Wield v Rioteers, Sunday 16th September
With the Club Captain both injured and on holiday, Max took on the onerous task of leading Wield against the Hampshire wandering side of the Rioteers.
I am unsure who won the toss but Wield ended up batting first on what was for 2012, a reasonably pleasant afternoon, with what looked at first sight a firmer than normal surface.
Toby and Jack set out to do battle. Toby fresh from a score the week before and having middled the first three balls, then received a good ball and a combination of a) over-confidence, b) a complete lack of foot movement or c) a fly apparently flying across his eye-line saw him comprehensively bowled.
Father and son Robson then set about the bowling so that after an hour we had reached 23-1. It would be unfair not to mention that the bowling was particularly accurate and the pitch incredibly slow but there was a gentle ripple of applause as we eventually stumbled through the “teen” barrier into the twenties.
Young Jack eventually succumbed to the only catch in the Wield innings which brought Blackman senior to the crease. He thrashed around for a few overs before also being bowled by the metronomical opening bowler Hall (not Wes).
Frome senior then appeared (when did Wield last field three father and son combinations?) and after seeing off Hall then tried to move the score along. The harder he tried the worse it got and eventually he too was bowled following an enormous heave.
Frome junior replaced his father and together with Tony who was still there on two, the scoreboard actually started to move almost exclusively through pulls such was the pace of the wicket.
At one point it looked as if we may have to declare at 120. As Tony neared three figures, some speculated how amusing it might be to declare particularly when Robson junior let on that Tony had never made a hundred. In the end Max’s desire to win overcame temptation thanks to a generous interpretation of the clock saw Wield finish at 158/5.
Tea followed the usual format of sausages first followed by all the other delicious fare on offer before it was the Rioteers turn to bat.
Their number 1 looked like a good player but Scott produced a good one to bowl him. Your correspondent then remarked that the other opener was using a really old bat implying that might mean easy pickings.
This theory looked more credible when two quick wickets followed for Ken toiling manfully into the wind and Rioteers were wobbling on 20-3. Thoughts of “keeping them interested” flickered through some minds.
Numbers 2 and 5 had an uncomplicated style but put it to good effect, alternating blocks, misses and solid blows to the boundary. Runs started to flow despite looking capable of falling any moment particularly if Wield could hold on to a catch.
They put on the best part of 100 runs which in the context of this game was decisive. A flicker of hope burst forth when Will came on to dismiss both in quick succession and Ken returned to win an LBW. Such hopes were snuffed out by a seventh wicket partnership of 30 odd and we all trooped off to the Yew Tree as dusk fell.
The game should be remembered for Tony’s maiden century at the ripe old age of [29] providing 70% of ours runs. In a style becoming his roots, he waited until most had left before locating the jug but those left joined him in celebrating a triumph of patience and skill.
Andrew
(Head of Genealogy)
