Match Report
INEXPLICABLE BATTING COLLAPSE HANDS BOYS FROM THREADNEEDLE STREET AN EASY WIN
Last Sunday saw us surrender a very promising position with a dramatic collapse against a very young Bank of England side. The visitors included several teenagers in their line up and on winning the toss they duly asked us to bat which suggested they were not that strong in batting.
Edgar and Jody opened for us but Jody was soon back sitting with us all outside the pavilion having gloved a rising ball from the opening bowler for just 2 to reduce us to 3-1. Edgar was joined by skipper John W. and this partnership proved our most fruitful period of the match. Against some very tidy bowling they gradually built a strong partnership with Edgar, whilst not at his best, playing the important role of sheet anchor whilst John produced some flashing cover drives and square cuts in his way to an impressive and well deserved half century. They had put on 99 for the second wicket when Edgar skied a catch to mid on for 23 and in the next over John was slightly surprisingly bowled, aiming another drive for 58 and we were suddenly 103-3. The next 25-30 mins were very hard to watch as a succession of soft dismissals ‘ripped the heart’ out of our innings. First Nick W. who has been in imperious form recently, mistimed an on drive to be caught for 11, Justin was run out for 3 by a yard whilst ‘ambling’ what looked to be an easy single called by son James, when he thought the throw was going to the other end, Jerry W. then notched his 4th duck of the season lofting a catch to mid off, and James also failed to trouble the scorers ‘nicking’ one to slip. Toby produced a little cameo of 11 with two boundaries in his first innings for about 4 years, before being bowled, Scott was bowled for 0, followed by Luca bowled for 1, with the writer not even facing a ball. The third highest scorer was extras with 21! We actually lost 9 wickets for 28 runs in just over half an hour which takes a bit of doing in any level of cricket, achieved against steady but not over threatening bowling – frankly we should have done much, much better than that!
After tea, the BoE opened up with what looked like a couple of ‘pinch hitters’ but both were dismissed cheaply, with both caught behind by young James off Toby & John W. respectively and at 16-2 we felt we were in the game. Unfortunately at no.4 for the visitors was a former Australian U-19 state player and he smashed a rapid 66 before ‘retiring hurt’ to give others a bat, well supported by the number 3 who made a hard hitting 42 before he became the third victim of young James who executed a smart stumping off the writer. That was to be our last success and the nos.5 and 6 duly saw the visitors home for an easy 7 wicket win.
Truly a day to forget, with really only John’s entertaining 50 and James Redfern’s immaculate keeping (he didn’t drop anything) to remember, although Toby was pleased to have scored his first runs and taken his first wicket for a long, long time and Edgar made a solid 23, for the rest of the team…absolutely zip!
ConcordeBank of England 