Spin wins!
Peter May Centre, Walthamstow, 8/29/2009
Strongroom won by 51 runs
Strongroom: 189-9 [D.Gower 42, U.Roy 42]
Rose & Crown: 138 [Alan 41, K.Park 6-28]
View the Scorecard
A curious experience this one. Beginning with R&C’s decision to put us into bat – seemingly because they were aware that Rich and James S (due to open our innings) were severely delayed by car breakdown. Strongroom were soon in trouble. Joe experienced the ups and downs of batting with a first ball dismissal to follow last week’s unbeaten half century, Ken edged a good ball to slip, and Paddy finally hit one in the air after playing a superbly watchful 14 dot balls. R&C’s openers bowled excellent nagging spells on a dusty pitch with uneven bounce. After 10 overs Strongroom were 24-3. Dave G and Ujjal rebuilt watchfully to reach 54-3 at drinks, and then managed to accelerate before falling in successive overs, both caught for 42 after putting on a partnership of 86 and taking the score to 106-5 after 30 overs. As has happened in several games this season, Strongroom’s lower order batting came up with the goods in not only seeing the overs out, but increasing the run rate. A superb 83 runs came off the last 10. Rich’s swashbuckling 23 was well supported by James Schneider. James Hoare scored his first Strongroom runs in some style in an excellent unbeaten partnership with Dave P who slammed five 4s in his quickfire 25 (his fifth not out of the season).
Tea: An excellent spread including a good diversity of sandwiches (perhaps not quite diverse enough for Joe), fruit, flasks of hot tea, and Tunnock’s sweetmeats for the second week running.
James H and Paddy bowled with good pace and were difficult to score off but R&C’s openers came through their spells with their wickets intact. Paddy was particularly miserly and took his bowling aggregate on this ground to 14 overs for 28 in two games. Skipper Dave P seemed to get a real taste for bowling changes, using nine different bowlers in total. The quintet of spinners took all the wickets, though James Schneider was very unlucky to go wicketless in 5 overs of controlled and bat-beating legspin. A few eyebrows were raised (well, at least my extravagant pair) when Joe was taken out of the attack after three overs (including prising out the Tavare-esque Sam to a Rich slip catch) and replaced by Ken as Dave P took over wicket-keeping duties. Ken more than repaid his captain’s faith in a devastating spell that put the match beyond doubt as most of R&C’s middle order vapourized. Although he bowled some nice flighted deliveries that beat the bat and bounced and turned beyond the stumps, Ken’s main weapons turned out to be his hittable deliveries – and especially the full toss. All six of Ken’s wickets went to catches, with a remarkable three caught and bowled, including R&C’s best batsman, Alan. His fifth wicket went to a catch to Shaan who had just about managed to stay alive in the field despite fasting all day. Only Dave G taking the final wicket prevented Ken from moving directly to the top of the all-time best bowling figures [add link] for Strongroom in his first outing with the ball.
Strongroom’s regular bowlers may have scratched their heads at how easily Ken picked up wickets, but it was clearly a track for just getting batsmen to hit the ball (which then often went in the air) – all but two wickets in the match falling to catches. Those of you who know Ken but weren’t there can, I’m sure, easily imagine the delight with which he enjoyed his success and went on to celebrate it into the evening. Still, he’s unlikely to appear in the ‘proper’ bowling averages if he carries out his threat of leaving the country before next season…
Written By: D.Gower
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