“Glorious Midsummer Pembroke Bucolic and Serene

As MAD Come up Short”

Match: 04 / 088

Lost by 42 runs

Team	Total
Lemmings	176 - 8
A. Mann 2 - 17, S. Hebbes 2 - 20
FFTMCCC	134
M. Westmoreland 44, A. Fisher 20*

Harken to the pleasant wittering of cricketers on the green, white-shirted sentinels standing to attention. Summer has stolen already to the solstice, like a bold thief in daylight, and the college boys and girls have gone home to their villages and towns. The sound of leather on willow echoes across the Pembroke stream.

Kev is in his kitchen and all is right with the world.

Harken to the sound as wickets fall, that woody clatter of broken stumps, then the swelling up-rush of shouts and cries, the running in from third man and long on, the ebbing away then to muted chatter and back-slapping as the batsman departs. There is no other sound like that, of wickets falling. There is no sound like that.

Kev is in his kitchen and all is right with the world.

Harken to that almost imperceptible collective intake of breath as the ball leaves the bowler’s hand, the field tensed, the bat raised, that moment of decision, that tiny concentrated point of stillness between expectation and what comes to be. That split second between nothingness, and delight or despair. There is no sound like that, frankly in this case because it isn’t a sound at all. Or in any case, only a very soft one. Do some harkening. Go on, you know you want to.

Kev etc etc etc.

The pavilion at Pembroke where Kev lives (in his kitchen).

Losing the toss, it was a depleted side which Mad skipper J. Hoskins led onto the field on this, the first Sunday of a Pembroke summer. Seven had looked to be the most which The MAD could muster for this annual fixture against the Lemmings, but with S. Dobner making sacrifices to come up at short notice from the Big Smoke, and the visiting Mighty Rodents lending a player in the shape of Paul ‘Pies’ Williams, who had scored a century against The MAD in 2002, a more even contest could begin on a Pembroke pitch baked hard by the recent hot weather.

Kev was in his kitchen as S. Hebbes opening (2-20) made the early breakthroughs, and with A. Mann (2-17) following not far behind, the nine men of Mad soon found themselves in the unaccustomed position of holding the whip hand against the strong Lemmings line-up. When Mann held a one-hander at slip to give N. Hebbes (1-35) a scalp, Lemmings were 50-5 with 20 overs gone. It looked good, it felt better, but it didn’t last. D. Wood (69) held the visitors’ batting line together, and with captain G. McKechnie (42 n.o.) settling in then opening his shoulders, they soon threatened to take the game away. Despite S. Dobner nicking a bail off the stumps from distance to end a bright cameo from J. Baker (15), the Lemmings had pushed on by the end to 176-8. J. Hoskins (1-36) bagged one, P. ‘P’. Williams (0-26) bowled a great spell of left-arm outswing with no luck, and M. Westmoreland (1-9) arrived in good time to make his mark with a wicket and a sharp catch in the covers.

Some crap out of focus snap.

The thing about batting is, if you don’t get enough runs, you lose. Another player on the field might have made the difference, but with only ten in the line-up, The MAD were always a partnership short. S. Dobner (0) went early, but J. Hotson (9) looking less like a 1940s crooner every day and N. Hebbes (12) looked good for their runs until they didn’t get any more. P. ‘P’. Williams (18) guesting was untroubled and in command, and ultimately perhaps unfortunate to go lbw to a ball that pitched a yard outside leg, shortly after which A. Mann (0) wearing pads as an optional accessory middled one into welcoming hands at cover. M. Westmoreland (44) had looked in fine form again, but when he was dismissed run out in a cruel run out thingy what with the stumps being broken and him out of his ground and all, it was over. A. Morley (2), returning to the side for his first full game since it was discovered he still existed, certainly held out a while, but J. Hoskins (2), searching for quick runs, didn’t. A. Fisher (20) seemed to be enjoying the simple fare offered by the Lemmings until a pie took out his middle stump. This left S. Hebbes (8) with a pair of boundaries to his name and not out watching the last man fall.

J. Hoskins returns after his epic innings of 2.

Great credit to S. Dobner and M. Westmoreland for changing their plans at the last minute to make it to the game, and to A. Fisher for a near-perfect display behind the stumps. And to the Lemmings themselves, for being the sporting bunch they are and not at all stuck up guvnor. Forty-two short? No disgrace against such decent opposition, you might say. Eight Lemmings wickets instead of the usual one or two? Good effort lads. But at 50-5, 20 overs gone, against nine men, they were rewriting their batting line-up. Just lucky The MAD were generous enough to give them a fighting chance.

‘Blocker’

*

Statto Scorecards

Far from The Madding Crowd CC versus Lemmings Played at Pembroke College, 20 June 2004 Lemmings won the toss and elected to bat Lemmings won by 47 runs Far from the MCC debuts: Paul Williams (084)

04 / 088 35 over match

Team	Lemmings
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	R. Greany	c Dobner b S. Hebbes	1
2	T. Wood +	c Westmoreland b Hoskins	69
3	G. French	lbw b S. Hebbes	0
4	Vettori	lbw b Mann	1
5	J. Hull	c Fisher b Mann	9
6	H. Evans	c Mann b N. Hebbes	3
7	G. McKechnie	not out	42
8	P. Baker	run out (Dobner)	15
9	M. Goodlad	b Westmoreland	4
10	S. Bell	not out	1
11	M. Widnall
	Extras		31
	TOTAL	(for 8 wickets, 35 overs)	176

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Mann	7	2	17	2
2	S. Hebbes	7	1	20	2
3	Williams	7	1	26	0
4	N. Hebbes	7	0	35	1
5	Dobner	2	0	26	0
6	Hoskins	4	0	36	1
7	Westmoreland	1	0	9	1

Team	Far from The Madding Crowd CC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	S. L. P. Dobner	b Widnall	0	(5)	-	-	1-0
2	N. J. Hebbes *	c McKechnie b Bell	12	(23)	2	-	2-15
3	J. C. W. Hotson	c Evans b Goodlad	9	(43)	1	-	3-52
4	M. T. Westmoreland	run out	44	(57)	8	-	6-93
5	P. Williams	lbw b Baker	18	(26)	4	-	4-81
6	A. G. Mann	c Baker b Greany	0	(4)	-	-	5-82
7	A. Morley	c Wood b French	2	(15)	-	-	8-98
8	J. D. Hoskins	c and b Baker	2	(3)	-	-	7-98
9	A. J. Fisher +	b Hull	20	(11)	5	-	9-129
10	S. Hebbes	not out	8	(6)	2	-	-
11
	Extras	(NB3, W9, LB2)	14
	TOTAL	(all out, 31.4 overs)	129

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Widnall	7	3	14	1
2	Bell	5	1	21	1
3	Goodlad	5	2	24	1
4	Greany	7	1	20	1
5	Baker	4	0	17	2
6	French	1	1	0	1
7	Hull	1.4	0	22	1
8	Evans	1	0	14	0

MOTM: M. T. Westmoreland Champagne Moment: S. L. P. Dobner’s direct run out Buffet Award: S. L. P. Dobner’s chocolate gateaux (with whipped cream)

Opposition: V024 / 04 Ground: G011 / 25 Captain: C010 / 01