Concorde v Sanford

Match Report

KUMAR BOWLING MASTERCLASS CAN’T QUITE COVER BATTING DEFICIENCIES

The skipper has asked me to compile the match report as he is busy ironing his djellabas & kaftans ahead of his trip to Morocco tomorrow. Last Sunday saw us entertain Sanford CC, a very nice bunch, with whom we had a very tight draw last season.

On losing the toss for the third time in three (he really must get a new coin) John told us we were batting on a very hot day with a very quick outfield. On paper we had a very decent batting line up but as often happens when you have more than 4-5 batters in the side, only 2-3 players ultimately made scores they will feel they could go home satisfied with. John led by example opening up with Jody M. who played two controlled shots to the boundary in the first over he faced before top edging a swipe off his 8th ball to be caught at point for 8 to make it 14-1. Nick F. came in at no.3, but was soon back in the ‘hutch’ as the opening bowler from the pavilion end bowled him through the gate with an in-swinger to reduce us to 19-2. Nick Wright, making a welcome return, joined John and they ‘steadied the ship’ in our most productive period of the afternoon, dispatching anything loose but neither looking in any trouble. We had reached 83 when John was slightly surprisingly bowled by the slow bowler from the top end, for a well crafted 38. Phil H. made his usual fast start with one flashing boundary but then he too was bowled, by the visitors left arm spinner who had taken over at the pavilion end. 106-4 saw Prashant join Nick W. and we all awaited the ‘fireworks’ with two slow bowlers operating. Nick moved to a chance-less half century with 12 boundaries in 55 (he hates running) but with the score at 139, he was surprisingly given out lbw despite being ‘miles down’ the wicket in the eyes of most observers and the fact that only the bowler made a polite enquiry with no appeal whatsoever from the keeper. Unfortunately this dismissal effectively ended our control of the game as Jerry W. ‘nicked’ his third ball for his second successive duck, Rob & Luca were both bowled for 5 each by the left arm spinner, Prashant, after a quick fire 24, aimed a massive blow at the opposition’s ‘pie chucker’ who had come on at the top end and either the ball, or a gust of wind dislodged the off bail although neither the umpire or batsman initially noticed, and then after the writer had scored his first run of the season, Bruce G. chipped one to extra cover where the fielder took a good leaping catch. We ‘slumped’ off to tea, 40 mins before the scheduled time and probably at least 40 runs light at 163 all out, having lost 6 wickets for 24 runs. We really should have done better against this attack in those conditions.

After the tea interval, we opened up with Prashant at the pavilion end and John at the mansion end and both bowled an excellent line & length, with Prash full & fast and he took two early wickets bowling both openers to reduce Sanford to 23-2. Unfortunately, the visitors nos.3 & 4 , settled in with the left handed no.3 particularly good on anything loose, although he did put a few in the air which didn’t go to hand. On a hot afternoon the opening bowlers came off after 6 overs each but unfortunately the back up bowling was unable to deliver on this occasion, as despite bagging well over 1000 career wickets between us, Jerry W. and myself were just ‘not at the races’ and were plundered for 70 runs in just 8 overs, with me particularly bad, either too full or two short.

Prash was rightly recalled to the attack and in an inspired spell took another 4 wickets all clean bowled, and John returned himself to have the no.3 well caught at mid off by Nick Wright for 79, but despite this bit of late excitement, Sanford got home by 3 wkts. Prash ended with 6-28 off 12 overs and bowled superbly, in only his 3rd match for the club, with 10 wickets already this season. It’s a measure of his attitude that despite 6 wickets he was still kicking himself for only scoring 24 runs! Only Prash, John & Nick W. will really have gone home happy although Nick F. had a pretty solid day behind the stumps except for two catches which didn’t stick.