|
LONDON ERRATICS
— batting
|
4s |
6s |
|
Head |
caught |
3 |
|
|
| * |
Rivington |
bowled |
10 |
2 |
|
|
Green T |
bowled |
6 |
|
|
|
Taylor |
caught |
4 |
1 |
|
|
Padmore |
caught |
11 |
1 |
|
|
Truscott |
caught |
0 |
|
|
|
Evans |
NOT OUT |
37 |
4 |
|
|
Dunabin |
run out |
0 |
|
|
|
Towers |
bowled |
42 |
5 |
|
| † |
Davie |
NOT OUT |
8 |
2 |
|
|
Heller |
|
|
|
|
| 137 for 8 |
in 35 overs |
|
Fall of wickets:
1–3, 2–16, 3–20, 4–25, 5–25, 6–45, 7–46, 8–125 |
|
| An Erratics team rich in both experience and youthful promise
travelled with the bright hope of getting a game in spite of the gloomy conditions. A little
controversially, skipper James Rivington talked the format down to just 35 overs, and then having won
the toss elected to bat on a wicket that was still rather damp. |
| The bowlers instantly found lots of movement, and the once proud
opening partnership of Jim Head and James proved fragile for the second day running: Jim snicked behind;
then James played round a full toss.
With some of the more seasoned players a little tardy, the younger members were pitched into the arena
earlier than was desirable. Andy Taylor pulled his first ball sweetly to the boundary, but chipped the
second tamely to mid-off. Two wickets fell with the score on 25 — John Truscott second
ball. Alex Padmore displayed enough gritty resolve to steer the Erratics past our smallest ever totals.
But when Chris Dunabin was run out without facing a ball (his ejaculation half way down the pitch was a
sure sign that he wasn’t going to make it), humiliation beckoned at 46 for 7. |
| Needless to say, the home team was having a good time —
bubbling with the garrulous hilarity that means a fielding side has already dismissed the opposition as a
joke. There was plenty of humour aimed at their own rotund fielders, and most of these jokes seemed to
involve pies. The bowling and fielding had now become extravagantly generous. The eighth wicket pair had
no objections to this, and set about salvaging some dignity. Michael Evans and Alex Towers combined
unexpected watchfulness with lusty blows, and as the score climbed towards a hundred, the fielders
became pleasingly quiet and rather more focused. Michael and Alex accelerated impressively in the last five
overs; and though Alex fell to a returning opener in the penultimate over, Simon Davie smacked two of the
three balls he faced to the boundary. Over a tasty tea, the Erratics considered that the target they
had been allowed to accumulate was defendable if they could get amongst the South Wraxall
batsmen. |
|