le Serve, only to fall a few
balls later to a tidy delivery from opening bowler Liam Van Den Berg. A
sheepish Le Serve survived a few more overs from the skilful Winchmore bowlers
before being cleaned up by a well delivered yorker.
Oliver and Trebilcock
set about pushing the innings towards a competitive total, both striking some
exquisitely timed blows and sending the Winchmore fielders fetching balls from
all corners of the ground. Trebilcock, no doubt inspired by the presence of his
fiancée, the lovely Sarah, put up a third career-best score in four games, was
eventually trapped lbw for 14.
From this point on,
wickets fell at regular intervals and were it not for a brutal 70-ball ton from
Oliver, who showed no mercy to courageous 13- year-old leg-spinner Ethan Van Den
Berg, things could have
become very ugly.
Special mentions to
Hetu Shah and Ben Mangham, who made good contributions after Oliver departed,
to ensure that the Strollers had a decent enough total of 209 to defend. Meanwhile
Sarah, alongside Le Serve’s girlfriend Ellen, had notched up their own impressive
total of eight glasses of rosé from the pavilion’s well stocked bar.
It was at this point
that the aforementioned circus really began. Full credit must be given to the
bowlers, who for the large part did a fine job in pitching their deliveries in
good areas, asking difficult questions of the Winchmore batsmen, who seemed most
happy to oblige in delivering a veritable smorgasbord of catching chances.
This correspondent can
personally recall a tally of six sitters, three regulation catches and three
half-chances being spilled to the turf, much to the delight of the Winchmore spectators,
and the confusion of Sarah – a newcomer to the sport – who politely enquired of
Ellen if it was a normal occurrence to see this many drops. No Sarah, it isn’t
normal.
Meanwhile, the
Winchmore top order brutally pummelled the bowlers in a withering display of
power hitting, cruising to 1-110 after just 14 overs. Ah well, an early beer
wouldn’t be so bad would it?
Undeterred (okay,
perhaps a little bit deterred) our bowlers continued to do everything that was
within their power to take wickets – preferably bowled or lbw given the state
of the fielding that was on display. And just like that… the game began to
change.
It took an absolute
classic spell of spin mastery from Steve Rogers, initially coming on as a sub
bowler for Travis (whose misfortune continued with a split finger), to turn
what was previously a foregone conclusion, into a bit of a contest.
Rogers’ variations in
pace, spin and bounce were too much for the Winchmore middle order. His well-deserved
return of 4-21 off eight overs helped to stem the flow of runs and quieten down
some of the earlier chirp from the pavilion. Ben Mangham was also excellent,
his figures of 1-21 from five overs unfortunately did not reflect the plethora
of lbw and caught dismissals he might have snared on another day.
Despite some plucky
batting from Winchmore’s talented teenage contingent, they could not build
lasting partnerships, and somehow the unthinkable happened – in a nail-biting
end, the Strollers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a tense 15-run
victory. In an ironic twist of fate, the victory was secured with a sharp catch
at gully from Harry Mangham.
Celebratory beers
flowed soon after, thanks to Oliver for putting some jugs on to celebrate his
ton. Had the best team won the day? Certainly not. However, maximum
entertainment had no doubt been delivered through a combination of some
brilliant individual cricketing performances, coupled with a healthy dose of
comedy. Your correspondent gave Blair some peaceful reprieve at last, driving
young Brad home to Brixton, where news of his innings had no doubt preceded him
and was the subject of joyous street celebrations. We head to Hyde Heath next
week, where the advice to our bowlers should be to target the stumps at all
times.
Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: Hugh Martindale.
Match fees: Steve Rogers. Match report: Jack Le Serve.
