London Erratics Cricket Club

Founded 1974 for recreation and refreshment

Sunday 8 July 2007
London Erratics v Great Milton
at Great Milton

A draw will do
Click on (Þ) symbol for photo images
GREAT MILTON — batting
1   b Brook 2
2   b Walliss 37
3   st Ward b Cobb 27
4   b Eltringham 15
5   not out 74
6   b Eltringham 5
7   c & b b Eltringham 9
8   b Eltringham 5
9   not out 3
10  
11  
199 for 7 dec
Fall of wickets: 1–25, 2–77, 3–85, 4–107, 5–113, 6–153, 7–179

LONDON ERRATICS — bowling
Stephenson 9 1 32 0
Brook 11 2 50 1
Walliss 4 0 22 1
Eltringham 8 2 34 4
Cobb 4 0 31 1
Heller 1 0 19 0
Match manager Bill Bush had recruited a useful team but, alas unable to play himself, had asked James Rivington to skipper. Great Milton won the toss and elected to bat.
Michael Stephenson started with great economy. David Brook had a wobbly first over, then settled and was rewarded with a wicket in his third. There followed a long period of about 15 overs where the Erratics couldn't make a further breakthrough, but the normally expansive Great Milton batsmen were being pegged back to about 3.5 runs an over. Debutant Gareth Walliss, a colleague of Tristan Ward, had taken over from Michael S and had a promising start; when he became troubled with a sore ankle and said he'd have to leave the field, James encouraged him to make his last ball a good one — he did!
This began a spell of mixed fortunes. Wickets fell: Patrick Cobb, with his newly remodelled action, produced a gem of a ball to give Tristan a smart stumping, and Matthew Eltringham confused two more batsmen. But the rate was now up to 5 an over, and the hundred was passed.
The No. 5 bat was beginning to wind himself up, and the ball was disappearing into the neighbouring gardens. As skipper James vainly scattered the depleted field, Michael S and David made brief returns that ruined their figures. Matthew E kept at it and earned another couple of wickets, but the game was slipping away badly. Poor Richard Heller drew the short straw of being asked to bowl the last over before tea...
LONDON ERRATICS — batting 4s  6s 
Andrews run out 64 8   
Neal bowled 0    
Brook bowled 5 1   
† Ward bowled 7    
Eltringham caught 37 4   
Evans caught 13 2   
Stephenson bowled 2    
* Rivington bowled 1    
Cobb NOT OUT  0    
Heller NOT OUT  6    
Walliss    
158 for 8
Fall of wickets:  1(Neal)–6, 2(Brook)–20, 3(Ward)–44, 4(Eltringham)–132,
5(Andrews)–143, 6(Stephenson)–146, 7(Evans)–151, 8(Rivington)–151
Just a few final overs had transformed what should have been an interesting run chase into a more cautious pursuit of the target. And it was doubly frustrating that Nasir Khawaja who had come along at tea could only spectate (and umpire).
Peter Andrews kept the score ticking along (Þ) , but his colleagues — Matthew Neal, David, Tristan — struggled and fell cheaply. When the final 20 overs were called, the score was 51 for 3.
Matthew E combined with Peter to push on. They grabbed runs where they could, but the odd good over (12 off the 24th) gave Peter another half century, kept the visitors in touch with the required rate, and quietened the home team and its fans.
When Matthew E fell, there was still hope that big-hitting Michaels might keep up the assault in the final 8 overs. But Peter misjudged a run and Michael S missed out. Michael E clubbed one or two, then skied one. When James was tamely bowled in the same over, there were seven balls to be survived. Richard ensured he faced all of them (and Patrick none) — but not without giving team mates the odd heart attack.
Match drawn
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