A Rusty Start: ODB at Edward Alleyn Club
So, summer has arrived. Fruitful negotiations between the fixture secretary and the Met office brought a last minute game with a new opposition, ODB at the Edward Alleyn Club in Dulwich. A lovely enclosed cricket pitch in a larger sporting complex with pavilion and balcony bar, housing a well lubricated partisan crowd in search of a little more excitement than the championship play-off semi-final on the TV.
The pending excitement brought a full team sheet, particularly of non-tourists keen to kick off the season. A new recruit in the shape of all-rounder Sam Dooley adding to CICC’s antipodean contingent erstwhile supported by James ‘Crocodile’ Smith sporting his new bush hat.
The reins of leadership fell to Jon Stern, who also embraced the role of the sticksman (Editor’s note: I think this means Wicket Keeper). Losing the toss we start off in the field. Tom Bage takes a quick wicket to remove one of the opening batsmen but with a lightning fast outfield ODB main a steady rate of around 6 runs an over from the start. A fielding performance for the generations; safe hands from Leon, Shantan and Bhavik x2 means partnerships never develop and it looks like we have them on the ropes by the drinks break, six down with 120 on the board – Game on! However, they batted deep and with a half century from their number 8, ODB were final bowled out just short of the quota of overs with the wickets fairly evenly spread around the attack, including debutant Sam Dooley.
This is probably where the story should stop but unfortunately CICC also had to bat. Well, perhaps visit the crease would be a more realistic description, none of the top 6 making it into double figures, only a captains innings from John Stern and swift 27 from Tom ‘I used to be a number 4’ Bage (Editor’s note: I wasn’t there but I can definitely hear TB saying that) adding a very slight sniff of respectability to score.
Yes, CICC were soundly beaten but there wasn’t the gulf between the sides the score book and result implies, this was a really enjoyable fixture with a friendly team that will hopefully become a more permanent allocation on the fixture list where we will be able to do ourselves justice.
Count the ‘lovely’s with Ed Gregory
Come in number 5s your time is up : Crouch End at Christ College Ground
Ah, will the real Clapham In stand up? Normal service resumed. Only 10 players despite the sunshine, Dad stuck on the north circular and Shantan at the wrong ground, needless to say the toss was strategically lost by stand-in skipper Frecknall and we went out to field with 8; It looked like a master stroke on a heavy outfield and slow pitch. The first wicket fell as Ed Gregory came off the short run and turned to spin to take advantage of the grippy wicket (a clever move or perhaps still a bit tired from jogging down to Dulwich to lend Smithy some spikes the week before). Play was then delayed due to the iPad being used to score overheating. This gave Shantan valuable time to arrive without missing any further overs and vindicated the Club’s scorebook dinosaurs fighting what is probably a futile battle against technology taking away Hedge’s colouring pens.
After the resumption, CICC seemed to be gaining the upper hand, as Frecknall pinned them down from one end, supported by the seamers, particularly Goodman and Sten at the other. However some below average (even for CICC) catching let them off the hook, particularly their opening batsman who used more lives than a family of cats on the way to his century. One of those catches sticking would have swung the game again. That said 234 from 40 overs was a perfectly gettable target even with a man down. The wicket although still slow had lost some of its early unpredictably with a few hours in the sun. There was just one problem; who was going to be the number 5? It seems CICC has arrived with a slightly unbalanced batting order with half the team fighting for the position. Nothing a short arm wrestling tournament in the tea break couldn’t decide and James Lynch (Editor’s note: fitting for CICC’s ‘Muscly chap) took the honours.
Ed Gregory got CICC to a flying start but was undone by the slow bounce, he wouldn’t be the last. Sam O’Connell replaced him at first wicket and looked nothing but comfortable on his way to a fluent 36. But where was the support? Everyone else it appeared had somewhere to be, and it wasn’t the outhouse ground of Crouch End CC. The wickets fell fast and furiously, too many batters uncomfortable without the comfort of number 5 next to their name perhaps, and No. 5 and below managed a total of 6 runs between them, and that was it, not much more to write.
About the author: Matt Williams is fond of a teatime snooze (come on guys, it was one time!) but when he is well rested he is an explosive top order bat who has led CICC to notable victories versus Gents of West London in 2021 and Paddington Rabbits in 2022, both times in partnership with CICC veteran Riaan Ferreira – we can only assume he had to endure a lot of coaching in both innings.
