Sunday April 27 saw the Strollers at Bledlow Ridge, an
impressive ground in open Chilterns countryside, bounded by oaks still in early
spring colour. The square has a downwards gradient towards the clubhouse end,
steeper at each crease. Uncharacteristically the Strollers were a player short
and Bledlow Ridge kindly lent one of their own, Jonah Pedrette, an England
Under-18s hockey player.
Captaining in his first Sunday game of the season, picking
up where he left off last season and possibly setting a record for consistency
before a ball was bowled, Glen Oliver called incorrectly and the Strollers were
asked to field first.
Two left-handers, Isaac Bourne and Ben Hillary, opened for
Bledlow Ridge and got off to an impressive start, dispatching the Strollers’
opening bowlers, Jake Helsby and Gregor Findlay, for a continuous stream of
boundaries. The total passed 50 runs in the fourth over and the match was almost
instantly beginning to look like a doomed cause, not helped by an early lost
ball.
Ben Mangham was brought on for the fifth over and managed
to exercise some control over the batting, and for the next eight overs the run
rate came down but no wickets were taken despite a couple of strong lbw
appeals. The fourteenth over saw the introduction of spin with Alastair Macaulay
replacing Gregor Findlay at the pavilion end. Runs continued to flow with both
openers reaching 50.
Mangham completed his seven-over spell to be replaced by Oliver
for the 19th over with the score on a very healthy 135-0. However, Oliver’s
deceptive pace off a short walk-in to the stumps yielded an immediate wicket,
surprising Bourne and bowling him for a very solid 76 runs and giving at last something
for the Strollers to celebrate at drinks.
Next man Charlie King tried to keep the run-rate healthy
but found it difficult to get Oliver away eventually being caught on the
boundary by Pedrette for 18 with the score on 162. Ten runs later Macaulay tempted
Hillary into a lofted leg-side shot which was comfortably caught by Oliver. The
wickets continued as new batsman Ollie Vye edged an easy catch off Macaulay to Love
behind the stumps to return to the clubhouse without scoring.
With two new batsmen at the crease and score now on 172-4, Macaulay’s
spell ended in the 28th over. Pedrette bowled two overs of medium pace for 16
runs, followed by a return to off-spin with Simon Brodbeck also bowling for two
overs, and Hugh Martindale taking over from Oliver in the 35th over, the
skipper finishing with figures of 8-3-22-2. Although runs were flowing again,
Brodbeck did entice Theo Ward into being caught by Pedrette to end a very handy
72-run partnership which was beginning to threaten a total over 300.
Jaryd Venables was still at the crease and intent to push
on but Manoj Chaudran, Leo Vye and Georgia White all came and went bowled by
Scott Findlay as runs were kept under control in the last five overs, Findlay’s
cameo producing figures of 2-0-6-3, and the innings finishing on 260-8.
261 felt like a challenging target as Pedrette and Love strode
out to open the batting. Tallulah Williams opened the bowling at a reasonable
pace but Pedrette showed his intent, scoring two crisp boundaries through the
covers at the end of the opening over. Venables kept it tight at the other end
but two more boundaries in the third over for Pedrette kept the scoreboard
moving. However, his next drive was too ambitious and he departed caught on the
off-side by Hillary with the score on 21. Scott Findlay joined Love at the
wicket and despatched his first ball for four to end the third over.
Two more tight overs from the openers followed but Venables’
third over produced two wickets - Scott Findlay bowled for six with the score
on 36 and then Gregor Findlay, on his Strollers debut, out lbw second ball.
At 36-3 after six overs, for the second time in the match
the Strollers looked to be in some trouble, with the fielding side buoyant, 261
looking a long way off and new batsman Oliver at the crease, blowing clouds of
dust away to find his mark.
But the rest, as they say, is history. Oliver almost immediately
found the middle of his bat and the tenth over, Venables’ fifth, yielded 22
runs, quite a change from his first four which had brought two wickets for only
14 runs.
Love continued to bat steadily as well and by drinks at 20
overs the Strollers had stormed to 171-3. The earlier buoyancy of the fielding
side had subsided and ‘we need a wicket’ was audible a number of times, but the
Strollers still needed 90 runs and were quietly aware of what might happen
should another wicket fall.
But Love and Oliver had firm belief that the task was within
their grasp and kept the runs coming as every Bledlow Ridge player got to bowl,
and it was records rather than wickets that began to fall.
Although Theo Ward bowled five overs for only 19 runs there
was a steady stream of runs from the other bowlers including an enormous six
down the ground by Oliver off White as the winning line approached. A seven-wicket
win was duly secured in the 34th over with Love on 77 not out and Oliver on 146
not out.
Of particular note:
*Love’s 77 not out eclipsed his previous personal
best of 74 v Stanton by Dale on 27.08.2022 at Stanton
*It was a record fourth-wicket unbroken stand of
228 for the Strollers, beating the previous best of 180 by Mike Pittams, Glen
Oliver, Ben Mangham and Paige Copsey [who curiously were all involved] v
Broughton Gifford on 24.06.23
By now a party atmosphere had developed in the clubhouse, a
karaoke striking up with a familiar Eurythmics song, which Love and Brad
Trebilcock had to be discouraged from joining, the latter doubtless in need of
some activity after 28 overs padded up as next man in.
But it was a fine way for Love to sign off, an unbeaten
highest score before leaving to travel the world and the seven seas - well
South America at least. A cool refreshing beer capped a very satisfying win for
the Strollers, which had more than once looked highly unlikely. Sweet dreams
are made of this. Hang on, it’s that karaoke song again. And it was too, on and
on like another broken record…
Capt:
Glen Oliver. Wkt: George Love.
Match report: Hugh Martindale. Match fees: Simon Brodbeck.
