Tadworth
Sunday July 21 at Tadworth Strollers won by seven wickets Tadworth 188
(34.2 overs; Low 3-1, Oliver 2-5, Richie Stubbs 2-30, Pittams 1-3, Squires 1-24, Dela Rue 1-26)
Strollers 189-3
(30.3 overs; Oliver 102no, Pittams 32no, Squires 20, Travis 17) Summer 2024 has been a difficult one for the match
management supremos at the FSSCC, with the hierarchy never quite sure if the
weather will cooperate or the opposition will be available. To add to the
difficulties, scheduled match reporter Rowan Smith strategically injured
himself the day before (allegedly bowling for another cricket team, no less) in
order to avoid penmanship duties, and your humble correspondent stepped into
the writing breach. Fortunately, match manager Mike Pittams had cleverly kept
200-match veteran supersub John Low on ice to fill the gap in the playing squad
for the 35-over fixture against Tadworth. It was to prove a wise
decision.
Pre-match WhatsApp chat centred on skipper Rob Wall’s
penchant for unique fielding positions (a cluster around cover, no-one catching
behind point), with rumours of a new diamond formation lifted from England’s
football team. His parents had been flown in from New Zealand to observe
proceedings, sitting next to Glen Oliver’s mother to discover they had
worked together c.50 years ago. Small world indeed.
To the surprise of many, Wall set a relatively regulation
field with no fewer than three catchers behind point when opening with in-form
bowler Freddie Broster-Turley. Broster-Turley bowled a very accurate
spell for no reward (although he may have finally worked out that if you take a
hatful of wickets in your first few overs, you don’t tend to be allowed to bowl
for very long).
Regular opening partner James Dela Rue had to deal with not
only trying to rediscover his rhythm after a recent sojourn to Asia, but also
the tricky steep run-up at the opposite end. After bowling an early ball
à la Aidan Selby (over the batter’s head on the fly), he was rewarded for his
improvement with the opening wicket after a pinpoint yorker.
Having secured just one wicket from the opening 12 overs,
regulation fields were summarily tossed out as Wall reverted to the unique
field positions that have become the hallmark of his captaincy.
It was only a few balls later the first chance sailed
agonisingly over the head of one of the close catchers – the skipper’s apparent
failure having been not to have supplemented three short covers with a fly
short cover. Almost immediately afterwards the approach paid dividends,
as the no doubt baffled batter chipped straight at the tall figure of Blair
Travis at – you guessed it – short cover to give Richie Stubbs the first of two
well deserved wickets.
Richie’s son James was given the ball at the other end,
bowling in bright orange trainers courtesy of a mix-up with his kit. Stubbs Jr
appeared to have developed a ball that swung prodigiously away from the
plentiful supply of left-handers in the Tadworth team. However,
controlling such a weapon proved a little trickier – Stubbs Jr at one stage
taking instructions to “bowl to your field” somewhat literally by sending one
ball directly to his somewhat bemused father at third man.
A change of bowler to bring on debutant James Squires
(fresh from the midweek production line) saw Dela Rue rotated into the
unfamiliar position of gully. He was in the process of frantically trying
to catch the skipper’s eye to suggest a move to literally anywhere else on the
pitch when Squires induced a thick edge. Dela Rue took a sharp reflex
catch to gift Squires his maiden Strollers wicket.
The bowling enigma that is Pittams (one week a study in
near perfect length, the next a danger to his own toes) was gifted the next
spell. Fortunately we got the former this week, and he produced an
excellent mini-spell that resulted in one victim clean bowled.
With Tadworth in danger of falling short of a defendable
total, Tod Harrison arrived to shore up the lower order. He proceeded to
get stuck into everything that moved, putting a sizeable dent in the bowling
figures of such luminaries as Travis and Simon Brodbeck in the
process. At this point, Wall turned to his ace and trump card – John
Low. It was a masterstroke.
Low, proving that class is indeed permanent, shrugged off
the minor inconvenience of only having bowled two overs – total – in the last
four seasons combined. He dispatched Harrison with his very first ball via
a simple catch in the deep, bamboozled the new batter into missing a straight
one several balls later, and completed the demolition job via another catch in
the deep with his last to finish with 3-1 off his single over.
Either side of the Low masterclass, Oliver chipped out the
stubborn Tadworth No 4 and the last Tadworth wicket to fall (reaching the
milestone of 100 Strollers wickets in the process), and the Strollers had
turned the match on its head by taking the last five wickets for a single run.
Wall had restricted the score to a gettable 188 and followed the
Strollers ethos of “give everyone a go” to the letter with all 10 fielders
getting a bowl.
Thus onto tea. Oh, the tea. Law 41 of the Laws
of Cricket sets out an array of actions that are deemed “unfair” and contrary
to the Spirit of Cricket. “Tea at Tadworth” should be added to that list;
every year an exceptional array of sandwiches and cakes that appear designed
for one purpose only – render opposition batters incapable of moving.
Wall surveyed his batting options, with Oliver slated for No
5 before he foolishly opened his mouth and offered to bat wherever he was
needed. Wall punished such selflessness (and solved his opening
partnership/who had eaten the least dilemma at the same time) by sending him
out to open with Travis against a small army of left-armers.
Travis looked solid early – hitting one excellent six –
until he was caught by surprise by a ball that cannoned into his middle stump
without troubling the pitch.
Squires, playing his first “competitive” fixture in around
15 years, scored a solid 20 on debut (including an impressive six) and looked a
decent prospect before holing out attempting to up the scoring rate.
Oliver started well and chose to ward off the niggles in
his ever-creaking body by avoiding running whenever possible, with a streak of
seven boundaries seeing him quickly reach 50. He nearly killed a helpless Dela
Rue, who was minding his own business as the bowler’s end umpire – only saved
by the bowler almost catching a rocket on front of Dela Rue’s face. It was to
be the first of three times Oliver was dropped by the same fielder.
Low, fresh from his bowling heroics, took over from Squires
and held up an end well. Oliver then appeared to mistake him for someone
half his age and ran him out by a yard. Tadworth’s layout meant that any batter
dismissed in a such a way had a very long walk back to the changing rooms to
contemplate the injustice.
Pittams, in at five and with memories of his own exploits
at this venue last year fresh in mind, was torn between playing his natural
attacking game and the realisation that Oliver was creeping closer to a ton but
running out of runs to chase. He edged several to the third man fence, to
the amusement of his own teammates.
The Tadworth fielder who clocked what was going on got the
loudest cheer of the day after threatening to throw a Pittams single for four
overthrows – via the boundary he was standing next to. With teammates like
these, who needs opponents?
Fortunately for Oliver, Pittams was good enough to allow
him just enough time to nudge through the covers to bring up his first hundred
for the year before the winning run was struck.
The victorious Strollers retired to the clubhouse to enjoy
a quiet drink in the glorious Tadworth sunshine and digest the remnants of
their tea. Onwards to Chenies & Latimer!
Capt
and wkt: Rob Wall
Match fees: Simon Brodbeck. Match report: Glen Oliver.
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