After the horror of last week’s defeat the team were raring to get into winning ways and remarkably the majority of an 11 was quickly put together, just 1 ringer this week, and after a miserable bank holiday weekend of rain and hail astonishingly the sun was shining brightly in Bristol for this fixture (in contrast to last year when it was raining and pitch black).
The toss was lost for the second time this season but astonishingly St John’s put us into bat.
After the fireworks of last week it was decided to keep Earl in reserve and so Ringer A and the Chairman opened the batting. The Chairman did not trouble the scorers spooning up an easy catch off a 5 year old bowler. Ringer A and Earl then showed how easy batting was both retiring without being troubled by the bowling, Earl hammering a pair of 6s.
Thomas and Ringer B batted sensibly in the middle overs scampering the quick singles before both falling bringing Webb and McEvoy to the middle. Some quick running from McEvoy quickly had Webb calling for the oxygen (and much to the Chairman’s amusement (who was umpiring at the time) failing to run his bat in leading to a call of one short) and suitably fortified he cracked a fine 6 and pushed the run rate along before they retired almost simultaneously to give Shore and Halden a bat. Shore ran out Halden to bring in Ringer C just before the end and the innings closed on 145.
A decent score, probably a little over par, but slightly disappointing in light of the start made.
Thomas and Webb opened the bowling and despite Thomas starting with a wicket maiden got a little bit carted by the other opener and their skipper batting at 3. By the 5th over Webb was really struggling and bowled a delivery he will chose to forget that went backwards and knocked off the non-striker’s bails. Earl appealed and with the batsman well out of his ground he started walking. Fortunately common decency prevailed and the Chairman withdrew the appeal.
The reprieved batsman then crashed Webb back over his head for 6 but was cleaned up the next ball going for the same stroke.
Earl and Ringer B then took over the bowling and bowled some tight stuff although St John’s skipper was giving it some tap before he retired. With him out of the way the soft underbelly of their batting was exposed and with the Chairman standing up the appealing started to get a little aggressive. 5 appeals for stumpings quickly followed although only 2 were given (the most unlikely being the decision of the father of the 5 year old (above) to give his son out) despite the Chairman insisting they were all solid shouts. Indeed Earl has received a telephone call from the groundsman complaining about the damage done to the stumps by the rather indelicate attempts at stumpings.
Meanwhile Webb, Earl and McEvoy were all holding catches and Ringer C hitting the stumps for a run out. Earl also snuck one through bowled.
The Chairman claimed a fine stumping off a wide from the bowling of Ringer C which brought their dangerous skipper back to the fray but he fell quickly as Ringer B pulled a fine catch at leg gully off the bowling of Ringer C to close the innings on 93 and a surprisingly easy win.
Man of the Match has to be Earl again, how tedious.
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