A picture containing clock, drawing

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“Glorious MAD Run Ends
As Hotson and Roberts save Face

 

 

Match:  15 / 354

Lost by 25 runs

 

 

Team

 

Total

Wootton & Bladon CC

159 - 6

C. Roberts  2 - 14

 

FFTMCC

134

J. Hotson  24,  C. Roberts  19

 

 

 

 

Clarification was sought as to the exact name of this opponent, following several years of uncertainty and many a sleepless night for Club Statto, Mr. Bullock. Originally, playing out of the sleepy village of Wootton, they were originally known Wootton & Bladon CC, for the simple reason we don’t know why they considered themselves Bladon. One hops onto Google Earth to find the recreational pitch of 2003-2005 and it clearly found off the Castle Road in Wootton….

 

 

A person standing in front of a cloudy sky

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T. Smith running off the pitch back in 2005….

 

 

If you wished to traverse to the village of Bladon, it is some 4.9 miles away, or an 8 minute drive encountering no heavy traffic – or to be a little more precise, no tractors or farmers with an attitude.

 

Following a bust up with the local parish in 2005 (or was it 2006?), the self-styled Fat Boys relocated to the Marlborough School in Woodstock, which is neither in Wootton or Bladon. Here, they proclaimed themselves to be West Wootton CC and bought in a raft of yellow and blue kit to suit their new moniker. With this change of venue came a change in weather, with every game other than in 2007, either washed out or treated to a biblical downpour – the worst being the infamous festival in 2013. What a fateful day that was….

 

 

 

Woodstock 2013….

 

 

At some point recently, West Wootton CC again rebranded, with scorer, fixture secretary and general all-round dogsbody, Derek Hambridge, admitting he hadn’t a clue why some of them still referred to themselves as West Wootton CC – you see “there is no West Wootton…. I think we should be known as Bladon CC, but then they’ve gone and bought all this new burgundy merchandise and so the name persists.”

 

Gentlemen, for a team who know not who they are, have a home pub in Bladon, and refer to themselves as being in some way related to Wootton, they will, and always have been, Wootton & Bladon CC. At least they are to us.

 

 

 

West Woodstock Bladon & Wootton Marlborough School CC

 

 

And so to 2015 and what would the cricketing gods have in store on this day? Well, fine weather actually – in complete contrast to seemingly every match played since 2003. Winning the toss [yes, this is becoming a habit], Mr. Timms opted to have J. Newman (7-0-36-1) castle opener M. Ryan for a duck, before watching aghast as Wootton opener G. Dogget (60) took his opening bowlers to the cleaners. It was a brutal salvo which rained cricket balls onto both Bladon and Wootton, until thankfully, Mr. Shorten (7-2-40-1) swung one in to eventually rattle his timber.

 

During this passage of play, Mad fielders were guilty of dropping everything that came their way, even things which didn’t come their way. This profligacy continued too, with Mr. Timms (7-0-42-1) one of the unfortunate non-beneficiaries as the universally lesser known saying “non-catches lose matches” was brought under the spotlight.

 

With a slight quirk to the Wootton batting order allowing a guy whose shot-making resume included a block, prod and a miss, Mr. Bob Roberts (7-4-14-2) and I. Howarth (7-3-20-1) were able to do their economies no harm at all. Time enough for Poole Jr to tonk a quick-fire 32 at the death, bust a few of Howarth’s digits [another drop], and settle the W&BCC total on 159-6.

 

 

A group of people in a park

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A man analyses a hedgerow in background….

 

 

Tea was of course an affable affair with the Fat Boys eating everything in sight before The MAD had had time to queue and ponder the delights. Howarth moaned and complained whilst copying up the scorebook, Newman moaned about his bowling figures, and the rest considered the crazy two-paced innings they had just witnessed – and the number of dropped catches.

 

In reply, The MAD top order failed as one, with M. Westmoreland (8) getting a good one, P. Mellor (0) getting an unplayable one (it pitched short of a length and rolled onto his stumps), and Hadfield (6) and Turner (9) falling victims to a team who could catch a ball. 44-4. If things couldn’t get any worse, they duly did, with Howarth (3*) then retiring at the end of the fourteenth over citing being “unable to hold his bat”….

 

Shoulders could have sloped at this point in the match, but The MAD bat deep, and with G. Carter (16) pitching tent and occupying the crease for something like six weeks, he was able to coax knocks out of D. Shorten (18), Mr. Newman (9) and a duck from G. Timms.

 

So nothing much to play for now? No chance of a win. Wrong!

 

 

 

Mr. Dogget watching on J. Hotson (24) rescues some Mad pride.

 

 

The club are well aware that Mr. Hotson can bat, as he’s proved it countless times in his fifteen years of representing Oxford’s finest pub cricket team; and here he brought a smile to everyone’s face with 24 sparklers and a Champagne award for a lofted four over extra cover. That might have been enough to rescue some pride and cheer for The MAD, but swishing merrily at the other end was a certain Mr. Bob Roberts, plundering cow corner as he sought to surpass that elusive Mad #11 HS record (19* – B. J. Mander 2002).

 

In a rousing passage of play, it was hoped that Jake might stay the distance with Bob, but on his fall he left his partner stranded on 15 not out. Time for Howarth to “man the fuck up” and get back out there to bring Bob home. A one, a two, another one, and suddenly Roberts found himself clutching the Holy Eleven Grail on a level par n-n-n-n-19. One more hit Bob, in fact one more block and a run, anything but a wild swish across the line and getting fucking bowled….

 

MAD all out 134 and an end to their hopes of a Club record six consecutive wins. So near, so far, we go again….

 

 

‘The Geography Inspector’

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

Statto Scorecards

 

 

 

Far from the MCC versus Wootton & Bladon CC

Played at Marlborough School (Woodstock), 7 June 2015

 

Far from the MCC won the toss and elected to field

Wootton & Bladon CC won by 25 runs

 

Far from the MCC debuts:  none

 

 

15 / 354

 

 

 

 

 

35 over match

 

 

 

Team

Wootton & Bladon CC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

G. Dogget †

b Shorten

60

 

8

-

2-82

2

M. Ryan *

b Newman-Robson

0

 

-

-

1-5

3

A. Hambridge

c Shorten b Roberts

25

 

3

-

3-103

4

S. Poole

b Roberts

18

 

3

-

4-115

5

R. McLean

not out

2

 

-

-

-

6

D. De Bono

b Timms

8

 

2

-

5-125

7

T. Poole

b Howarth

32

 

3

1

6-159

8

A. Collett

not out

0

 

-

-

-

9

J. MacDonough

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

S. Edwards

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

W. Dale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

NB2, W5, LB2, B5

14

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 6 wickets, 35 overs)

159

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

 

1

Newman-Robson

7

0

36

1

 

2

Shorten

7

2

40

1

 

3

Timms

7

0

42

1

 

4

Roberts

7

4

14

2

 

5

Howarth

7

3

20

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team

Far from the MCC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

G. Carter

lbw b Ryan

16

(53)

1

-

5-70

2

M. T. Westmoreland

b Edwards

8

(6)

1

-

1-10

3

R. J. B. Hadfield

c Hambridge b Edwards

6

(15)

1

-

2-20

4

P. A. S. Mellor

b T. Poole

0

(2)

-

-

3-20

5

R. P. Turner

c MacDonough b Hambridge

9

(22)

1

-

4-44

6

I. Howarth

not out

3

(4)

-

-

-

7

D. Shorten

b S. Poole

18

(21)

3

-

6-78

8

J. C. W. Hotson †

b T. Poole

24

(40)

2

-

9-128

9

G. J. Timms *

b S. Poole

0

(3)

-

-

7-78

10

J. Newman-Robson

b S. Poole

9

(15)

1

-

8-110

11

C. D. Roberts

b Edwards

19

(13)

1

-

10-134

 

Extras

NB1, W6, LB2, B13

22

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(all out, 32.1 overs)

134

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note:  I. Howarth retired on 45-4 (14.3) and returned on 128.9 (31.1)

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

 

1

Edwards

6.1

0

28

3

 

2

T. Poole

6

3

13

2

 

3

Ryan

7

0

25

1

 

4

Hambridge

4

0

9

1

 

5

S. Poole

6

1

28

3

 

6

Collett

3

0

16

0

 

 

 

 

 

MOTM:  C. D. Roberts

Champagne Moment:  J. C. W. Hotson’s lofted off drive (four)

Buffet Award:  G. J. Timms’ cheese and marmite sandwiches (50-50 bread on discount)

 

 

Opposition:  V027 / 21

Ground:  G031 / 07

Captain:  C022 / 31