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“MAD Get Equine Inspiration

 

 

Match:  24 / 632

Won by 3 wkts

 

 

Team

 

Total

Timberscombe CC

160

J. Bateman  3 - 18,  J. Cartwright  3 - 23

 

FFTMCC

161 - 7

I. Howarth  49*,  L. Ainsworth  30*

 

 

 

 

In the rolling fields of North Somerset, in the village of Timberscombe, a few short miles from Minehead, there is a horse. A very special horse. Bernard, husband to Bernadette, father to little Bernard.

 

So, what’s special about Bernard? Well, he has a lovely black shiny coat and a wonderful gallop. Oh, and he can fly and climb vertical rocks using his spiderman style sticky hooves. He runs a mobile pizza van and he communicates telepathically with Dave Shorten, who can either translate his conversations for the benefit of Blake, or simply pass them on in the original horse language. The only thing he can’t do is drive the pizza van, on account of his sticky hooves, so how do they get about? Bernard pulls the van of course, because he’s a horse. Did I mention he can fly?

 

 

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Why is all this relevant? Well, it’s not really, it’s just The MAD were playing cricket in a field close by, from where they could see Bernard, Bernadette, little Bernard and some sheep.

 

On a beautiful warm sunny day, Timberscombe won the toss and chose to bat. Opening the bowling was a man. A very special man. Dave Shorten, who grew up eating imaginary bananas and talking to telepathic, sticky hooved, pizza selling, flying horses. He can also bowl, producing figures of (5-2-11-0) At the other end, skipper for the day Lee Ainsworth, also bowled well (2-0-5-0). The MAD were in good spirits after a day off. In some cases, this involved wholesome walks up river gorges and rounds of pitch and putt. For others it was 13 pints of fizzy cider and talking rubbish for 8 hours. For all it was a game of Somerset darts, a curry and fairly early to bed.

 

The standout innings for Timberscombe was from T Sparks. He was a cut above this level, but graciously retired at 50. He did launch one into the field adjacent to Bernard who was amused to watch James Bateman go searching in entirely the wrong place. He was about to fly over and assist with the search when, more by luck than judgement, the ball was located.

 

 

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Hadfield punches one through the covers in reply.

 

 

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Pick of the bowlers was Joe Cartwright, who was nobody’s pick for leading tour wicket taker, but still produced figures of (4-0-23-3) including the ball of the day which pitched and turned to remove S Yaw. Mopping up the tail was antipodean pretender, James Bateman (3-1-18-3).

 

Timberscombe were a family affair with a brace of players each from families Sparks, Yaw and Harrison. They reached a more than creditable 160 in their 35 overs. Bernard watched all this with detached amusement as he galloped around with little Bernard and told Dave about the time he rescued some people from the snow just before Christmas. It has to be said that telling stories is not one of Bernard’s talents.

 

In reply, Lucan (29) had a decent knock, but others struggled against very good bowling from the Harrisons and the Yaws. At 72 for 7 in the 19th over, things were looking very grim, but Bernard wasn’t worried as he made some hay pizzas in his special horsey pizza oven.

 

 

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Williams pulls one about to crash into his nose.

 

 

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The excitement of the run chase was too much for some people.

 

 

With an earlier than expected trip back up the M5 beckoning, out came skipper Lee (30 n.o) and cider drinker Howarth (49 n.o.) Ian has fond memories of this ground having scored 50+ in his two previous innings and famously hitting a telegraph pole with a massive six that bounced back on to the pitch. Seeing that telegraph pole several years later gave us a sense of what an incredible shot it must have been that day.

 

As The MAD edged (sometimes in the literal sense) towards victory, Timberscombe could have turned the screw with their best bowlers ready to return. The fact that they chose not to and instead spread the participation around shows that ‘getting’ Sunday cricket extends from Oxford to just past Minehead. They skilfully engineered a close finish which The MAD were very pleased to take advantage of. Howarth hitting the winning runs but narrowly avoiding a 50.

 

 

 

Howarth finally does something useful.

 

 

What’s that Bernard? You think that Timberscombe were marvellous hosts and that The MAD should return here sooner rather than later? I agree Bernard, see you soon, I’ll have the hay feast pizza, thanks.

 

 

’Reevsie’

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

Statto Scorecards

 

 

 

Far From the MCC versus Timberscombe

Played at Timberscombe, 4 August 2024

 

Timberscombe won the toss and elected to bat

Far from the MCC won by 3 wkts

 

Far from the MCC debuts:  n/a

 

 

24 / 632

 

 

 

 

 

35 over match

 

 

 

Team

Timberscombe CC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

B. Lang

c Williams b Howarth

20

(51)

3

-

1-20

2

N. Yaw

b Hoskins

6

(17)

1

-

2-88

3

T. Sparks

not out

52

(35)

8

1

3-101

4

G. Whitaker

c Ainsworth b Hoskins

4

(4)

1

-

4-102

5

P. Sparks

hit wicket b Cartwright

6

(7)

1

-

5-106

6

D. Pocock

b Howarth

0

(1)

-

-

6-127

7

M. Parker

c Carter b Cartwright

12

(15)

2

-

7-128

8

S. Yaw

b Cartwright

12

(17)

2

-

8-144

9

S. Pettitt

b Bateman

11

(11)

2

-

9-159

10

C. Payne

lbw b Bateman

15

(9)

3

-

10-160

11

D. Pocock

c Williams b Bateman

5

(6)

1

-

 

 

Extras

W1, LB4, B12

17

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(all out, 28.5 overs)

160

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

Econ

 

1

Shorten

5

2

11

0

2.20

 

2

Ainsworth

2

0

5

0

2.50

 

3

Hoskins

7

0

55

2

7.86

 

4

Howarth

7

1

25

2

3.57

 

5

Cartwright

4

0

23

3

5.75

 

6

Bateman

3

1

18

3

6.00

 

7

Bullock

1

0

7

0

7.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team

Far from the MCC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

R. J. T. Hadfield

c T. Sparks b N. Yaw

29

(38)

4

-

1-30

2

C. T. J. Williams

c unknown b J. Harrison

17

(14)

4

-

2-47

3

J. C. W. Hotson

lbw b S. Yaw

5

(15)

1

-

3-47

4

M. Bullock

b S. Yaw

0

(3)

-

4-61

5

J. C. Bateman

b S. Yaw

4

(7)

1

-

5-61

6

L. G. Ainsworth *

not out

30

(57)

3

-

6-66

7

D. Shorten

c P. Sparks b N. Yaw

3

(12)

-

-

7-72

8

J. D. Hoskins

c & b N. Yaw

2

(7)

-

-

 

9

I. Howarth

not out

49

(44)

6

-

 

10

J. A. Cartwright

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

G. Carter †

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

NB3, W15, LB2, B2

22

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 7 wickets, 32.3 overs)

161

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

Econ

 

1

R. Harrison

4

1

16

0

4.00

 

2

J. Harrison

6

0

44

1

7.33

 

3

N. Yaw

6

2

16

3

2.67

 

4

S. Yaw

5

1

11

3

2.20

 

5

Whitaker

4

2

10

0

2.50

 

6

Pocock

4

0

39

0

9.75

 

7

Parker

1

0

12

0

12.00

 

8

T. Sparks

2.3

0

10

0

4.00

 

 

 

 

 

MOTM:  I. Howarth

Champagne Moment:  J. A. Cartwright bowling of S. Yaw (off break)

Buffet Award:  J. D. Hoskins’ spicy beef pizza deluxe (extra chillies and cheese)

MAD Moment:  J. C. Bateman in the wrong field searching for the ball (six out the ground behind bowler)

 

 

Opposition:  V032 / 004

Ground:  G023 / 004

Captain:  C026 / 007

Match No:  35 / 235