Wield vs Long Sutton, Sunday 6th June
Conditions – British summerish (sunny, windy & cold)
Match Summary – Another win against some very challenging twelve year olds & Johnnys 1st as skipper….
Another good toss from Johnny ensured that we got to bat first. Toby & Ben strode out to the crease and remained there for an hour and a half, whilst Toby played golf and croquet Ben played with Gower-esque fluidity when he did get the strike…. At least the comedy running from the previous game wasn’t continued, the highlight of their running was undoubtedly Toby playing a back foot defensive shot to mid on and then practicing the shot a couple of times while Ben started a quick single, Toby eventually making his ground. Toby, crashing the ball to all parts of the mid wicket boundary, appeared to be several pounds lighter as their captain didn’t change the field once. Eventually Toby dollied a chance back to Sutton’s spinner, returning to the pavilion for a hard hit 78 and ending the 120 opening partnership.
Meanwhile Wield’s mystery sniper took up position at the umpires end and accounted for me 1st ball.
This brought the Robinson brothers together for more wafting (I think I saw Fly Fishing by J R R Hartley in Ed’s kit bag); once again a popping delivery saw Ed return another catch to the bowler.
Enter captain Johnny, who played strokes all round the wicket, Ben continued his Gower-esque stroke making, trying to hit along the ground definitely helping to lose weight, but not helping his score increase. He eventually fell for an excellent 80. Johnny & Michael finished off the innings with a flourish as Wield ended on a remarkable 219-4, Johnny on an average boosting 35 not out.
Another stunning tea (the lemon cake was exceedingly good) came and went, along with Long Suttons sense of humour!
Ed opened the bowling up hill & into the breeze/force 8 gale. Max wasn’t involved in his first 4 overs as Ed felt that bowling to fine leg was a better idea, meanwhile Rupert at the other end combined flight with length and was duly rewarded with a dropped catch at first slip from yours truly.
However Max more than made up for this a couple of balls later with another fine catch, Ben tripped over his laces and held onto a low catch at mid wicket to give Rupert another victim and by the time Suttons remaining opener swept one over max’s head into my left hand at slip Rupert had claimed three wickets for not many runs at all. Ed was duly replaced by a fine off spinner who found it hard to run into the wind with the remains of a lemon cake in his paunch. However finding some purchase in the wicket removed Suttons skipper and shortly afterwards delivered ball of the millennium getting one to move at least 4 yards to hit off stump as their batsmen shouldered arms.
Rupert was replaced by Phillip who again decided flight was the best option sending down various deliveries that would grace any fine patisserie, Robin replaced me and with his excessive run up once again outfoxed Sutton’s two 9 year old batsmen to get his bowling average somewhere near his batting average. Despite Phillip producing various pies & pastries the batsmen decided that they were on a diet as he finished wicketless. Michael was brought on and very quickly Sutton’s only cricketer was bowled/stumped/run out all in the same delivery, it was left to Robin to trip over a daisy and cling onto a really good catch to end the Sutton innings 100 runs short.
15 games unbeaten which is as likely as Switzerland beating Spain......
Dougie Butler
