LBS run through weak Strongroom
Highgate Wood, 6/14/2008
LBS won by 108 runs
LBS: 193
Strongroom: 85
View the Scorecard
When LBS were fully changed and ready to start, and Strongroom only had 3 players, I felt this was going to be one of those days – and so it proved!
Vijay won the toss and opted to bat first on a difficult to gauge surface [dry on top, wet underneath]. Strongroom bolstered their ranks to 5, and borrowed a few LBS fielders to get the game started, but were fielding a weaker than usual team (we got to 9 eventually). Aashish and Taimur started aggressively against Paddy and Jon G, exploiting the close boundary nearest the train line, but Strongroom kept up a healthy banter in the field, on what were trying circumstances. We rotated three wicketkeepers in all (Woolhouse, Jolyon and DP), and it was noticeable the ball was behaving alarmingly at one end in particular. Proctor and Hem bowled their 16 over combined spell straight out, and both bowlers gave their all, with Hem (2-41) clean bowling the two dangerous openers. LBS were well positioned at 144-4 off 26 overs, with a total in the high 200’s on the cards, but thanks to a resurgent spell from a lively Rich Woolhouse (3-17) and a good second spell from Paddy (2-33), Strongroom did very well to bowl out LBS for a competitive total of 193. Strongroom’s lively fielding was also worth a mention.
Tea Report: 9/10 OK, so Jolyon didn’t bowl, and only scored a single run, but he was quite deservedly praised for a wonderful tea. Enormous ciabattas (I thought they were sofa pillows on first sighting) were revealed, packed with juicy fillings, as well as samosas, pakoras, jaffa cakes and even a Jamaican ginger cake (purchased), in what was a fine effort all the way from Shepherd’s Bush.
Low on batting stars, Strongroom set out positively to ‘have a go’ at chasing down the LBS total. However, Jolyon squirted an inside-out drive to gully, and Woolhouse was adjudged lbw, to leave Strongroom in early disarray! Thereupon followed a reasonable partnership between Paddy (28) and J.Gower (23), which settled the innings and just got a few whispers of “can we do this?” circulating around the hut. LBS brought on the lively Aamir and Varun to replace their opening attack, and both bowlers tested out Paddy and Jon with some accurate off-stump fare. However, it wasn’t to be. Both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession, and the rest of the innings subsided rapidly, to leave Strongroom 83 all out.
A disappointing game in that Strongroom had struggled to organise a team of sufficient quality and quantity, but LBS played good cricket (as always), and so took the lead 5-4 in this scoreline.
Written By: JG
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