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“Thames Fog Offsets Crucial Umpiring Decisions

 

 

Match:  24 / 625

Lost by 2 wkts

 

 

Team

 

Total

FFTMCC

175 - 2

J. Pearson  78*,  C. Williams  65

 

Lemmings

176 - 8

J. Harris  3 - 34,  J. Webster  2 - 14   

 

 

 

 

Pleasingly, neither team were overly fussed about wasting their Sunday, sat in the gloom of a tired local watching the England footballers fumble their way through the Euros. Cricket would hold sway, as it really should in a British summer, with the blessed avoidance of seeing our ‘generational soccer talents’ ply their trade against nations who put out an XI subsidised by trawlermen, postmen and coalminers.

 

Winning the toss, it was perhaps a surprise that the visitors chose to field first on what looked like a very good wicket for batting, and that would seem to be the case with The MAD reaching 70 without loss by drinks. P Baker was unlucky with a few that brushed the stumps, but otherwise it was as an undramatic and routine a first hour as, erm… a typical England football match.

 

 

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The first semblance of plot arrived in the 21st over with Williams (65) inexplicably getting bowled after looking completely untroubled (Wood the bowler after previously looking dreadfully ordinary and getting a tonking). Ainsworth (18) would do what Ainsworth does (keeping the board ticking whilst scampering between the wickets) and Turner (7*) provided a cute little nurdle at the death. Throughout all this MAD batsmanship, Pearson (78*) stood firm (as he does), protecting his average and seeing the home team finish on 175-2 off their 30 overs. Webster and Howarth practised putting their pads on and then taking them off, though Howarth moaned a bit more.

 

 

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Williams prepares to face the military paced dross of Woods.

 

 

With Reeves buggering off to Nottingham in the not-to-distant future, he had chosen to practise buggering off by flying out to Corfu this weekend, henceforth, the role of making teas was somehow dumped on Mr Turner’s lap (or kitchen worksurface). Not that Russ presently does much for the club, but I’m sure he would appreciate an enthusiastic hand/volunteer to take on this additional burden on the odd occasion….

 

Back to the action and a low sea fog had now rolled in off the Thames obscuring the vision of the umpires, most unfortunate as I’m sure one of the confident appeals for legs in front of stumps would surely have been upheld. As it was, there was some minor chuntering in MAD ranks (Howarth again and Shorten) before Webster’s champagne catch off Hukins in the covers broke the deadlock (Rundle the happy recipient).

 

Harris (3-34) would then tweak away to good success to leave the educated rodents on a wobbly 69-4, before stalwarts Pies Williams and S Wood steadied the ship. The steadying of the ship was so successful it appeared to now be on dry land.

 

 

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Earlier in the piece, Pearson bashes one away in front of his adoring fans.

 

 

After Ainsworth moaned a lot and buffeted up, ambitions were looking pretty flat in The MAD camp, so a desperate Turner turned to the completely unpredictable, mercurial talents of Jan ‘lot of letters’ Webster. Because… “if he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing with the ball, how can the batter?” Quite. First ball up, lands on a full length, does something inexplicable, and an incredulous P Williams traipses back to the hutch bowled for 61.

 

At 160-5, things really should still have been relatively straightforward for the visitors, but then Wood selfishly sacrificed Willey for a blob, Fitt also failed to trouble the scorers (c & b Pearson) and P Baker (6) departed stumped after shuffling forward to that overseas talent Webster. That left James Baker and a small child to try and arrest the malaise.

 

This year’s Lemmings ensemble would be familiar to most, but with the notable and sad absence of Papa Baker. Time creeps up on all of us in a very sneaky way, and it would be remiss to not mention that Tom was missed today. He would also miss James standing tall (at least 5’ 4”) and slapping the winning ball for four, his first runs against The MAD for some five years (apparently). Bloody cowboy.

 

 

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Webster is happy to sign James’ match ball for hitting a red round thing.

 

 

Sadly, the pub over the road was shut, closed for refurbishment and reopening in September sometime, so drinks and banter would need to be put on ice until next year. A quick glance at our Chairdude’s voluminous MAD spreadsheets and I can relate that 2025 will celebrate a quarter of a century for this particular fixture!

 

Indeed, the first match was played on this very day on 30 June in 2001 (Link), where the Lemmings scored most the runs for and against themselves.

 

How time flies.

 

 

’Sarah Chasm’

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

Statto Scorecards

 

 

 

Far From the MCC versus Lemmings

Played at Brasenose College, 30 June 2024

 

Lemmings won the toss and elected to field

Lemmings won by 2 wkts

 

Far from the MCC debuts:  n/a

 

 

24 / 625

 

 

 

 

 

30 over match

 

 

 

Team

Far From the MCC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

C. T. J. Williams

b Wood

65

(64)

10

-

1-121

2

J. W. Pearson

not out

78

(86)

8

-

2-157

3

L. G. Ainsworth

c Hukins b Wood

18

(22)

1

-

 

4

R. P. Turner *

not out

7

(10)

-

-

 

5

J. vdG. Webster

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

I. Howarth

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

J. Harris

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

D. Shorten

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

J. A. Cartwright

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

M. S. Rundle

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

J. C. W. Hotson †

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

NB2, W1, LB2, B2

7

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 2 wickets, 30 overs)

175

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

Econ

 

1

P. Baker

6

0

28

0

4.67

 

2

J. Baker

6

0

29

0

4.83

 

3

Hukins

6

0

27

0

4.50

 

4

H. Chandler

3

0

22

0

7.33

 

5

S. Williams

3

0

22

0

7.33

 

6

Wood

6

0

43

2

7.17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team

Lemmings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Batsman

How Out

Total

Balls

4s

6s

FOW

1

G. Hukins

c Webster b Rundle

10

 

-

1

1-22

2

J. Hull

lbw b Harris

33

 

6

1

2-58

3

D. Chandler †

b Harris

15

 

1

-

3-62

4

S. Williams

c & b Harris

1

 

-

-

4-69

5

P. M. Williams

b Webster

61

 

8

2

5-160

6

S. Wood *

not out

34

 

3

-

6-172

7

A. Willey

run out (Pearson/Ainsworth)

0

 

-

-

7-172

8

R. Fitt

c & b Pearson

0

 

-

-

8-172

9

P. T. Baker

st Hotson b Webster

6

 

1

-

 

10

J. W. Baker

not out

4

 

1

-

 

11

H. Chandler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extras

NB1, W8, LB1, B2

12

 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

(for 8 wickets, 27.5 overs)

176

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

Bowler

Overs

Maidens

Runs

Wkts

Econ

 

1

Howarth

4

0

26

0

6.50

 

2

Rundle

4

0

22

1

5.50

 

3

Shorten

6

0

25

0

4.17

 

4

Harris

5

0

34

3

6.80

 

5

Ainsworth

4

0

35

0

8.75

 

6

Pearson

3

0

15

1

5.00

 

7

Webster

1.5

0

14

2

7.64

 

 

 

 

 

MOTM:  J. W. Pearson

Champagne Moment:  J. vdG. Webster’s rather splendid diving catch in the covers

Buffet Award:  L. G. Ainsworth’s fish tacos (extra avocado and salsa)

MAD Moment:  R. P. Turner’s midnight voting system for MAD awards earlier in the day

 

 

Opposition:  V024 / 019

Ground:  G040 / 106

Captain:  C024 / 092

Match No:  OT / 045