AVCC v Marden
Well the sun shone, for a worthy cause. Remembering Richard Cox, a good friend of many in Upavon and Marden, who passed away in 2000. This match is a charity match, with all match fees, fines and donations going to his favourite charity - the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, and all prizes being handed out by his widow, Mary who attended the game with a number of friends.
Having said this, the match is rarely a friendly. At stake....the Richard Cox Memorial trophy (which AVCC won for the first time last year) and local bragging rights as Marden are our nearest rivals.
Graham Newland was made captain for the day and won the toss, and decided to bat on a sunny but windy afternoon. The weather was forecast to get colder and cloudier, and so the logic was to get the best of a batting track that looked flat and useful. The track, as always, prepared beautifully by Nigel Wookey, and this match was our first at home this season.
So Angus Harley (first match of the season) and Geoff Smith took the field to open. We faced a new look Marden (on average about 30 years younger than we last saw them, and various ringers from Wilcot, Urchfont, Burbage and All Cannings were spotted in their ranks). No, it was clearly going to be a very competitive game, and their bowlers came in breathing fire, pace and and venom. Angus and Geoff resisted all this young-guy testosterone and kept the score board ticking over nicely. We were 37 not out at the end of the 7th over....Angus looking sound on 27 not out (6x4’s) and Geoff got the loudest cheer getting off the mark in the 7th over. However, disaster stuck in the 8th and Geoff was out for 1 caught off Paxton’s bowling.
Nic Westlake came in and played confidently. Unfortunately, Angus soon after parted on 27 as the mature spin bowler, Graham Booth, came in and had the ball regularly beating the bat. 50-2; 9 overs, we were doing OK. Good start from Angus though - welcome back. Jeremy Richards came in at 4, his first Sunday start for us. Again he looked very sound and with good technique against the faster bowlers, before he was bowled by (Urchfont’s) P Strong off a fast and hostile ball for 3. 55-3. Oops, now getting fidgety as today we had a long tail.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Simon Campbell went in to calm things down. 4 off the first ball to their quickie...and we all breathed a great sigh of relief. Nic and Simon then built a strong partnership - holding off the venomous bowlers until their slower bowlers came on. Simon hit everyone with disdain and panache. Nick clearly liked their captain’s bowling (C Bailey) when he came on - hitting 2 mighty 6’s over mid wicket and 1 4 off his first over. Bailey junior came on the other end and was treated to some bashes to the boundary too. 200 beckoned in the sunlight.....
Dream on....Nick went next over to Dad Bailey for a peerless, well-crafted 41, and then Simon went the following over to son Bailey for a positive and game-changing rapid 56. 150-5, 25 overs gone....still well positioned after these 2 fine innings but our tail was exposed....the very tail that had not batted all season and not been to nets either....this would be a test indeed....
Well not much to write here.....we were all out for 171 in the 33rd over.....with the Bailey family taking 7 wickets between them (Dad 3, son 4)....and Michael Rae (6), Peter Williams (2), Graham
Newland (5), Bruce Carter (1), Tim Gent (1) and new boy Chris Green (4 not out) at least having had a chance to experience holding a bat again...even if not for long. Gentle note to remind new boys how to umpire village cricket.....Jeremy giving his captain out lbw outside of his crease was not considered a suitable decision by at least 1 on the team.
171 was considered a pretty decent score on the pitch, for a first home match of the season...although it was feared by some that we may be some 20 runs short, especially after the fine middle order stand of Nic and Simon...and especially as could see the ringers in the Marden side.
Tea was great. Glad to see Nikki Vesey back....well presented, well stocked, well run and plenty of cake. Just what we needed before taking the field. It was during the tea interval that Graham noticed we lacked depth in pace on the bowling front and that it might be a challenging spinning afternoon ahead.
No problem...bring on our Zimbabwe twins of terror - Michael Rae and Jeremy Richards to shake them up and see what Marden were made off. We couldn’t have asked for a better start. Michael Rae bowled 5 overs for just 5 runs scored and had the batsmen in all sorts of trouble. Very unlucky not to take a wicket, as several were deserved. Jeremy was unplayable and indeed, downright scary and terrifying. Jeremy came in with his left handed out swingers with considerable pace and menace. None of us would have wanted to face him, and judging by the backing-away, the shuffling and jumping, none of their young lads did either. He bowled their opener, Paxton with his first ball, and then bowled out 3 others in his first 5 overs.....taking 4-11 off 7 overs. Great spell of bowling, and in that spell the match came under control...as Marden were subdued.
From then on, we used our more mature and slower bowlers with great effect. Geoff Smith looked very threatening with his spinners and took his first wicket for the club. Graham took his first wicket of the season (at last!), Angus Harley took his first wicket of the season with a very tidy and economical spell of spinners, and Peter Williams took one too thanks to a superb one-handed catch from Michael Rae who made this great catch look so nonchalant. Very satisfying to see so many contributions. However, I save the best for last....Bruce (who had a very torrid time keeping to Jeremy and had very sore hands as a result) played one of his best wicket keeping games and took a catch (off Angus) and a magnificent stumping (also off Angus). Peter Williams wrapped up the match with a stumping too.
Thus, Marden subsided to 106 all out in the 32nd over, enabling AVCC to win and to retain the Richard Cox Memorial Trophy for a second consecutive year, winning by 65 runs. For those who like to know these things....4 wins on the trot this season, 7 consecutive wins now....both records for our performance and showing maturing of the Club standard.
Great victory, good match, and lots of match winning contributions - the most notable being of Nic, Simon and Jeremy.
Only casualty was one of our spectator benches, who after their captain sat on it, collapsed in an unrepairable state injuring one of their incoming batsmen. We all know who ate the chocolate cake at tea.
Jeremy was voted man of the match for AVCC in the prize-giving that followed the game and speeches, and Bailey junior received the Marden man of the match award....the decisions being made by the opposing captains.