So despite my best efforts, it’s come to this. I have been unable to outsource the match report for our T20 versus Larkhall / Larkham? Wanderers, I’m just going to have to write it myself. The Lark-somethings are a new opposition for this season bringing plenty of unknowns, most notably what were they actually called.
We began, as all Regents Park based matches with a flurry of messages updating on where the various players were located – there is no good way to get from the tube to the Hub, do you get off at Regents Park or Baker Street, do you go left or right of the Lake, if you end up in the Inner Circle you’ve definitely gone wrong, and then what pitch are we on – pitch 1, which one is pitch 1? But with everyone eventually assembled and the tossing complete, CICC were batting first – captain Steve and DBB opening by virtue of being there on time.
20 overs later and we were 155 for 6, retirements for Steve and Dooley, and an unbeaten 20 for Whaley in the finishers role – tip of the chapeau to the three of you. This seemed like a more than competitive score on a typically RP pitch that had a more than occasional one keeping low. That’s the good, now for the bad / ugly. DBB was LBW, to one that if pads (or ankles) hadn’t interfered with, would certainly have made contact with the stumps but did it have sufficient momentum to actually dislodge a bail? Then came two run outs, hats off to the Lark-fieldsman for the first – a direct hit from long-ish on (even if the fallen batter – me – was about as quick as dial-up internet). The next run out however, sparked much discussion from the pub-dits after the match. Lynchy, going well on 14 turned one to the square leg fielder, Steve at the non-strikers confidently called yes and set off. Lynchy stood his ground, before eventually and reluctantly setting off. Meanwhile the ball was lobbed gently to the non-strikers end and the bails casually removed – Lynchy run out by half a pitch. The debate raged, was it a single, whose call was it, was the right man sacrificed, and how long did we need to give Lynchy to cool off. Next ball was thumped to the boundary and Steve walked off 25 retired, presumably to take his pads off as far away from Lynchy as possible.
Next up was Jon, last time out he made his highest CICC score in leading us to a hard fought tie (or was it a draw?) versus Plastics. His first ball was slow, a full toss outside leg stump, swept hard behind square for 4 straight into the chest of the unsuspecting short fine leg who caught it on the rebound. Sorry Jon, it’s a cruel game, go simmer with Lynchy. After this flurry of arrivals and departures to the crease, CICC stabilised and went about constructing a formidable total. There was plenty of lovely stroke play, Jay and Dooley hitting huge sixes, Whaley driving gloriously over extra, and Steve unveiling some rarely spotted straight drives.
Larkhall’s strategy was to take pace off and force CICC to add our own pace and potentially mistime one. CICC on the other hand went for pace and bounce (with the more than occasional beamer), opening with Jay and Salman. This initially appeared to be a mistake, with the 2nd over going for 19. But this was all part of Steve’s masterplan – with their opener swiftly retired inside 3 overs, the runs slowed and wickets started to fall. Jay and Salman bowled the other opener and no. 3 respectively before handing over to the change bowlers. Dooley bowled a Dooley first up to get a wicket first ball, before following it up with another 2 balls later. Thanks Dooley take a blow – 1 over, 1 maiden, no runs, 2 clean bowled, add that to your 25 not out for a decent nights work. Whaley did Whaley-esque things involving spin, flight, and mind games in a testing spell including two wickets, the 2nd a double-act with Steve who had the bails off in a ginger-flash.
And then over to Jon to close out the game with some nerveless death bowling and a couple of wickets of his own to see us home with 14 runs to spare. Just the one catch (and no drops, I think?) Salman pouching one on the long on boundary before signalling out with both hands, a confusing signal that was initially mistaken for six (once the Lynchy run out had been exhausted, conversation turned to ‘so how close to the boundary were you when you took that catch’, ’11 feet away you say, hmm that’s oddly specific and a lot further away than it looked to me’ – admittedly on the deep cover boundary).
Larkhall were an excellent opposition, who played the game in the proper spirit before joining us for beers in the Queens (although good luck to their player who tried to recruit me for the South London Water Polo team, these days I swim as slowly as I run – see above), we hope to see you next season. Welcome also to Stephen Walsh playing his first game for the club, hopefully the first of many, and welcome back to Salman playing his first game for a couple of years. Jay took home the champagne moment for his 6 in a competitive field of excellent ‘maximums’ (also Dooley), a classy stumping (Whaley & SSmith), a clean bowled (Dooley) and other nominations I’ve forgotten. Nothing else to report, fielding was overall pretty good and I can’t remember who got the headband, nothing in particular stood out (author blinks nervously). Fine I’ll come clean, I ‘won’ it for an abject misfield on the boundary, worthy of the award on it’s own, but cemented by my comment earlier in the over of ‘it’s good to have a headband candidate’ for a far more forgivable piece of fielding.
(Not the Editor’s note – About the author: Sammy O’Connell is CICC’s self-deprecating editor-in-chief and organiser of one of the most heavenly and memorable teas you could hope to find at a village cricket match. On the pitch he is know for his straight drives and frail calf muscles, capable of snapping before a ball has been bowled.)
