“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….
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 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 |