Watford Town
Sunday September 29 in Watford Strollers won by four wickets Watford 204
(38.4 overs; Le Serve 2-29, Copsey 2-33, Oliver 1-10, Brodbeck 1-16, Wall 1-24, Macaulay 1-29, Dela Rue 1-41)
Strollers 206-6
(37.3 overs; Pittams 89, Travis 28, Love 27, Oliver 23, Le Serve 22no) An eager Glen Oliver was anxious to prolong the summer.
Perhaps to help Blair Travis find just 53 more runs to join
Glen on the 1,000 mark for the season. Perhaps just to keep up the winning
streak on what has been a golden second half of the campaign with the last
Sunday defeat coming on June 9.
Old Wimbledonians were all set up to host. Very handy as
just down the road from Glen and Steph in nearby Raynes Park. But Wimbledonians
had forgotten that the ground was scheduled to be put to bed, so that was ruled
out.
A plea on the fixturelist website brought help in the shape
of Watford Town – a little further away from Raynes Park but still worth the
trek if the weather would allow us to get a game in.
Simon Brodbeck vaguely recalled playing there a lifetime
ago. Statistical supremo Maggie Patston dug deep into the archives and
reported:
I remember playing Watford Taverners at the cricket ground
by Watford Leisure Centre. We played four times: won two, lost two.
We played there in 1980 / 1981 / 1983 and 1984. I
particularly remember the match in 1981. It was the summer of Botham’s
Ashes and our match was when the Fourth Test was being played at
Edgbaston. Australia needed 150 runs to win in their second
innings. It was the fourth day and they started at 9-1 overnight.
Someone had brought a transistor radio which had been put next to me on the
scorers’ table but The Strollers were fielding. Richard Littlejohn kept
getting an update when he was at long leg and relayed it to the players.
This was the match when Botham took 5 wickets for 1 run in 28 balls.
England bowled them out for 121 to win the match. I think everyone came
to listen to the radio for the final over or two. It was very exciting.
The Ashes stopped play!
The last time we played there in 1984 was a heavy loss for
us:
Watford, 166-7 dec in 34.3 overs: Littlejohn 3-36, Danny John 2-23,
Brodbeck 1-16, Hayter 1-31.
Strollers,72 all out in 29 overs: Meade 12, Fiala 10, Smyth 7*
So much for the history. That was Watford Taverners. Watford
Town are a different side just over the wall.
Oliver lost the toss (again) and Watford batted on an
artificial strip which made play possible after a week of grey rain. And scored
what seemed 30 runs too many. Jack Le Served up a steady spell with 2-29 and almost pulled off the
catch of the century with an acrobatic swallow dive at mid-off to get fingers
to what was hardly a chance. Paige Copsey, who has been busy all summer pushing
the boundaries of women’s cricket, made her 2024 debut and showed the men how
to do it with a very tidy 2-33. She also got her shin in the way of a booming
straight drive, deflected it onto the stumps only for the bails to remain
firmly in place.
Alastair Macaulay sported horrifying black trainers which
stunted his normal wicket-taking powers. Figures of 1-29 were comment enough.
In fairness, the usual draconian rules re proper cricketing footwear were
suspended because of the ‘no spikes’ warning on the plastic pitch.
Watford swung the bat and – thanks to a profligate spell
from Simon Brodbeck, who somehow managed to concede 16 runs off 10 balls – racked up 204 before their final wicket fell
to a run-out.
The key thing as the Strollers openers took to the field
was, of course, that Travis required a little matter of 53 runs to reach 1,000 for
the season. Could he do it? All was going swimmingly with George Love (27) bashing
it about and Blair crashing it through the covers with his trademark shot…until
disaster struck. With Travis’s score on 28, short extra-cover took a blinding
catch above his head and a dejected Blair had to depart, left stranded on 975
for the season.
[Travis was the victim of three wonderful catches – at Roehampton,
The Lee and Watford – which effectively scuppered his record bid].
But his 28 brought him up to joint fifth place in the ‘Most
runs in a season’ category, level with Hamish McDougall’s effort in 2011.
Oliver’s 2024 efforts bear repeating. He currently stands at
1049 at an average of 95, with two games in France still to come. That is just
142 behind Chris Meade (1989) and a seemingly uncatchable 381 behind James
Timperley in 2009.
Mike Pittams, the third of the three musketeers, had a
prolific season too, with 593 runs at an average of 66. Modest as ever, shy
hero Pittams – who never counts his runs and often elects to get out on the
brink of another century – did announce his personal statistics for 2024:
*0 misfields
*0 dropped catches
*0 matches arrived at late
*1 false stroke, back in June
*206 cheese and pickle sandwiches consumed during teas
Impressive.
And it was Pittams who blazed the victory trail. After
Oliver (23) fell to a brilliant, low, left-handed catch at slip, Pittams took
over and began to hit some monster blows, off-driving and pulling with
tremendous power.
With victory in sight Pittams essayed one drive too many
and there was still some way to go.
But Le Serve nervelessly took the Strollers home with some
scything off-side shots. With just 15 balls to spare, the task was done.
And so the sun (or rather glowering skies) set on the 2024
domestic season as the vast crowd and our friendly hosts hailed the conquering heroes. Le Serve was watched
by his adoring fan club of partner Ellen. George’s parents, Terry and Lesley, were
there to watch their boy before returning to New Zealand. Aidan Selby and son
Caleb popped down from St Albans.
The finale deserved a lap of honour: 13 consecutive Sunday wins
since defeat by West Chiltington on June 9. Just five defeats: VUWCC on Feb 11;
Winchmore Hill May 19; Maidenhead & Bray June 2; West Chiltington June 9; Wall
Aug 31.
Impressive…
Capt: Glen Oliver. Wkt: George Love.
Match fees and match report: Simon Brodbeck.
| 
