“Sombre Mood of Author
Renders Report Devoid of Humour
(As MAD Win Again)”
Match: 03
/ 080
Won
by 30 runs
|
Team |
Total |
|
FFTMCCC |
183 - 7 |
|
I. Howarth 38, M. Westmoreland 30 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cholsey |
153 - 3 |
|
A. Mann 2 - 23 |
|
|
The melancholy call to
autumn is on us again. Though the playing fields are brown with grass
thirsting after a drop of rain, though the air is warm and the evenings are
alight beyond the close of play, there is a hint now of the old feeling in
the air, that old feeling which comes when the nights draw in, bringing the
old thoughts with it, closing in to hearth and to home. Whisky by the fire,
football on the telly, conker and berry, leaf fall, mud and frost under foot.
Young women are dressing against the cold, and the sap is falling. Christmas
round the corner, drizzle hangs off a low grey sky. Sod it, summer’s over.
Miserable
bastard author. Losing the toss against Cholsey,
young visitors new to The MAD, captain J. Hoskins
was invited to bat on a dry and crumbling wicket, and S. Dobner (1) had soon
fallen to the nagging accuracy of P. Sargent (2-20). But the hard and parched
Pembroke outfield was giving full value for shots today, and I. Howarth (38)
was quick to cash in. In the end he fell to an elaborate trap of his own
making, tickling the ball through behind the stumps, but by then had shown
why he is this season’s most prolific scorer with some fluid strokeplay
through the covers, finding the boundaries with ease. T. Mander (26)
continued his resurgent form and stoked the fires of his newfound aggression
until he edged a ball from A. Sargent (2-21) to short square leg, while
M. Westmoreland (30) cashed in on his lives to confirm his own renewed
confidence, before one edge too many brought his knock to a halt.
The Doc, a magnificent
26. B. Mander (0) is still looking for his range. E. Lester (10) is still
looking for a slice of luck. The ball that had him skidded low under his bat
and clattered the stumps six inches off the ground. But if any were looking
for the all-too-familiar collapse to ensue, they looked in vain. These days
there is vigour in The MAD batting, runs in Mad bats, and by the time J.
Hoskins (23) had departed with the score on 174, he and A. Mann (16 n.o.) had added 41, a record for the 7th
wicket in all Far from The MADding Crowd and
#%&* &*^ $%Ł"*& games. By the time Mann and S. Hebbes (4 n.o.) strolled from the field towards tea and egg
sandwiches, Cholsey were looking at 183 on the scoreboard and still no rain
in sight.
Stan was the barman of The
Madding Crowd pub in 2003. S. Dobner (7-0-16-0) has found something, in
fact, everything, but can’t buy a wicket. It can only be a matter of time
before they come tumbling in. S. Hebbes (7-1-32-1) took the early scalp of
Jackson (2) calmly caught at square leg by E. Lester, and Cholsey seemed
to take fright. Wilcox (40) fell bowled to A. Mann (7-1-23-2) and next ball
A. Sargent (0) had gone as well. Rendell (50 n.o.)
survived the hat trick by two whiskers and prospered, but too slowly – J.
Hoskins (6-0-19-0) and M. Westmoreland (5-0-18-0) were serving only snacks,
and by the time P. Sargent retired on 35 n.o. with
an over remaining, Cholsey had consolidated themselves into a thirty run loss
only three wickets down. The MAD had won two on the trot, not counting the Tour
games. Which don’t count, see?
S. Hebbes’ new post-match diet. After all that, they say it’s rain tomorrow.
No more parched outfield, no more sap rising as the skirts flash by. Just
conker and berry, leaf fall, mud and frost under foot. Christmas round the corner, drizzle hanging off a
low grey sky. Sod it, summer’s over…. ‘Blocker’
|
*
Statto Scorecards
|
Far from The Madding Crowd CC versus Cholsey Played at Pembroke College, 24 August
2003 Cholsey
won the toss and elected to field Far from The Madding Crowd
CC won by 30 runs Far from the MCC debuts:
none |
03 / 080 35 over match |
|
Team |
Far from The Madding Crowd CC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
# |
Batsman |
How Out |
Total |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
FOW |
|
1 |
I. Howarth |
c Jackson b A. Sergeant |
38 |
(53) |
7 |
- |
2-62 |
|
2 |
S. L. P. Dobner |
b P. Sergeant |
1 |
(3) |
- |
- |
1-15 |
|
3 |
A. M. Mander |
c Mann b A. Sergeant |
26 |
(63) |
2 |
- |
3-109 |
|
4 |
M. T. Westmoreland |
c Jackson b Nathaniel |
30 |
(30) |
3 |
- |
4-121 |
|
5 |
B. J. Mander |
c Wilcox b Nathaniel |
0 |
(5) |
- |
- |
5-124 |
|
6 |
E. N. Lester |
b Kent |
10 |
(16) |
- |
- |
6-133 |
|
7 |
A. G. Mann |
not out |
16 |
(20) |
3 |
- |
- |
|
8 |
J. D. Hoskins * |
b P. Sergeant |
23 |
(17) |
4 |
- |
7-174 |
|
9 |
S. Hebbes |
not out |
4 |
(7) |
1 |
- |
- |
|
10 |
J. C. W. Hotson + |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Extras |
(NB4, W16, LB6, B9) |
35 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
(for 7 wickets, 35 overs) |
183 |
|
|
|
|
|
# |
Bowler |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wkts |
|
|
1 |
Wilcox |
7 |
0 |
37 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
P. Sergeant |
7 |
3 |
20 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
Nathaniel |
7 |
0 |
40 |
2 |
|
|
4 |
A.
Sergeant |
7 |
1 |
21 |
2 |
|
|
5 |
Kent |
7 |
0 |
55 |
1 |
|
|
Team |
Cholsey |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
# |
Batsman |
How Out |
Total |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
FOW |
|
1 |
A. Sergeant * |
retired hurt |
35 |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
P. Jackson + |
c Lester b S. Hebbes |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
J. Wilcox |
b Mann |
40 |
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
P. Sergeant |
c B. Mander b Mann |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
Rendell |
not out |
50 |
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
Paragter |
not out |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
J. Nathaniel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
Kent |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
Mann |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
Hayden |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Extras |
|
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
(for 3 wickets, 35 overs) |
153 |
|
|
|
|
|
# |
Bowler |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wkts |
|
|
1 |
S. Hebbes |
7 |
1 |
32 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
Dobner |
7 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
|
|
3 |
B. Mander |
3 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
|
|
4 |
Mann |
7 |
1 |
23 |
2 |
|
|
5 |
Hoskins |
6 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
|
|
6 |
Westmoreland |
5 |
0 |
18 |
0 |
|
|
MOTM: n/a Champagne Moment: n/a Buffet
Award: B. J. Mander’s
treacle suet pudding (with custard) |
Opposition:
V033 / 01 Ground: G011 / 22 Captain: C006 / 14 |