Strongroom storm Goblins in early season raid
Goldsmiths College, Sidcup, Kent, 4/20/2013
Strongroom won by 86 runs
Strongroom: 206-7 [D.Proctor 80*, G.Dixon 58*]
Hobgoblin Nomads: 120 [N.Sirisena 57*, J.Schneider 5-17, J.Rahman 4-13]
View the Scorecard
We arrived at the Goldsmiths College ground in Sidcup on a sunny but breezy day, with a fair bit of bite in the air.
This was always going to be a classic early season green track, with plenty in it for the new ball...and so it proved, both sides really struggling at the top of their innings and re-building after initial collapses.
SR won the toss and elected to bat.
4 quick wickets saw SR on 23/4 and staring down the barrel of a v low scoring first game, although we always thought that 120-140 would be enough to bowl out most teams - we had a particularly strong bowling line up with Joe Rahman, Andy Orme, Riaz, James Schneider and Grant Dixon playing...
Tom Wolfendale looked compact and batted sensibly until he got a tasty pitched-up ball from the quality left arm opener (Will 1) and feather-edged a catch to the keeper. There was some debate about the dismissal being a bat pad sound rather than edge, but the ball clearly deviated off the edge and the keeper managed to hold on to a regulation catch.
Jules swiped at a gentle in dipping medium paced ball and was cleaned up by the other opener, Will 2.
James Schneider was caught and bowled from a ball that popped on a length and was very well taken by the left Will 1.
Alex Turnbull made his debut for SR in a very difficult match situation and acquitted himself ably under pressure.
Another debutante Toby strode out and played sensibly before getting dismissed again clean bowled by Will 2, suspect he found another good in swinger...
At 23/4 off 11 overs there was some good chuntering and verbals by an assortment of Hobgoblins. They were clearly optimistic of a early tea and easy run chase.
This wasn’t to be.
DP entered at number 6 to a perilous situation with the debutante Alex Turnbull clearly struggling in the conditions, but stoically defending anything straight whilst playing, and mostly missing (!) at anything wide.
Both played sensibly and studiously avoided dismissal. The score dawdled along to 40-4 off 18 overs when DP ran out Alex T with a questionable call for a single that saw a direct hit with Al still 3 metres from safety. A silent glance over the shoulder was all he gave his skipper as he departed, slightly crestfallen after a long battle (13 overs at the crease?) for just 5 runs. Alex did a very good job staying in and without his efforts things might have been quite different.
Guy W came in and did some fine running and re-building, until got a pitched-up swinging ball that he pad-batted for a good LBW dismissal.
Joe R played an exemplary innings, batting straight, shoring up and rebuilding, but was bowled through the gate on leg stump for 8. The score stood at 87/8 off 27 overs.
Grant Dixon entered the fray and the innings was immediately transformed. He played with sumptuous abandon from the off, hitting lofted fours with ease against the lower order bowling. He was dropped once, a dolly at cover early in his innings.
The Hobgoblins’ heads dropped in the field as Strongroom’s confidence and 9th wicket stand extended after the drop; from a position of total dominance they were unable to remove either batsman. Dixon and Proctor quietly went about their work, running many twos as the field spread and bludgeoning some decent fours as they put on 119 for the 9th wicket, averaging nearly 10 an over for the last 12 overs.
Magic DARTS!
SR sat down to a very satisfying tea (7/10 - decent selection of sandwiches and quality urn of tea, down-graded for only providing penguin biscuits and no Tunnocks, disappointing lack of scotch eggs!) in the mess area after completing their 40 overs for a useful score 206.
Proctor high scored 80 n.o. and was delighted with his contribution, whilst Dixon made his first decent runs for SR registering his maiden 50, hitting a very quick 58 n.o.
Wides and extras 3rd top scored for SR with over 15 extra deliveries bowled (contributed in no small part by the windy conditions).
Hobgoblins set out batting with the same difficulties experienced by the SR openers; they were very quickly in a world of pain courtesy of James Schneider who carried his net form and pace straight onto the wicket.
He bowled the most remarkable opening spell in SR history, clean bowling the first five batsman for 0 runs in his first 2.4 overs including a hat-trick that was missed by all but the scorer (last ball second over) , taking 4 wickets in 5 balls. All dismissals were pacey and full with prodigious swing, a couple were pretty much unplayable yorkers that Waqar in his pomp would’ve been proud off.
The scorecard was a picture - 5 for 5 in the fifth over.
JS blotted his copy in his third over when an overthrow allowed the HGs to move to 7 off the full five overs. The game continued as Niz, the HG captain, set about restoring some respect to the scoreline with Will 2 his number 10 batsman. They worked really hard and played exceptionally to take the score to 113 from 30/8, but their efforts came to nought as Joe Rahman (held back after his first 4 overs) cleaned up the tail in style with brilliant variations in his pace and air and a decent haul of 4 for 12.
Hobgoblins were all out for 120 with wides and extra again 3rd top scoring.
The bowling accolades really belong to JS after his demolition of the top order...
Strongroom’s fielding remained reasonably well-focussed throughout, although we probably gave away about 15 runs though poor fielding, Toby another debutante was exemplary in the field and a good new addition to the side. Tom Wolfendale had to retire with shin splints half way through the innings and was ably replaced by a quality Saffer (Jamie).
We adjourned to the white Horse for a jar and toasted a good start to the season against an opposition who will surely test us more in future.
Written By: D.Proctor
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