2s beat Bidborough 4s

Following the recent hot weather,  your trusty match reporter was hoping to arrive at the Green to be greeted by sunshine.  In fact he was met by rain and the moon.  Yes, despite it being only 1pm the view from the club house was of a full moon.

Eventually though the skipper, Tim Croom, who was getting changed outside, decided to put on some trousers and underwear.  Indeed the sight was so shocking that your match reporter’s wife who had dropped him off, was then seen driving round the Green at least 7 times and was later heard muttering in her sleep about “pert Welsh Glutes”.

The rain looked persistent but, for once, the forecast was correct and it stopped soon to allow play to resume on time.
The game was reduced to 30 overs though to allow for possible stoppages.

It being a League game, the skipper lost the toss and we were asked to bat.
The wicket looked a little green but batted fairly well. Conditions remained sticky throughout and with the rain getting under the surface it was hard to time the ball.

Croom, now fully clothed, and Lush senior opened the batting. Croom initially carried on his rich vein of form including hitting a glorious 6 before looping up a catch, departing for 12.

Lush was joined by Dave Latter.  The pair made steady progress.  Batting was not easy though.

Bidborough had some promising youngsters.  Two angled the ball in sharply from wide in the crease.  The youngest had some natural away swing.

Latter and Lush worked hard for their runs, putting on 127 for the second wicket.  Lush played one crisp straight drive that almost caused serious damage to the glorious good looks of the home umpire. Latter punished anything that was short of a length, pulling very successfully (he’d never fit in with the 1st team behaving like that).

When runs looked in short supply the dashing home umpire, who gets paid in cash by results, decided to call numerous no balls from square leg.  The talented young keeper kept putting his gloves in front of the stumps.

We did though look slightly behind the normal run rate and eventually Lush holed out for 37 trying one attacking shot too many.

Charlton was sent in with an unenviable task of smacking some quick runs at the end of the innings.  Giving it the charge down the wicket he was quickly stumped.
Chris Filmer arrived with the same instructions.  Filmer though is no fool and with one eye, as ever, on his average he ended 10 not out.  Rumours are that he hit a good boundary in front of the wicket but surely that can not be true. He ended 10 not out.

Latter was undefeated with an excellent 86.

Our total was 168, possibly not enough.
Tea was, as is the way these days, grab what your Mum made you in your packed lunch.

Bidborough sent out their experienced bats, including their very pleasant skipper who looked useful. Slevin opened the bowling from the White Horse end.  With the condition still sticky it was no surprise that he was bowling boomerangs.

His 5 overs went for only 9 runs and he was incredibly unlucky not to take a wicket.  A couple of his deliveries were wasted at this level.  You’d have to be a heck of a batsman to get an edge on one his deliveries that was angled in, then swung away and lifted.

Feehan looked sharp at the other end, if the happy go lucky Feehan could ever be described as sharp.  He took one wicket for 29 runs in his 5 overs. We did put down two early chances, by Latter and Slevin.  It could have proved expensive.

Ben Lush (7-0-29-2) replaced Feehan and got some good late movement.
Dampier (7-0-20-3) replaced Slevin and got some away swing.  His wicket to wicket line always keeps the batsmen on their toes and lbw is a real possibility.
We started holding our catches.  Slevin atoned for his earlier error snaffling two chances.

The skipper led from the front putting his body on the line.  Fielding at mid off he moved swiftly to his right (well, in the way a sloth moves sharply) to field a straight drive.  Realising he needed  something special to inspire the team he leapt full length.  Diving with the grace of a lame aged hippopotamus he threw himself to the ground.  Unfortunately the ball was somewhere else and thudded into his midriff. He did later redeem himself with a good catch.

At the fall of one early wicket Dave Charlton announced loudly he knew the incoming batsman and said he was a “nurdler”.  The opposition umpire heard that and said he was anything but.  To be fair, Charlton who knows his cricket, was later proved to be correct.  Assuming that is, your definition of a nurdler is someone who cannot play a defensive shot and tries to hit everything out of the ground.

Dave soon found himself bowling.  With his cap turned the wrong way round he looked a bit the Harry Enfield character Kevin.  Where was his partner in crime, Perry? In fact, with his son Leo bowling at the other end it became apparent the more apposite comparison was Wilfred Brambell as Steptoe.

Between them, they took three good wickets.  Highlight in the field was Leo deliberately  misfielding, inducing the opposition to come back for a second run.  He picked up the loose ball and with a rocket throw to his father secured a good run out.

Halfway through their innings at 15 overs the opposition looked in the running. However as wickets fell it became apparent they did not bat a long way down.

Bidborough were all out for 102.
Next week, with a quirk of the fixture list we take on Bidborough 3s

Mention should be made of the excellent efforts by the committee who had managed to get 3 sides out this Saturday.  Unfortunately the 3s game was called off because of the weather.   But it contained a genuinely strong and youthful team that would have given the 2s a run for their money and was certainly better looking.  Exciting times for the club.