“BBC Live Text Commentary on Final T20”

 

 

Match:  11 / 250

Won by 27 runs

 

 

Team

 

Total

FFTMCC

124 - 6

D. Emerson  31,  R. Hadfield  30

 

OUP

97 - 9

J. Pearson  4 - 16,  J. Hoskins  3 - 18

 

 

 

 

1715:  Evening everyone and welcome to the annual late season T20 between the Oxford University Press and their perennial opponents the Far from the MCC.

 

1728:  TOSS NEWS:  Jake Hotson has won the toss and elected to bat first on a warm on essentially sunny evening. The match has been reduced to 18 overs a side due to floodlight failure (i.e there are no floodlights at Jordan Hill).

 

Mad_sun_is_out

 

 

 

A familiar cast of characters watch on.

 

 

1731:  D. Emerson and R. Hadfield will be opening the batting for the FFTMCC with Dave to face the first ball.

 

Mad_icon-sms

 

From Buddy Holly, Somewhere:  “Just noticed Lord Lucan is opening the batting – do this team have no shame utilising people who have vanished from the face of the earth?

 

Mad_dropped_catch

 

1735:  Dear, oh dear – some of this OUP fielding is atrocious. Emerson dropped at mid off.

 

6 overs:  FFTMCC 39-0

R. Crowcroft (4-0-17-0) and S. Gibson (3-0-26-0) are getting hit about with ease. Gibson in particular is getting a right ole tonking. A few strides down the pitch, bosh! Emerson launches him down to cow corner for four more.

 

Mad_Boycott

 

BBC Sports Geoffrey Boycott on Twitter:  “Good god, man – is this how they teach you to play 1-day cricket nowadays? Running down the pitch and for cross-batted rakes to cow? Awful. Hardly cricket is it?”

 

 

 

J. Hoskins has spent longer waiting to bat than any other MAD cricketer.

 

 

1805:  50 UP for The MAD!  Hadfield unleashes a lovely shot over Jackson’s (3-0-24-1) head for four runs.

 

Mad_wicket

 

1801:  WICKET! One too many swipes for D. Emerson (31) as he perishes attempting some weird backward defensive prod. He won’t mind that though, he was talking about a score of 30 or more giving him 300 runs of the season. Not that he counts his runs I hasten to add.

 

Mad_mobile

 

Morlers from Abingdon, text message:  “When round thy ship in tempest Hell appears, and every spectre mutters up more dire. To snatch control, and loose to madness thy deep-kennell'd Fears. Then to the helm, O Soul!” 

 

Mad_wicket

 

1810:  A couple for Hadfield off his legs – he’s really starting to blow. Gone! Bowled the same way as Emerson. A fine if circumspect innings from Richard (30) giving The MAD a fine platform to push on.

 

Mad_icon-sms

 

From Geoff Miller, Lords:  “This Chris Roberts guy who has just come in is tall enough to smack the ball into hyperspace, surely?”

 

Mad_wicket

 

1815:  WICKET!  Wide outside off to D. Edwards – four. Wide again, and same result for four more. Strange bowling from Elliot (4-0-33-3) as he has no sweeper on the cover boundary. He follows it up with one that stays low and Edwards (9) hears the rattle of his timber. Good comeback from the bowler.

 

Mad_wicket

 

1822:  WICKET!  Roberts (8) slogs one to mid wicket, before he’s beaten by a Yorker. Good effort from Elliot realising that was a long way for Tall Bob to reach down.

 

 

 

Bob (8) swats some annoying flies.

 

 

14 overs:  FFTMCC 96-4

T. Smith has joined the party at just the right time. With the total just starting to stagger a little he unfurls some wonderful smears to leg utilising that famed whirlwind tree-cutting hoik the fans love to see!

 

Mad_icon-twitter

 

From Mike Clarke:  “Are you kidding me? I’d rather go back to China than watch that caveman bat! Did I tell you I led him into a field full of cow sh#t one day – hahaha. Stupid b%^$Ł$d.”

 

Mad_wicket  Mad_umpireOUT

 

1853:  WICKET! Another bludgeoned boundary down the ground to rapturous applause, and he skies one… to OUP Skipper C. Heron of all people – T. Smith caught for a bright and breezy 20.

 

1837:  WICKET! A lovely square cover drive from M. Reeves for four, two more, and he’s feathered one… straight to the keeper. Gone for 6 and the FFTMCC now 119-6.

 

Mad_icon-sms

 

From Mrs. Reeves, Botley:  “Sigh… I don’t know why my husband bothers these days. He’ll be in another bad mood when he gets home and we haven’t got any crockery left in the kitchen to break!”

 

 

 

The classic Thorn heave across the line – with obligatory miss.

 

 

1840:  A boundary past the bowler leaves Westmoreland (6*) and Hoskins (1*) protecting their averages as the OUP require 125 for victory. Just over 6 per over and talk is now centred on whether The MAD will get the Big Bird out.

 

Mad_mobile

 

Ant from Sydney, text message:  “Heh, I know a few things about bunnies, and that Heron can’t bat against pie. Bring on the pie chuckers – they’ll have him out. Shame Ade Fisher isn’t playing – he’d have had him. God knows how that man ever had a better strike rate than me….”

 

Mad_icon-twitter

 

Witney Del_Boy:  “Bunnies…. (sigh)”

 

Tweet us with the hashtag #madb0ll0x to get involved

 

3 overs:  OUP 15-0

R. Turner and C. Heron looking fairly untroubled here. Hoskins drops short and Turner swats him for four. Heron repeats the dose.

 

Mad_wicket

 

WICKET!  J. Pearson gets one to nibble off the seam and Turner (10) is gone. That brings Malhotra to the wicket to accompany his captain.

 

8 overs:  OUP 44-1

C. Roberts (3-0-25-1) struggling with his length here as Heron drives one to the long off boundary. Reeves (3-0-19-0) is maintaining a tidy line, singles are becoming the staple diet of the OUPers.

 

 

 

Master batsman Chris Heron surveys the scoreboard.

 

 

Mad_mobile

 

Damian_Groundsman from Wootton, text message:  “I hope it rains on them. Those bl00dy cricketers shouldn’t even by using that pitch! How dare they moan to the authorities about me.”

 

Mad_wicket  Mad_wicket

 

1919:  WICKET!  The run rate has been creeping up recently since D. Edwards was introduced into the attack. A couple to Heron as he attempts to go big, and… he’s GONE! Heron (26) is gone! Bowled by the octopus threshing machine that is Edwards (4-0-11-2). Have OUP hopes of victory just gone with him?

 

1921:  WICKET!  A single gets B. Coney off strike, and Malhotra skies one to Roberts – Edwards strikes again. OUP are now 60-3.

 

Mad_icon-sms

 

From Hebbesy, Cholsey:  “Stick that in your kit bag with a singing sword, Big Bird!”

 

Mad_wicket  Mad_wicket

 

1923:  WICKET!  Clatter clatter! OUP in disarray here with the return of the wily veteran and seasoned performer J. Hoskins (4-0-18-3). Coney (1) swings across a straight one and Hall (0) bags a duck as he tries the same. 63-5.

 

 

 

Veteran keeper G. Carter returns to The MAD fold.

 

 

Mad_phil_tufnell

 

BBC Sports Phil Tufnell on Twitter:  “Blimey – there’s more backbone in a jellyfish that this OUP lot. Quite a collapse. Mr. Heron doesn’t look too happy at pitchside… he’s grumbling about the run rate and how he’s used to caning this lot all over Oxfordshire.”

 

13 overs:  OUP 66-5  (TARGET 125 off 18 overs)

OUP need something special from one of their lower order batsmen here. The run rate has now crept up above 9 an over and the fading light isn’t going to help either.

 

Mad_umpireOUT

 

1932:  WICKET!  A pull for four, and Gibson (6) holes out to Reeves at mid off. 3 for Hoskins as he closes in on his own record haul of wickets for a Mad season.

 

Mad_icon-sms

 

From Ade_Fisher, Fir Tree:  “It says a lot about modern batting that an inferior pie chucker such as JMO takes this many wickets. I’d have taken 50 a season if I played this many games in a year.”

 

15 overs:  OUP 77-6  (TARGET 125 off 18 overs)

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that the OUP are going to come close to their victory total. It is now quite gloomy out in the middle – looks like Pearson is being brought back into the attack.

 

Mad_wicket

 

1938:  WICKET! A spirited little cameo from R. Halsey (5) comes to a conclusion as he plays right round a full straight one. 80-7.

 

17 overs:  OUP 89-7  (TARGET 125 off 18 overs)

R. Crowcroft is giving the home team some late cheer with some energetic hitting – Pearson spanked for four via an aerial trajectory.

 

Mad_wicket  Mad_wicket

 

1945:  WICKET!  It’s all over bar the shouting, Crowcroft (15) is castled by Pearson’s dogged line and length. OOPS! Elliot (0) follows his compatriot back to the hutch after registering a golden… Pearson has a 4-for (4-0-16-4). Everyone now crowds around the new batsman R. Jackson as he prepares to face the hat trick ball… and… he survives. A slog off the final ball and Simpson (1*) and Jackson (3*) finish with the OUP on 97-9.

 

 

 

The sun sets on The MAD’s final T20 of the season.

 

 

1950:  So the FFTMCC secure a fairly comfortable 27 run victory over their age-old nemesis, but how telling was Edwards’ dismissal of Mr. Heron? Okay, signing off – we should be back for the new season. Until then, TTFN.

 

 

‘The BBC’

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

Statto Scorecards

 

 

 

Far from the MCC versus Oxford University Press

Played at Jordan Hill, 2 September 2011

 

Far from the MCC won the toss and elected to field

Far from the MCC won by 27 runs

 

Far from the MCC debuts:  none

 

 

11 / 250

 

 

 

 

 

18 over match

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team

Far from the MCC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

D. Emerson

b Simpson

31

(23)

3

-

1-59

2

R. J. B. Hadfield

b Simpson

30

(37)

5

-

2-74

3

C. D. Roberts

b Elliot

8

(11)

-

-

4-96

4

D. M. Edwards

b Elliot

9

(7)

2

-

3-83

5

T. P. W. Smith

c Heron b Jackson

20

(16)

3

-

5-111

6

M. T. Westmoreland

not out

6

(10)

1

-

-

7

M. K. Reeves

c Malhotra b Elliot

6

(4)

1

-

6-119

8

J. D. Hoskins

not out

1

(1)

-

-

-

9

J. W. Pearson

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

G. Carter +

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

J. C. W. Hotson *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

(NB2, W7, LB1, B3)

13

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 6 wickets, 18 overs)

124

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

 

1

Crowcroft

4

0

17

0

 

2

Gibson

3

0

26

0

 

3

Jackson

3

0

24

1

 

4

Simpson

4

0

20

2

 

5

Elliott

4

0

33

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team

Oxford University Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

R. Turner

b Pearson

10

(14)

2

-

1-15

2

C. A. Heron *

b Edwards

26

(26)

3

-

2-59

3

D. Malhotra +

c Roberts b Edwards

16

(25)

1

-

3-60

4

B. Coney

b Hoskins

1

(2)

-

-

4-62

5

I. Hall

b Hoskins

0

(4)

-

-

5-63

6

S. Gibson

c Reeves b Hoskins

6

(6)

1

-

6-72

7

R. Halsey

b Pearson

5

(10)

-

-

7-80

8

R. Crowcroft

b Pearson

15

(14)

2

-

8-94

9

J. Simpson

not out

1

(3)

-

-

-

10

C. Elliot

b Pearson

0

(1)

-

-

9-94

11

R. Jackson

not out

3

(2)

-

-

-

 

Extras

(W6, LB4, B4)

14

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 9 wickets, 18 overs)

97

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

 

1

Hoskins

4

0

18

3

 

2

Pearson

4

0

16

4

 

3

Roberts

3

0

25

0

 

4

Reeves

3

0

19

0

 

5

Edwards

4

0

11

2

 

 

 

 

 

MOTM:  D. Emerson

Champagne Moment:  D. M. Edwards’ bowling Chris Heron

Buffet Award:  C. D. Roberts’ plaice and chips (with mushy peas and curry sauce)

 

 

Opposition:  V019 / 13

Ground:  G013 / 12

Captain:  C012 / 13