Match: 03
/ 071
Lost
by 52 runs
Team |
Total |
Bodleian |
165 |
B. Mander 4 - 31, A. Mann
3 - 20 |
|
|
|
FFTMCCC |
113 |
I. Howarth 51, T. Smith
20 |
Sitting here, watching England play South
Africa in their last group game of the Natwest Series sitting pretty needing
100 runs from 20 overs, my mind drifts back to the action on the track at the
Pembroke College ground just three days ago. Is it just me or is the season
flying by? Can it possibly be nine games into the season, when we first lose
a game that we shoulda, coulda won? Back to the Natwest game, Vaughan strikes
another fine square cut to reach his fifty, reminiscent of I. Howarth’s fine
square cut attempt when he was trying to reach 52. Ney, this was not a game
of results. It was a game of class. Performances of sheer mastery. Fielding
that good old Jonty would be proud of. I mean, how many times do you see
first change bowler D. Jones receive a seam mark on the forehead in his
eagerness to get the leather back in his hand? We did well Madsters, we
shoulda won. Yet again the skipper Hoskins
got the result he wanted from the toss by hypnotising (after a master class
from Steady), the opposing captain into calling heads correctly. They fell
into the skippers trap, and boy did The MAD cry out in sheer joy when they
found out they were to field first in 85-degree humidity. But oh, how those
mighty Bods would suffer was the cry from the skip. Flintoff out for 54, good
job I sold at 75 two overs ago. More beautiful weather was in evidence at Pembroke for the Bodleian
game. The Bods started out seemingly better than
the first game of the season, opening with their second highest scorer from
the first game, and a new boy Tuck, who it must be said did resemble the
Friar. It wasn’t long before The MAD struck home with a sizzling display of medium
paced sizzingly fast in-swingers from their opening bowler A. Mann
(7-0-20-3), a loud shout from the strike bowler sent the Friar back to the
winery lbw, and there started the rot. Joint opening bowler S. Dobner returned to
an economical rate (7-2-23-0) but had little luck with the wickets, having
just one one-zillionenth chance ‘dropped’ by the keeper (J. Hoskins) who saw
the ball fly past twenty feet away on the ground, cursing already at the
disgruntled fine he would no doubt receive. First change, D. Jones (7-0-31-2)
kept up the run with a fine spell, clean bowling Fairweather for two leaving
him looking like a battered yacht after a storm. Number four jaunted to the
crease looking like he had the world on his shoulders, big shoulders they
were that tried to drive the Drag-on down the track, only to sneak an edge
into the waiting keepers gloves. Startled, it must be said, were the field. The Bods were reeling, but the Lefty loomed.
He who had scored fifty plus on nearly every previous appearance against The
MAD was walking into the Valley Of Death. Whispers of doom spread through the
ranks, and indeed the Dark Night Of The Soul dawned upon us. “Once more to
the breach, Once more to the breach Madsters”, but the Lefty soon took
control of the seam bowlers, and a dangerous looking partnership of 30 was
reached by Lefty and the opener. But the secret weapon was yet to be
revealed. A cunning change of bowling brought on the deadly arm of Iron Hand
Mander. Struggling this season with a slight lack of form thus far, young B.
Mander showed a level head under his not so level hair, and rose to the
challenge of the Lefty who had reached a threatening 20. A right little
dunker brought the Lefty out of the crease to smash a kind weird looking, but
extremely deadly shot that looked like it would pierce 2-inch lead plating,
straight back to The MAD Mander. Little did Lefty realise the sheer power of
the Iron Hand, who plucked, nay nestled, said bullet safely into the palms of
his hands. Wow. The tail-enders wagged, but hardly enough to
rustle a feather as Mander (5.4-0-31-4) took three more wickets, one of which
a stumping which left the field, and the keeper, startled. Highlights were I.
Howarth (7-0-26-0) doubtless missing the rain in his face, failed to take a
wicket but kept the runs hard to get and the Bod total low. J. Hotson filled
the one-over void with a brave display although I won’t comment on the
levelness of his hair. M. Westmoreland taking a stunning running/hobbling
catch low to the ground seemed to suffer from a comical groin injury, which
no one knows how he received although doubtless it involved being Northern. So the Bods had reached a fair total of 165,
with their opener scoring 78 before being clean bowled by A. Mann. A total
which surely was in the reach of The MADsters after their stunning debut
20/19 match performance mid-week The MAD Innings started well with an opening
partnership of 30 struck with ease by the openers A. Mann (10), and I.
Howarth. T. Smith (20) strode to the crease, determined to repeat his
mid-week performance and started to swing the willow with customary style.
Things were looking good – positively awe-inspiring – as Smith and Howarth
duelled for the limelight trading fours every other shot, or at least they
would have been if the Bod outfielders could have seen the boundary markers.
Easy Tiger, living up to his name, prowling the boundary soon put a stop to
that. T. Smith’s wicket fell for 20, goodness
knows how, as the stroke-master was playing with his usual Atherton-esque
style but the ball passed the bat somehow, and cleaned bowled Goat-Boy
returned to the Pavilion. 93-2 93-2 93-2 Shoulda…. A sparkling display of batting saw I.
Howarth sail past the jug mark for the first time for The MAD, and a
confident display by his gloves signalled 15 to the pavilion – the number of
runs needed to surpass the Goat Boys mid-week knock. What went wrong? Was it
a mass rush of Strongbow to the head? A flash of light reflected from Goat
Boy’s watch on the boundary? Who knows, but just as the last ball was bowled
from the opening bowlers hand, Howarth surrendered his wicket for 51, still
15 runs short of his personal target. A mighty display, and now we had the
pie-chuckers coming in with strike-batting still to enter the fray. Confidence
abounded around the scorer’s desk, for all of three minutes…. England Won. We should’ve. The MAD collapse ensued,
resulting in a total 52 runs short of the target. Fleeting visions of last
season spread throughout the team for the first time this year. It will not
happen again. For the enthusiasm shown in the team that makes team
psychologist Steady’s eyes glint with pride will surely mean that it will not
happen again. The MAD reflected in the hostelry afterwards a game which they
knew they should have won, and saw a game which they know they will not lose
next time, if under the same circumstances. The MAD are on a roll.
Odds On, victorious we will be in our next battle. ‘Hoskers’
|
*
Far from The Madding Crowd CC versus Bodleian Played at Pembroke College, 6 July
2003 Bodleian won the toss and elected to
bat Bodleian won by 42 runs Far from the MCC debuts:
none |
03 / 071 35 over match |
Team |
Bodleian |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
# |
Batsman |
How Out |
Total |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
FOW |
1 |
N. A. Millea * |
b Mann |
78 |
|
8 |
- |
|
2 |
J. P. Tuck |
lbw b Mann |
7 |
|
- |
- |
|
3 |
A. J. Fairweather-Tall |
b Jones |
2 |
|
- |
- |
|
4 |
A. Yousaf |
c Hoskins b Jones |
5 |
|
1 |
- |
|
5 |
G. G. Cooper |
c and b B. Mander |
20 |
|
4 |
- |
|
6 |
A. J. MacKinnon |
run out |
3 |
|
- |
- |
|
7 |
A. J. Hudson + |
st Hoskins b B. Mander |
2 |
|
- |
- |
|
8 |
D. Rogers |
b Mann |
4 |
|
- |
- |
|
9 |
S. G. Ackland |
c Westmoreland b B. Mander |
19 |
|
3 |
- |
|
10 |
D. F. Busby |
not out |
1 |
|
- |
- |
- |
11 |
S. V. T. Arnold |
b B. Mander |
3 |
|
- |
- |
|
|
Extras |
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
(all out, 34.4 overs) |
165 |
|
|
|
|
# |
Bowler |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wkts |
|
1 |
Mann |
7 |
0 |
20 |
3 |
|
2 |
Dobner |
7 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
|
3 |
Jones |
7 |
0 |
31 |
2 |
|
4 |
Howarth |
7 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
|
5 |
B. Mander |
5.4 |
0 |
31 |
4 |
|
6 |
Hotson |
1 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
|
Team |
Far from The Madding Crowd CC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
# |
Batsman |
How Out |
Total |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
FOW |
1 |
I. Howarth |
c Millea b Tuck |
51 |
(58) |
5 |
- |
3-95 |
2 |
A. G. Mann |
b Ackland |
10 |
(18) |
1 |
- |
1-30 |
3 |
T. P. W. Smith |
b Fairweather-Tall |
20 |
(19) |
3 |
- |
2-65 |
4 |
J. C. W. Hotson |
c Busby b Yousaf |
14 |
(41) |
- |
- |
4-104 |
5 |
B. J. Mander |
b MacKinnon |
9 |
(19) |
- |
- |
7-109 |
6 |
E. N. Lester |
lbw b MacKinnon |
0 |
(1) |
- |
- |
5-104 |
7 |
M. T. Westmoreland |
b Yousaf |
1 |
(3) |
- |
- |
6-109 |
8 |
G. Bridges |
b Yousaf |
1 |
(9) |
- |
- |
9-111 |
9 |
D. L. Jones |
b MacKinnon |
0 |
(3) |
- |
- |
8-111 |
10 |
J. D. Hoskins *+ |
b MacKinnon |
0 |
(1) |
- |
- |
10-113 |
11 |
S. L. P. Dobner |
not out |
2 |
(3) |
- |
- |
- |
|
Extras |
(NB1, W4) |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
(all out, 29.1 overs) |
113 |
|
|
|
|
# |
Bowler |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wkts |
|
1 |
Ackland |
5 |
0 |
32 |
1 |
|
2 |
Yousaf |
7 |
1 |
18 |
3 |
|
3 |
Tuck |
7 |
0 |
25 |
1 |
|
4 |
Fairweather-Tall |
7 |
0 |
26 |
1 |
|
5 |
MacKinnon |
3.1 |
0 |
11 |
4 |
|
MOTM: n/a Champagne Moment: n/a Buffet
Award: J. C. W. Hotson’s undeniably Greek
salad (with extra Feta cheese) |
Opposition:
V023 / 05 Ground: G011 / 19 Captain: C006 / 09 |