“Rundle Runs Riot”

Match: 15 / 349

Won by 44 runs

Team	Total
FFTMCC	117 - 8
M. Bullock 32, I. Howarth 14
Oxford University Press	73
M. Rundle 4 - 19, J. Hoskins 3 -13

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the cricketiest of times. And talking of time, there comes a time when every man has to draw a line in the sand, raise high his flag, nail his colours to the mast, choose which colour his socks will be and generally make up his mind which side he is on. Nursing a broken thumb and opting for a spot of light umpiring, I took the bold decision that I would definitely make a strong point of sitting on the fence and support both of my clubs; Madders and the OUP. And I would not be swayed from this. So it is fair to say this is a report full of both joy and regret.

Me, in an umpires coat, talking bollocks with crickety type folk.

The MAD won the toss and opted to bat sedately against the probing OUP attack of Steve Lawrence and Andy Halliday. Lawrence found a good off-stump line against Geoff Carter, who demonstrated excellent placement by consistently edging them through a first slip who seemed disinclined to bend down. Moo Westmoreland (0) looked perfectly settled, if scoreless, until he pulled Halliday to Ian Hall at square leg – Hall setting an example which was not to be followed later in the innings. 9-1.

Russ Turner and Geoff settled in again before Lawrence trapped Geoff (12) in front. 19-2. Given the lack of Snicko, Hawkeye, a third TV umpire, a tape measure, theodolite, sextant and knowledge of what star sign was in what house for assistance, I can only suggest I’m pretty certain it would have hit middle and leg about half way up. Pretty certain.

Moo, played splendidly for a near chanceless 0.

I was looking forward to umpiring when Ian Howarth batted. Obviously completely impartial and Solomon-like in my disinterest, nevertheless I’ve had a bit of luck when bowling at the bloke in previous games and wondered if a nifty lbw or caught behind decision would count in our head-to-head stats. Hell, even a run out would have done. However, as ready as I was to take a third party wicket, Ian managed to look in good nick. He seemed to be aware, roughly, where the ball was, and seemed to hit it fairly regularly. He took to Jahangir Quresh’s legspin and lofted it straight back over his head for what looked like a pretty healthy six. It wasn’t, as it happened, as the ball died on its arse about an inch from the line. Is there a signal for running 5-short?

Ian and Russ had put on twenty and looked set to take it on when Spam (14) edged to Halliday at slip – the sort of catch which you might offer a timid pensioner. 39-3.

Russ (7) was unlucky in the sense that he received the ball of the match; Andy Ball was bowling his left arm spin round the wicket, suggesting that, if he pitched it straight, it would probably carry on and miss leg. Ball managed to get one to straighten and clip the top of off stump; a real beauty. 55-4.

Heron (keeping) minds the sticks behind Carter (13).

Gary Timms set off at a lick, a single off his first ball and a two off his second, setting up a potential 60-odd ball century, but fell just 97 short as he hoicked over a looping delivery from Qureshi and was bowled. 58-5 and the innings beginning to slip.

Matt Bullock (32) then played a wonderful series of innings as he high scored for the day. Apart from being dropped by Hughes (twice), Halliday (twice), Telang and Lawrence (once each) and also being caught off a Hughes no ball and OUP missing two fairly straightforward run out chances, Bullock’s knock was an almost chanceless affair with several powerfully clumped boundaries dragging The MAD into the sphere of respectability as the OUP took on the appearance of a couple of feuding hillbilly families and forsook any kind of useful intra-team communication.

Matt received good support from Jake (5) and J-Mo (6) and between them they took the score to close to the 100. Jake was stumped off Jackson by a sizeable distance (honest) and J-Mo was bowled by Hughes.

Hoskins – probably the wristiest batsman The MAD has ever seen.

Matt, possibly unfairly, looked rather peeved as Jackson finally managed to cling on to one, and Salad finished off with a quick 13* to take the score up to 117-8, demonstrating that the only real difference between a 35-over match and T20 is that the former takes a bit longer. Tall Bob, as he seems to do in every single match I have ever seen The MAD play, finished 1*.

So, 118 to win, and the OUP had a reasonably decent batting line-up. Or so we thought until messers Psycho and Salad took the new ball and reduced OUP to 34-5 quite rapidly. Qureshi, well known for hitting a long ball, bunted Rundle to Russ Turner and Rundle then proceeded to a best bowling analysis for The MAD by bowling Hall, Telang and Coney to end up with an excellent 4-19. Salad chipped in with the blue chip wicket of Chris ‘Big Bird’ Heron and OUP were left with a mountain to climb, equipped, metaphorically speaking only with sandals and a selfie stick.

Mr Bullock (32) earlier carded the HS of the day.

Hoskins and Roberts then took over the bowling duties and nothing was lost in comparison as they remorselessly rolled through the old Press’ palsied tail. Roberts (2-18) commenced with a champagne moment-winning caught and bowled from Halliday that could have removed his face and winning an lbw to remove Hughes, while Hoskins’ apparently innocuous floaters simply continued to prove their actual nucuousness and left the OUP swishing and flailing helplessly. With help from a Bullock stumping and a Rundle catch (confirming his man of the match status), Hoskins’ 3-13 helped polish off the OUP for a distinctly meagre 73 and an usually emphatic victory in a fixture that usually produces a tighter finish.

‘Bias Umpire’

*

Statto Scorecards

Far from the MCC versus Oxford University Press Played at Brasenose College, 17 May 2015 Oxford University Press won the toss and elected to field Far from the MCC won by 44 runs Far from the MCC debuts: none

15 / 349 35 over match

Team	Far from the MCC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	G. Carter	lbw b Lawrence	12	(28)	1	-	2-19
2	M. T. Westmoreland	c Hall b Halliday	0	(22)	-	-	1-9
3	R. P. Turner	b Ball	7	(23)	1	-	4-55
4	I. Howarth	c Halliday b Qureshi	14	(19)	1	-	3-39
5	M. Bullock †	c Jackson b Nirav	32	(64)	3	-	8-109
6	G. J. Timms *	b Qureshi	3	(3)	-	-	5-58
7	J. C. W. Hotson	st Heron b Jackson	5	(18)	-	-	6-74
8	J. D. Hoskins	b Hughes	6	(18)	1	-	7-95
9	J. Newman-Robson	not out	13	(17)	1	-	-
10	C. D. Roberts	not out	1	(2)	-	-	-
11	M. S. Rundle
	Extras	NB4, W14, LB2, B4	24
	TOTAL	(for 8 wickets, 35 overs)	117

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Halliday	6	1	18	1
2	Lawrence	7	2	17	1
3	Nirav	4	1	12	1
4	Qureshi	3	0	8	2
5	Ball	5	0	18	1
6	Jackson	4	0	17	1
7	Hughes	4	0	13	1
8	Telang	2	1	8	0

Team	Oxford University Press
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	J. Qureshi	c Turner b Rundle	4		1	-	1-6
2	I. Hall	b Rundle	5		-	-	2-29
3	Telang	b Rundle	19		2	-	3-33
4	B. Coney	c Hoskins b Rundle	1		-	-	5-34
5	C. A. Heron †	b Newman-Robson	0		-	-	4-34
6	R. Jackson *	b Hoskins	14		-	-	10-73
7	A. Halliday	c and b Roberts	4		1	-	6-39
8	P. Nirav	st Bullock b Hoskins	4		-	-	7-49
9	S. Lawrence	c Rundle b Hoskins	8		1	-	8-64
10	N. Hughes	lbw b Roberts	0		-	-	9-66
11	A. Ball	not out	3		-	-	-
	Extras	W4, LB1, B6	11
	TOTAL	(all out, 27.5 overs)	73

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Newman-Robson	7	3	16	1
2	Rundle	7	1	19	4
3	Roberts	7	0	18	2
4	Hoskins	6.5	2	13	3

MOTM: M. S. Rundle Champagne Moment: C. D. Roberts’ terrific caught and bowled Buffet Award: M. S. Rundle’s unfortunate bacon and egg baps (with Value sauce)

Opposition: V019 / 20 Ground: G040 / 41 Captain: C022 / 28