(Edited)
Match Report by Richard Burgess
The skies were, for once, cloudless at Low Hall. On an airless day,
the temperature had reached 27° when skipper Rob Richardson won
the toss and wisely chose to bat; one gnarled veteran opining that
he "wasn't going to chase leather in this bloody heat."
Chris Peratides and Richard Burgess strode out to open the innings
and managed to get the scoreboard moving against quality swing bowling
at one end and a 6' 6" legspinner at the other. Peratides even
managed to get Inzy to run a three, Burgess himself preferring to
find the boundary with a typical lofted on drive (eh?
Ed) and a deft pull shot. Then mild alarm as Burgess misjudged
the line of a swinging ball which hit his off stump. Martin Morris
joined Chris but variable bounce did for the South African who was
bowled for 14. Morris found the boundary, but soon followed Chris
back to the paddock, where he was quickly joined by Pete Farbairn
and Tom Bloor who were both dismissed for low scores.
At 48-5, Glenn Winteringham and Simon Warren found themselves with
a reconstruction job on their hands against quality bowling. This
pair added 35 through good running and a few boundaries before Warren
was caught for 16. David Scally (batting scandalously
low at eight. Ed) joined Glenn in taking the total to
respectability before his partner was finally bowled, exhausted, for
33; an excellent effort in sapping conditions. There was still time
for Steve Moore to contribute a typically explosive 12 not out before
Scally was bowled for 24. Richardson's dismissal at the beginning
of the 39th over meant that eleven deliveries were wasted as the Horizontals
posted 141, a total that looked 15-20 runs short.
In this 40 overs form, an eight overs per bowler restriction means
that the fielding side needs to have five front line bowlers. Skipper
Richardson had seven with which to juggle so the Streatham & Marlborough
openers strode to the crease to face Craig Murray and the captain,
and began well before the dangerous Patel slapped a full toss from
Richardson into the waiting hands of Morris. Moore and Scally were
introduced to the attack and immediately put a brake on the scoring
with Scally's first three overs all maidens thanks to excellent ground
fielding all round but from Moore and Bloor in particular. Williams
obligingly hit a Moore full toss straight to Richardson, to cries
of "use the facilities", and Warren came on to good effect
taking the wicket of Brown with a well-executed yorker/full toss.
As the players left the pitch halfway through the innings for a much
needed drinks break, the visitors had reached 68-3 from 20 overs.
Taking over from the railway end, Morris struck quickly trapping Jones
LBW with a ball that pitched. Warren hit the stumps for a second time
and Richardson came back to bowl the visiting captain, Moss with another
full toss. The game was in the balance - S&M were up with the
required rate but running out of wickets. Scally came back into the
attack to dismiss the stubborn Laufer, caught by Richardson for 22
and when Warren, in his final over, struck the timbers for the third
time the visitors were left needing 12 from 3 overs with just one
wicket remaining.
Craig bowled a tidy penultimate over to take the match to the last
over, to be propelled by the skipper for the day. How many times have
we all dreamt of taking "that" wicket or scoring "those"
winning runs in the Elysian fields of our imaginations? Three runs
were required. Close fielders with grim-set faces meant no single
could now be entirely risk-free. Richardson charged down from his
mark to bowl the first ball. It was at this point when the game entered
a dreamlike state, the low hum of passing helicopters and the idle
flap of the endlessly circling cormorants seemed to stop as, the S&M
batsman strode down the wicket and hit Richardson back over his head
for four: no number eleven he!
Rob Richardson's Horizontals could hold their heads up though, having
played their part in a fine match. Excellent bowling from Simon Warren
(8-1-16-3) and David Scally (8-3-11-1) was rewarded by the bar being
open in the Mohsin Beg pavilion: a moving sight for Steve Moore, who
had run out of beer. Well played, everyone.
