“Webster Does Something”

Match: 19 / 485

Won by 4 wkts

Team	Total
Sydenham	168 - 5
D. Shorten 2 - 17, I. Howarth 2 - 23
FFTMCC	169 - 6
J. Webster 72*, R. Turner 42

Sydenham is a leafy little village of 451 people three miles southeast of Thame in Oxfordshire. They conduct their Sunday business on the lower ground of Aston Rowant CC, a club rich in cricketing pedigree, history and no little success in village cup circles. The MAD had never ventured this far east before, pulling up short at Tetsworth some eight years ago, where one remembers then Skipper Westmoreland hitting a defiant fifty in some mud. It was in vain, naturally.

The team avoided their customary pre-pub pint thanks to Carter broadcasting news about a closure due to a refurb. This was however the wrong pub as Mr Hoskins replied to the text a little later from the beer garden of the right pub (Shepherds Crook). Fortunately, beer was available at Aston Rowant’s clubhouse bar, serving up a decent selection to the gentry of a Sir Tim Rice XI playing on the main lawn.

Geoff’s “closed” pub.

After stamping on Midge the dog, Deputy Turner won his umpteenth consecutive coin toss and The MAD were fielding first, watching the customary miserliness of Darley (5-3-10-0) at one end and the variations of Newman (5-1-22-0) at the other. No wickets, plenty of sun and the thoughts of a long hard graft in the field were palpable.

Hoskins and Rundle were next up to the bowling oche, the former chasing down the latter’s new MAD record for most consecutive overs and balls (39.5) without a wicket established against Isis a fortnight ago. JMO’s attempt to secure incompetent immortality was helped in no small measure by the Sydenham skipper, Dan Bradley, who was busy smashing his way to a three-figure milestone. Make no mistake, this picturesque lower pitch at Aston Rowant is certainly not small, in fact it is quite big, but still too small for Bradley, who launched some of the largest maximums seen for some time. One of them didn’t quite make it, but thankfully Pearson was on hand to catch it and walk backwards an extra ten paces to make it so….

That Hoskins wicket would eventually arrive some four weeks later when opener Reynolds (21) top-edged to Webster at some deep gully type of position he had inadvertently wandered off to to get a better view of some dive-bombing red kites. The record was James’ and now stands at impressive 41.3 overs of barren futileness.

Some dude hides their identity whilst chucking some missiles.

Win a ton there for the taking, the Champagne moment of the match would see Mr Darley sprint some forty yards around the deep cow boundary and somehow hang on to another Bradley missile hit high into the stratosphere. Oh, the irony of being out for 99 to a bowler with that number on his shirt (Howarth 5-0-23-2). Other late wickets fell to an inspired burst from Shorten (6-0-17-2) as the home team stuttered to 168-5 when once it looked like many more.

Tea was a curious affair with both teams completing a half-marathon to a rave tent adjoining the top pitch. There were no ice machines, music or guys in puffer coats knocking out Mitsubishis, but there was a wonderful spread of food and ample time to take the piss out of Bradley and his non-ton.

Banging techno accompanies the mid-innings rave.

The MAD reply, if you can call it that, saw Pearson notch his second duck in four days and Williams an enigmatic single whilst trying to swat veteran pieman P Reynolds (6-0-29-1) onto some nearby hay bales. Thereafter things became much calmer and cloudier, as Webster and Turner navigated the following twenty overs, if not the twenty two yards between the stumps (the skipper dejectedly run out for 42).

With victory now assured at a little over just 5 per over, it was now time to unassure it with a customary MAD collapse (Darley 7, Newman 10 and Shorten 0 falling in reasonably quick time). With 33 still required, a deep batting order saw Howarth (11*) join a slightly panicky Webster at the crease and proceed to run him into the ground. Ones became twos, twos became threes and Jan’s face a deeper shade of uber scarlet. In the end, a nervy Webster (72*) drove a single through the outstretched hands of some dude with his arms outstretched and The MAD were home.

Webster’s shining day of amazing batting heroics.

With the sun now invisible behind a thick blanket of clouds, it was hard to discern whether it was sunset as Jan bought a celebratory jug in (to drink himself). A fine win, fine opposition and a fine day out. Well batted, Mr Webster – a long long time in coming.

‘Number 8’

*

Statto Scorecards

Far from the MCC versus Sydenham CC Played at Aston Rowant lower ground, 9 June 2019 Far from the MCC won the toss and elected to field Far from the MCC won by 4 wkts Far from the MCC debuts: none

19 / 485 35 over match

Team	Sydenham CC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	P. Reynolds	c Webster b Hoskins	21		2	-	1-87
2	D. Bradley *	c Darley b Howarth	99		9	4	2-144
3	J. White	c Webster b Shorten	16		1	-	3-154
4	C. Jones	c Rundle b Shorten	4		-	-	4-161
5	C. S. Church	b Howarth	3		-	-	5-164
6	R. Senior	not out	3		-	-	-
7	M. Luxford	not out	1		-	-	-
8	M. Archer
9	M. Kermack
10	P. Brine
11
	Extras	NB4, W8, LB3, B6	21
	TOTAL	(for 5 wickets, 35 overs)	168

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts	Econ
1	Darley	5	3	10	0	2.00
2	Newman-Robson	5	1	22	0	4.40
3	Rundle	7	0	36	0	5.14
4	Hoskins	7	0	52	1	7.43
5	Shorten	6	0	17	2	2.83
6	Howarth	5	0	23	2	4.60

Team	Far from the MCC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	J. W. Pearson	b Jones	0	(2)	-	-	1-1
2	C. T. J. Williams	c White b Reynolds	1	(4)	-	-	2-5
3	J. vdG. Webster	not out	72	(95)	8	-	-
4	R. P. Turner *	run out	42	(60)	1	-	3-92
5	A. Darley	c and b White	7	(7)	1	-	4-99
6	J. Newman-Robson	c Luxford b White	10	(13)	1	-	5-128
7	D. Shorten	c and b Archer	0	(5)	-	-	6-136
8	I. Howarth	not out	11	(19)	-	-	-
9	J. D. Hoskins
10	M. S. Rundle
11	G. Carter †
	Extras	NB2, W12, LB3, B9	26
	TOTAL	(for 6 wickets, 33.5 overs)	169

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts	Econ
1	Jones	6	0	25	1	4.17
2	Reynolds	6	0	29	1	4.83
3	Church	6.5	0	18	1	2.63
4	Brian	3	0	16	0	5.33
5	Luxford	4	0	17	0	4.25
6	White	5	0	24	2	4.80
7	Archer	3	0	28	1	9.33

MOTM: J. vdG. Webster Champagne Moment: A. Darley’s spectacular running catch in the deep Buffet Award: J. D. Hoskin’s extra generous 16” deluxe meat feast pizza MAD Moment: R. P. Turner stamping on Midge and the dog’s amateur dramatics

Opposition: V110 / 01 Ground: G102 / 01 Captain: C024 / 23 Match No: 35 / 172