AVCC v Bishops Cannings
On a dull, rainy day, we welcomed a new fixture - Bishops Cannings - at Rushall.
We assembled almost on time, but were one short and so co-opted the 14 year old son (Olly) of Chris Green to join us. Ben turned up late after a good night out, and his turquoise shorts got a few comments, but no wolf-whistles.
Graham won the toss, and decided to field. There was a good logic to this…..the rain was forecast to be very heavy from 4.30pm and so by getting them to bat first - as they were a good quality side - meant we were less likely to lose as we could have a lengthy tea, double cake helpings, no second innings and be at the pub early. Easy really. We would set our Zimbabwean twins of terror on them….Michael Rae and Jeremy Richards (having played for Avebury the day before, as confidently predicted by your local reporter here, in this very column….).
Wow, Bishops Cannings looked like the best side we have played - ever.
Michael Rae had just given up 14 runs in his previous 12 overs and so started. Unexpectedly, they took 19 off his first over. That shook things up. Jeremy bowling with great pace from the other end, achieved a wicket maiden in his first over - taking a nice caught and bowled from their opener who had taken 16 off Michael in his first over. 22-1 off 8 balls!
It was definitely a real contest. They took 37 off Michael in 3 overs - but 1-1 from Jeremy in the same spell. However, Michael looked like he was working his way through it and making a comeback. This he duly did and from his remaining 4 overs, gave away just 6 runs and took 3 wickets. That’s the Michael we know. Good turnaround and mental persistence by Michael. To be applauded and it was a good spell in the end, and assisted by a supportive captain. 32-1, became 37-2 when Tim Gent took a slip catch at head height off Michael’s bowling to complete a comeback wicket-maiden over. Take some time to consider this moment. Tim Gent, slip catch……oxymoron….no! brilliant fielding and cat-like reflexes (or that’s what he told me afterwards in the pub, I think…).
4 overs late, Michael struck again - clean bowling the off-stump of their polished opener and captain. 51-3. Then Michael got their no 4, beautifully bowled with an in-swinger and their much vaunted and polished attack was 62-4.
Ben Jones and Ish took up the fight. Their middle order sure hit the ball hard. Graham took one screamer to the body and ended up off the pitch, bloodied and needing treatment for a split thumb. The ball began to fly to all corners as their number 6 tried to win the Judge’s champagne (and very nearly made it too) with some amazingly powerful drives. Fortunately, after a few overs mayhem, Ben dispensed with him on 95 (-5) and Ish got the 6th wicket on 122. This was caught by Graham who had returned and allegedly put himself in a no catching position to protect his thumb. A few OMG’s (or something similar) went through his mind with the ball coming to him and he dared not drop it.
130-6…we hoped we had weathered the storm of their big hitting and formidable batting line up. Simon then bowled their 7th wicket with a fine in-swinger with just his second ball, and the score was 142-7. Game-on!
Unfortunately, their 8th wicket pair played solidly, with only one chance given (a drop by Tim off an easier ball in the slips) and they took the game away from us to make 201-7 at the end of their allotted overs. Nothing we could do stopped the flow of runs and they took 59 off the final 10 overs - Ben taking 1-53 (5 overs), Ish a creditable 1-22 (off 7 overs), Simon Campbell 1-35 (5), Olly Green 0-16 (3).
It was raining for the last 5 overs, and so we decided to enjoy a hearty tea and surely we would not return and have to recover such a major score. There were great scones with clotted cream and jam, pizza, lots of cake, tasty sausage rolls, and the usual egg sandwiches. The plates were well cleared and licked….with the help of hungry children and dogs. Yes, AVCC is a real family club.
Unfortunately, the promised heavy rains and thunderstorms did not materialise, and although it rained persistently, the AVCC batsmen took the field and decided to battle through it. Not the right professional decision, but the right one for the game and the spirit of village cricket.
Simon Borthwick and Tim Gent took the opening stand. They put on an accurate, spin attack. Simon particularly enjoyed it and knocked a quick-fire 29 before being caught and bowled by their opening bowler, Alsop (P). 32-1 in the 7th over, Tim on 1. Simon hit 6 very splendid 4’s and had their measure and so sad to see him go. Michael Rae came in at 3, settled, looked good, but was caught off the same bowler with the score on 37 for 4 runs (Tim was still on 1) in the 9th over.
Ish came in, wearing glasses for a change, and looked in good form…his usual solid and busy self, and taking a good 3 and then a fine 4 off his first over received. However, it turned out to be a cameo and he was bowled by Curran for 10. 54-3 off 15 overs (now below the run rate, and Tim had now advanced to 4). In strode Simon Campbell and then the scoreboard started to tick over. Simon hit a fine 50 with 6 well struck 4’s. It should have been more but the pitch was now sodden, as was the ball, which seemed to be masquerading as a sponge, and so 4’s were getting hard to come by. Tim was out with the score on 92-4 having achieved his top score for the season of 13. 13 off 23 overs and was then run-out. Is he Boycott in disguise? Not the first (as the author sharply remembers from 2 previous personal incidents), and I suspect not the last, to be run-out by an enthusiastic and scampering Mr Campbell.
Simon went - bowled by a shooter around the ankles on 50 with the score being on 114-5 off 27.2 overs. We were well behind the rate and playing for pride now. Jeremy Richards took over from Tim and took a little while to settle with a few probing singles. Chris Gent went out and was caught off the same bowler for 3. Ben Jones came in, still hung-over from a most-excellent party the night before (may have impacted the bowling figures too) and stayed alive to achieve 3 not out.
However, during this time, Jeremy found his form and proceeded to rattle up the score quickly with 4x4’s and 2 mighty 6’s. He took the 6’s off their captain. The first was a mighty pull over the fence on the pavilion side…the biggest blow we have seen from an AVCC player on that side of the park, and it came down with snow and comet dust still sparkling on the sodden sponge of a ball. Cleared hacked off, their captain put 2 players on the boundary in that area, and next ball Jeremy took them on and hit another mighty 6 over their heads for another tremendous 6. His class - which has been evident since his first ball with us this season, has now shone through and been rewarded, and Jeremy finished with a brisk 48 not out. We finished on 166-6 - a creditable score given the strength of opposition and the very wet conditions.
So off to the pub, and we were reasonably satisfied we had played well. If we had known we would get through both innings, we would probably batted first and then the result may have been different as they definitely got the best of the conditions.
Notable mentions…Simon Campbell for another half-century. Jeremy Richards for his 48 not out and 1-19 bowling (7 overs), and Michael Rae for fighting back and getting 3 wickets for 6 runs after a sticky start. Our heads never went down, and that’s a real positive, despite playing a very strong team, and probably the best batting team we have faced in our history.
Notable things to improve….besides timekeeping….extras….for the first time in 3 seasons our extras total conceded exceeded all but one of their batsman’s score. We leaked 32 extras (their top scorer got 44), and the difference in the scores was just 35. 14 wides, 5 no balls, and 11 byes. They leaked just 6 - which is more like our usual average. Little things matter.