Last week’s defeat to Ash brought a nine-game unbeaten run to an end. And so the best way to start a new run is against… Ash. This time though it was at the mighty Wok.
A warm muggy day ahead, so after batting first last week, the skipper won the toss and elected to field. Chungy opened from the pavilion end and bowled well without much reward. I was plodding away at the other end with my slow medium dobbers. Meanwhile two very different batting styles were on offer from the Ash openers – one keen to larrup every ball, the other more watchful and steady. Eventually I made the breakthrough, when Mr Larrup missed a filthy leg-side delivery and was stumped by about five yards. I managed to get away with conceding only nine runs from my seven overs, before Ryan took over and struck immediately removing the Number 3 lbw. Bukkan bowled well at the other end without any joy this week. The remaining opener and the Number 4 were starting to put a little partnership together, before Ryan struck again having the latter caught in the gully after one swish too many. At this point, Ash were 76-3 and looking at a total of 140+.
Enter the man they call Walkie, and today he was very much on form. He struck in the first over removing the stubborn opener caught behind by Stumpy, before cleaning up the next man with a first-baller to put himself on a hat trick. Alas, that chance came and went. Nick was now bowling from the other end and struck soon after as he removed the dangerous Wasim Mohammed for 12, courtesy of a great catch by Matt Blain. Walkie then struck again at the start of his next over. Ash had lost 4 wickets in 7 balls at this point and Walkie was hungry (when is he not!) for more. Again, he steamed in and clean bowled two batmen in succession to be on another potential hat trick… Once again though, he failed again to secure the illustrious 3 in 3. But literally two balls later, he finished the innings by splattering the Number 11’s stumps to end the innings of Ash on 98. Walkie finished with the amazing figures of 6-8 of just 4.1 overs… And in the process we had reduced Ash from 88-3 to 98 all out.
A fine tea courtesy of Mr Keenan was gratefully devoured, before we set off in our pursuit of 99 to win…
Stumpy & Kuldeep opened and looked untroubled as they saw off the opening bowlers whilst going along at a good pace and reached 34 before Stumpy was caught for 16. Kuldeep soon after perished for 10 without the scoreboard moving on. Matt Blain & Skipper pushed the score along nicely, with Blainey a bit more circumspect than Skip who played in his usual attacking style. The score had moved on to 70 when Skip missed a dastardly straight ball for a run-a-ball 26. The next man in Tom Purton cracked a fine boundary before he soon fell for just 6. Blainey then plundered 12 runs off the off spinner to take us to within one blow of victory. Unfortunately Nick got his first duck of the season with us still needing 3, but Ryan came in with prophecy in hand and duly picked up the three runs needed to see us home by 5 wickets with 15 overs to spare. Blainey finishing on 27 not out.
The Big Pat award went to Walkie for his 6-8 unsurprisingly… [he also appears to have won the Shitbag award, but I can’t remember why -ed.] There is some talk of a StAshes decider in a few weeks with the series now leveled at 1-1. Stay Tuned. I’m Out…
– Rich