Match Reports 2017

Highgate Taverners v RTCC

Wednesday 14th June 2017

at Highgate Woods (20 overs)

Highgate Taverners 164-3

RTCC 167-4

RTCC won by 6 wickets

#thebattleoftherealtavs. Was it Highgate or Railway?

What a match! We had two south Hampstead 3s playing for us and Buster. Jim hunt also came in to bolster the fielding and batting he opened, as he will do for the 20/20 season. So We had two opening bowlers Dion and buster and an opening bat Luke. We still dropped 6 catches but stuck to our task of fielding in keeping them down to 164.

Two of their batsmen got In and got runs their keeper (dropped 4 times) including off the first ball of the match.

Tom and Matthias both got wickets [and Guy! - Guy ed.]. Buster and Dion bowled well and are very useful indeed. There was some fielder drifting but nothing to get too concerned about.

They thought that 165 was a very big target. Indeed their skipper told me that 180 was an average score for 40 overs. Not if we were bowling!

I thought the pitch was bouncy and there was plenty of runs to be had. Also as we were using the whole of the oval it was going to be impossible to defend come the latter stages. On the down side their would be loads of running!

Jim Hunt went in the first few overs and so the skipper walked out to bat. Their left arm over bowled had a good recurring action but was not really moving the ball. The skipper had a look for an over, telling Luke if that's their best bowler we will be fine. It wasn't. Olly the guy from the other end was quick. The quickest I've faced in a couple of years. He was bowling just short of a length. I didn't have my protection as I had left my light enhancing sun glasses at home. A school boy error. Their would be no pulling olly. It didn't matter after 10 overs, both openers and then some normal bowling we were 80 for 1.

Luke was bowled leg stump for 37 trying to hit another straight boundary. Luke any time u need a match call mate. let the real tavs be your pub team home! Dion came in and blasted a couple of straight fours before he was caught, same buddy. Buster came in and we knocked it around. He got 7 before being bowled. There was some confusion with the scoreboard and the skipper may have lost his rag a little bit. Just a little "I'm out here running my arse off and u fuckers can even get the ducking scoreboard right! I'm not fucking having this shit" ( sorry guys, sorry Guy).

The point is im fat and old and injured. So it hurts when I run. This pitch was massive so that's a lot of running. The board said 15 overs 128 runs chasing 164 great happy days. Then it said 16 overs 127 chasing 164. It's a little dispiriting. It's a big difference. I'm calculating run rates, who I'm gonna have to attack, who I'm gonna defend. Where the 1s and 2s are. Which fielder is out of position. ( yes if u move out of the position in which u are put it makes the captains job harder) It's not just a matter of hitting the ball. I'm trying to make the captains job impossible!

In the end it didn't matter as their last bowler bowled, for the the skipper a waist high full toss which he disposed next to Kay ( my other half) and Lea (busters gf) who were merrily having a picnic and a bottle of Riesling on the boundaries edge. And then another 4 ball and another 4 ball. And in a matter of a few overs it was all over to Dave smashed two off drives perfectly into the gap and that was that. With an over and a half to spare.

It's was then off to the moors bar, for an update on Andy's leg. Getting better slowly but he had done 66 lengths of the pool to keep the fitness up. I had an Eldorado ( Antiguan run which we had on tour , try it it's lovely) and then popped over the road to buy ice. Ice baths are cold! But they work !

So the railway are the real tavs !

Roll up roll up for Sunday Battersea park. Lovely bunch, great teas , great weather . I've a Car with space in it! Dom is driving !

Captains tankard? Me lot of running chaps lot of running! 96 no out of 165 cheers

The skipper