Match Reports 2017

RTCC v Shakespeare CC

Sunday 16th July 2017

at North Middlesex (35 overs)

Shakespeare 172-9

RTCC 175-6

RTCC won by 4 wickets

North mid was a picture. We were playing on the bottom pitch. Small pitch. The wicket was a little sticky, the weather was a little sticky and all the catches were too. One dropped catch for the tavs! We had some of the newer players. Members jockey and buster returned. Nice to have bowling.

The skipper won the toss and they were inserted! My thinking was u can't defend on this small pitch and they might not realise that runs can flow quickly here. Buster and Dion opened the bowling. Buster bowled his away swing with the breeze assisting the movement away. Dion took the other end. Dion was struggling to get loose and so he came off after 2 overs. In the end they both bowled their 6 and 7 overs and got one for 40 each. The skipper taking the catch on each occasion.

Aymon came on from the bottom end and again turned in a lovely display. He realised that the best plan was to keep it slower and on target. It worked a treat. 7 overs 1-29 with Dion taking a catch at long off. So who had the best bowling figures of the day? Once again the baz man! Barry bowled a great spell 2-28 off this 7 overs. Straight and no pace to work with. A little movement here and there. The batsmen were never allowed to settle. He must be top of the bowling averages. Simon could u check for me ? There was a lovely moment when he moved me two yards to my left and the next ball the batsmen drilled it straight to me. Caught Reilly bowled Barry! So his good field setting helped!

Btw Nice to see Simon, Steve, Andy James, Chris and Tracey and steve Parr and son. Kay and Lea. Getting a bit of support makes all the difference. Everyone is welcome.

Tom Shaw also bowled two overs for 8 it was a nice spell. His first ball was er well .... a complete shocker . Banged in short with no great pace it was going to bounce on the wide line on the batsmen off side. He must have thought I hit this for four. He top edged it and it lollipoped to the skipper at cover. Delighted! We also had the return of the Jocky Vale! Bowling his off spinning darts. 6 overs one for 20. They were squeezed. It was top quality class bowling he says he'll play next Saturday! We need u jock!

The turning point, it was said in the pub later, was Dion's run out of their free scoring opener Halsar. They were none for 71 at the time. They pushed it to the thin, athletic, greying, South African at cover. He picked up and one bounced the ball fast to Dom who was keeping! It went to the top of the stumps. Top skills I hope everyone was watching. No fielding mistake by the tavs. Run out. We were on our way. They only scored another hundred run and finished on 172. We took the majority of our catches and fielded really well. We busted a gut to stop the extra run. Matthias in particular ran down everything. Dom didn't have his greatest game behind the stumps but it was a solid performance by the great man. (Oh Jeremy Corbyn)

Luke and buster Opened the batting. And faced out the task of dealing with 10 overs of there two best bowlers. Hore , right arm (whinging Aussie late 20s) away swing lively pace and some movement off the seam. Good bowler 1- 20 off 6 .1 overs. And Fultcher left arm over in swing. Tall good pace, grabbing on to his 40s like a drowning man. 3-21 off 7 overs. A better bowler. Shakespeare's did not have a lot of other bowling. Apart from these two. Luke chipped one up to square leg of Hore with 5.3 over gone. We had 8 runs on the scoreboard. In came the skipper. He cover drove a 2 if his first ball then the clipped a low full toss to mid wicket for 4. 14 runs after 6 overs. After 10.4 over we were 29 for 2. The skipper chip a delivery to point exactly like Tom first ball. In came jockey to steady the ship.

Big Andy calls jockey the lady. It dates back to 2004 when they roomed together in Prague at an international 6 competition. Andy in a big bubble bath... look u don't really want to know. Anyway the oppo had a girl playing. Jockey smashed a four at which point Andy shout come on the lady ! Everyone started having a go at Andy for taking the piss out of their girl. Big boy had no idea he's not sexist in anyway. In fact neither is Jockey he happily smashed any bad ball for four and then dragged a very wide ball onto his off stump. She bowled well 4 over 1-17. Jockey s 20 had steadied the ship. 69 off 17 overs. Buster batted on, hitting the bad ball and defending the good ball. His fifty was a solid knock holding down one end and keeping the score board ticking over. Lots of singles guys that what we need. The team that scores the most single wins 90% of the time.

It was clear to me that for them to win they had to bowl us out. In fact their two opening bowlers had to get us 3 or 4 down at least. The pitch wasn't an easy one but u did get value for your shots. In came the Unit. Now u will recall that Aymon had has had 3 golden ducks from his last 4 innings. When he blocked the first ball I started cheering. Everyone else thought I had gone mad. In fact I was going a little mad. I've never been so nervous in my life! The pressures of leadership. He hit his next ball over mid mid wicket for 6. It was spectacular. It was the largest part of the ground.

Buster went with the score on 138 for 4 from 26.5. They still had 4 overs from their opener u will recall. Dion and Aymon were in. Aymon hit another six. We went crazy on the boundary. Shakespeare's fielders dropped both batsmen. I was having kittens here shouting we need less than a run a ball here. They had fielders protecting the boundary as they had to do. All u needed to do was hit the gaps. Then Aymon was out for 50 caught. I thought I was gonna die from the stress. 29 overs gone 152. In came dave skinner, u will recall him crunching two back foot straight drives for the win against Highgate. I was trying to stand still but couldn't and was telling myself to breath. Bowled for none! 30 overs. Gone. OMFG!!!!!

In times of crisis u go to your senior pros. I don't tell Dom what to do. He's captained a cricket team for 10 years plus. I don't need to. He blocked the straight ones left a few and then battered a couple of 4 off their opening bowlers who were brought on to dispatch our middle order and tail. He in fact hogged the strike. Dion u recall is not adverse to hitting a 6 or two. In the end we won with two overs to spare. Dion and Dom saw us home.

We invited the oppo back to the pub for a drink and some free chips as we do every week but none of them came. It's easy to be magnanimous when u crunch the other side. When the boot is on the other foot that's when u see the true colours of a team. Or maybe I missed something and they had to do something all together. Maybe they haven't had as much practice at coming second as us. Anyway yesterday will have given them some!

Saturday next week guys in Ham. We have Dutch david playing so 'focus' ( in a Dutch accent). We have some good bowling. So get your name down early !

Unit got the captains tankard. Which has been found in the kit bag and that's all I have to say about that.

Eiran