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“Chairman Orchestrates Another Runfest
As Curtain Comes Down on MAD FC Pursuits”

 

 

Match:  21 / 558

Lost by 81 runs

 

 

Team

 

Total

Aldworth CC

279 - 7

G. Timms  4 - 57,  M. Reeves  2 - 37

 

FFTMCC

198 - 5

I. Howarth  79*,  J. Bateman  33

 

 

 

 

 

Chairman Matt likes the Bell Inn and the Bell Inn likes him. It is a traditional country pub in a traditional type of way, in a very traditional Tory Boy type of village, with cash only recently superseded by credit cards, and all the ales and ciders served through a small serving batch. There is also a cute little cricket ground adjoining the pub which offers a welcome distraction to a day on the piss. But even if you wobble over to see some cricket and find out it’s pretty crap (such as today), you can simply just wobble back to the beer garden and start where you left off.

 

 

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With summer dragging its miserable corpse somewhere over the horizon, Sunday gone was a gloriously sunny day without a whiff of wind, reminding you of how great this emerald island is once the yellow bright thing takes its clothing off. After securing the toss, it was time to pull up a few foldaway chairs, crack into some nice, chilled bottles and tinnies and watch the lads fill their boots on a rough and ready track with a lightning-fast outfield.

 

Oh…. We’ve opted to field first and get “it” out the way. I’m sure there’s a method in the madness, or is it simply just MAD?

 

With Aldworth losing their number eleven early, Richardson (91) and Fane (just the 66 this time) got to work in smacking some workmanlike dross to all parts, thus ensuring 2-3 hours of chasing leather was extended furtherly by searching for balls in grass, hedgerows and car parks. Timms (6-0-57-4) did okay, perhaps disappointed to see the alcoholic wreck of Bateman fudge up his 5-for, but by and large this creaking ruin of a MAD team zeroing in on the end-of-season did well to check the home team’s pursuit of 400.

 

 

 

Timms and Bateman enjoying a Wootton flower festival the day before.

 

 

With Newing (38* off 21) and the Smellie (25* off 8) reloading the canons towards the death, the last ten overs saw 118 runs entertain a squawking village contingent as Aldworth parked their bus war chariot on 279-7… the fourth highest team tonking shipped in The MAD’s 24-year history. Amongst the carnage nobody particularly shone with the ball, although Chairman Matt did shine with the pencil, doing a superb job in keeping tally and refraining from pissing down his leg. He was also the grateful recipient of a cooler of beer throughout (many thanks to Mr Smellie I believe).

 

Tea and time to reflect on no teas again and a reliance on Mike’s flapjacks. There was also time to avail yourself of a quick pint from the pub and consider how best to pretend you were having a great time.

 

In reply, Williams (32) briefly saw The MAD run-rate ascend that of Aldworth, but after a smart catch in the deep and a misguided slog across his stumps from Bateman (33), the writing was not so much on the wall as sprayed in huge luminescent daubs by Banksy. Continuing to roll back the years to when he was useful, Howarth (79*) chanced his arm and in the process took Howard Jones’ 20-year old MAD high score record at #4… a notable milestone (048) that had oddly stood the test of time for an odd amount of years given every other high score achieved around it. Tidy bowling and fielding would see The MAD bus eventually splutter, stall and dribble to a stop on 198-5. Turner (7), Harris (5), Rundle (8) and Reeves (5*) all look forward to happier times and Mike certainly hopes to never facing the precocious young quickie B Newing (6-0-28-1) again, a young man who is surely destined for greater things.

 

 

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Turner trapsing off to leave Umpire Carter to daydream.

 

 

The MAD were invited and agreed to join the Friendly Cup back in 2016, where new friends, oppositions and adventures were sought, but over the years the competition has seemed at odds with the club’s cricketing ethos (winning isn’t everything and everyone plays their part). Following a recent committee vote to leave, this Sunday would be the FFTMCC’s last match in this format and we wish our new friends well, time for experiences new, or old, or… well, just not in a competitive cup type thing. We will see many of these teams in a more traditional sense in years to come.

 

After amassing a grand total of 920 runs spread out over two matches (Ferring and this one), Chairman Bullock would then guide us all the way back to the pub whence we started. Where we always start and maybe one day we’ll just stay.

 

 

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‘Achy Illes’

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

Statto Scorecards

 

 

 

Far from the MCC versus Aldworth CC

Played at Aldworth, 5 September 2021

 

Far from the MCC won the toss and elected to field

Aldworth CC won by 81 runs

 

Far from the MCC debuts:  n/a

 

 

21 / 558

 

 

 

 

 

35 over match

 

 

 

Team

Aldworth CC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

P. Richardson

c Howarth b Harris

91

(89)

17

-

7-243

2

B. Gardener

c Harris b Reeves

8

(10)

1

-

1-18

3

M. Fane

b Timms

66

(49)

13

-

2-133

4

H. Smellie

b Timms

14

(8)

3

-

3-149

5

S. Warren

b Reeves

4

(4)

1

-

4-154

6

N. Baker †

c Carter b Timms

5

(13)

-

-

5-163

7

G. Kent

c Turner b Timms

12

(8)

1

1

6-181

8

B. Newing

not out

38

(21)

4

3

-

9

A. Smellie

not out

25

(8)

2

2

-

10

A. Basoya

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

J. Wood *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

W6, LB1, B9

16

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 7 wickets, 35 overs)

279

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

Econ

 

1

Darley

7

0

39

0

5.57

 

2

Reeves

7

2

37

4

5.29

 

3

Rundle

5

0

44

0

8.80

 

4

Vermaak

4

0

23

0

5.75

 

5

Howarth

3

0

27

0

9.00

 

6

Timms

6

0

57

4

9.50

 

7

Harris

3

0

42

1

14.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team

Far from the MCC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

R. P. Turner

c H. Smellie b Basoya

7

(13)

1

-

1-20

2

C. T. J. Williams

c Newing b Basoya

32

(26)

7

-

2-54

3

J. C. Bateman

b Kent

33

(35)

5

-

3-92

4

I. Howarth

not out

79

(74)

13

-

-

5

J. Harris

b A. Smellie

5

(7)

1

-

4-109

6

M. S. Rundle

c and b Newing

8

(32)

1

-

5-141

7

M. K. Reeves

not out

5

(24)

-

-

-

8

A. Darley

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

G. Carter †

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

C. J. Vermaak

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

G. J. Timms *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

NB1, W7, LB5, B16

29

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 5 wickets, 35 overs)

198

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

Econ

 

1

Warren

4

0

26

0

6.50

 

2

Basoya

5

0

35

1

7.00

 

3

A. Smellie

7

2

23

1

3.29

 

4

Kent

4

1

22

1

5.50

 

5

Richardson

5

0

27

0

5.40

 

6

Newing

6

0

28

1

4.67

 

7

Fane

2

0

6

0

3.00

 

8

Gardener

1

0

7

0

7.00

 

9

Wood

1

0

3

0

3.00

 

 

 

 

 

MOTM:  I. Howarth

Champagne Moment:  I. Howarth’s diving catch on the boundary

Buffet Award:  J. Harris’ unseasoned jacket spuds (tuna mayo filling)

MAD Moment:  I. Howarth  &  M. S. Rundle’s chaotic two after an overthrow with Rundle perhaps running three or was it four in total?

 

 

Opposition:  V087 / 03

Ground:  G079 / 03

Captain:  C022 / 112

Match No:  35 / 205