“TFNC”

Match: 15 / 375

Won by 3 wkts

Team	Total
Astons CC	117 – 4
M. Reeves 1 - 13
FFTMCC	118 - 6
J. Pearson 36, L. Ainsworth 28*

There is always a feeling that people are keener to get a game in after a weekend off. Maybe that’s why The MAD stood in more than persistent drizzle for 30 overs at Aston Tirrold. Had near neighbours Blewbury seen this show of meteorological defiance they would no doubt have had a few questions following the season’s earlier debacle in this little corner of Oxfordshire. Maybe it was two weeks without a game; maybe it was a relative warmth in the air; maybe it was the thought of 20 wins over a season; maybe it was the scent of a first win away to Aston’s in eight years? Something spurred The MAD on to get a game in. Well, not all of them, but most…

The Thanks For Coming (TFC) award is well known in cricketing circles. Some unsuspecting bugger gives up his whole Sunday to stand in a field. He doesn’t bowl, he isn’t required to bat, and he repels the ball in the field. He was there, but that was all he was. And sometimes only just. This Sunday, and the absence of Thornton Smith, saw the inaugural FFTMCC TFNC awarded. Obviously there is no trophy or owt to honour the recipient; it would belie the idea of the award. Still, Thornton Smith, Thanks For Not Coming fella! ;-)

Lush.

The astute amongst you would probably postulate that a TFNC could only come in a victory. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. But The MAD don’t make sense. That’s why they stood in the rain at the Sweet Olive before moving over to the rec ground in Aston Tirrold to stand in more rain. Or was it the same rain? It was definitely the same rain they began fielding in after skipper Timms lost the toss. There was one 10 or so minute pause from standing in the rain due to it raining a bit heavier. After that The MAD went out to stand in the rain again. It did seem to be different rain this time though. Largely due to a generous offer from opposition skipper T Dew to reduce the innings to 30 overs – with no call for a bizarre Duckworth Lewis calculation to adjust the total. Only 9 overs to go.

There wasn’t too much to report from the first 20 overs of the game. 55-2 after 20 owed much to the conditions. Bonwell (9) had already discovered that hitting the ball on the ground was pointless. Two wonderfully timed drives for single on the sodden outfield brought about a cultured 6 over long off. The aerial route was the right one to take – especially with only 10 in the field. The conniving Reeves (6-0-13-1) planted R Turner at square long and (after a well-timed) splat, straight in. A more than decent catch given the drenching. Barlow (30) and Allen (28) had, like Dew (10) before them, battled admirably in the trenches. No, literally in trenches. They turned up the wick in the last 9 with the help of Marks (17) and Way (9) to leave The Mad needing 118 for victory.

There was a wicket apiece for Roberts (who needed more than one really to keep alive hopes of a MAD record), Pearson (who was just happy to even be alive after a slip mid ball hurt every bone, muscle and square centimetre of his (probably now) flu ridden skin), and Timms (a bloody wicket!). The latter almost looked like he could bowl again, in the ideal leg spin conditions of a monsoon.

TFNC Smith (centre) during the tea interval. In 2008. Another shit day for weather.

Tea was a pleasant fare as always. But then any time The MAD can have actual tea at tea is always a bonus. Its health and safety gone mad I tell you! 180 balls to get 118 then. It was never going to be easy. The Astons got the better of the fielding conditions, karma perhaps for their decency earlier in the day. Arguably The Mad had slightly improving batting conditions though.

20 overs in and the chase was only 7 runs behind. But 2 wickets ahead. Westmoreland (16) played a patient and watchful innings before eventually trying to pick out a fielding position he had yet to hit in 2015. He got stumped instead. Bullock (5) was even more patient and watchful before not watching one. Turner (1) was filled with a sense of righteous indignation when Bonwell had the audacity to catch him out, despite not being able to run, or even really move. Bonwell (6-0-27-3) shared 6 wickets with Allen (6-1-9-3); the latter’s spell really tying The MAD down. When Emerson (4) and Carter (13) departed with the score 70-5 it looked a long way to go.

After an increasingly belligerent Pearson (36 – three 4’s off the last 3 balls he faced) gave The MAD a fighting chance M Reeves (0*) strode out to accompany L Ainsworth at the crease for the final 3 and a half overs. Accompany very much being the right word. 3 balls faced; 1 bye, 2 dots. Ainsworth (28*) played a calm and measured innings before using his leftism to try and tonk everything down to fine leg. One six, a couple of fours, and a plethora of two’s made their way down there. Mike watched in a jealous rage, a left handed one no doubt.

G. Carter (13) slices one through the mud.

For the last 5 or so overs FFTMCC had gone at the 9 an over they needed. It meant that with one ball to go the scores were tied. I’ll do my best to describe what happened. Chaos. Utter fucking chaos. A decent ball from Barlow was missed by Ainsworth and thudded into the gloves of B Marks. Reeves had pegged it down to the strikers end to inform Lee of his plan to run whatever happened. Lee took a couple of minutes to think it all over. Marks, who had been impeccable behind the stumps, chose this moment to fumble the ball back in front of the stumps. Lee saw it roll back past him. He also watched N Isaacs sprint in to sweep up the blighter. ‘Probably makes sense to stay here, I’ll turn back’. Reeves, still stood next to Lee, wasn’t so certain. All one can really say is that in the melee Isaacs picked the wrong end. With Reeves completing his run Ainsworth finally decided to saunter up the other end at the same time Isaacs lobbed the ball to the keeper, who quickly lobbed it up the other end. Not quite quick enough though.

A MAD win. But a win all round. A game played in high spirits despite low clouds. An opposition fully understanding what the game is all about. Solid endeavour from all concerned and a hearty beer with much mirth in the pub afterward, sharing tales of tours. How it should be, bar the shiteing rain. The nineteenth win too – with one game to go*. The magic 20 still on the cards. Bring me that horizon!

* - Hanney doesn’t count.

‘A. A. S. Vogel’

*

Statto Scorecards

Far from the MCC versus Astons CC Played at Aston Tirrold, 30 August 2015 Astons CC won the toss and elected to bat Far from the MCC won by 3 wkts Far from the MCC debuts: none

15 / 375 30 over match

Team	Astons CC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	D. Barlow	b Timms	30		1	-	4-92
2	T. Dew *	c Emerson b Roberts	10		1	-	1-33
3	C. Bonwell	c Turner b Reeves	9		-	1	2-47
4	C. Allen	c Ainsworth b Pearson	28		4	-	3-88
5	B. Marks †	not out	17		1	-	-
6	P. Way	not out	9		1	-	-
7	R. Eaglestone
8	N. Isaacs
9	D. Kilcoyne
10	O. Wigg
11	B. Ray
	Extras	W4, LB2, B8	14
	TOTAL	(for 4 wickets, 30 overs)	117

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Emerson	5	0	18	0
2	Ainsworth	5	0	11	0
3	Reeves	6	0	13	1
4	Roberts	6	1	23	1
5	Pearson	4	0	28	1
6	Timms	4	0	14	1

Team	Far From the MCC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	M. T. Westmoreland	st Marks b Allen	16	(37)	1	-	1-28
2	M. Bullock	c Barlow b Bonwell	5	(45)	-	-	2-29
3	R. P. Turner	c Bonwell b Allen	1	(5)	-	-	3-32
4	G. Carter †	b Bonwell	13	(27)	-	-	5-70
5	D. Emerson	c Marks b Allen	4	(8)	-	-	4-40
6	J. W. Pearson	c Ray b Bonwell	36	(32)	6	-	6-91
7	L. G. Ainsworth	not out	28	(28)	2	1	-
8	M. K. Reeves	not out	0	(3)	-	-	-
9	G. J. Timms *
10	C. D. Roberts
11
	Extras	NB6, W3, LB1, B5	15
	TOTAL	(for 6 wickets, 30 overs)	118

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Kilcoyne	6	1	18	0
2	Isaacs	6	1	19	0
3	Allen	6	1	9	3
4	Bonwell	6	0	27	3
5	Dew	4	0	24	0
6	Barlow	2	0	13	0

MOTM: L. G. Ainsworth Champagne Moment: R. P. Turner’s catch Buffet Award: J. W. Pearson’s soaking wet hamburgers (with slushy cheese)

Opposition: V046 / 14 Ground: G035 / 10 Captain: C022 / 37