Strongroom spun out by Jags
Highgate Wood, 5/31/2008
Jesmond Jaguars won by 3 wickets
Strongroom: 140 (Creswel 4-17)
Jesmond Jaguars: 141-7 (H.Short 67)
View the Scorecard
Jags won the toss and inserted Strongroom on a playdo-surface, courtesy of heavy mid-week rain. The nippy Mounsey urged the track to respond to his pounding deliveries, but instead the biggest challenge for veteran openers Rich and Dave G was to adjust their timing to these insipid conditions. RW and DG got Strongroom off to a good start, picking up 1’s and 2’s, and at 25-0 off 8 overs all was calm. DG and RW were replaced by Bully [28] and Jon G [35] who put on 51 for the 3rd wicket. Both these batsmen played watchfully, but often struggled to time the ball against spin bowling that ‘died’ upon reaching the surface. Jags were noisy in the field as ever, but the game was looking good for Strongroom at 97-2 off 26 overs. However, a collapse of England circa ’94 proportions saw that healthy position deteriorate to 140 all out, as the last 8 wickets capitulated for 43. The Jags slow bowlers had picked up 7 wickets between them, including three stumpings, and Strongroom had struggled to deal with this slow-motion-replay-cricket, and knew they were 40 runs shy of the ‘going-rate’ Highgate Woods total of 180.
Tea Report: 7.5/10 David Proctor raided his Muswell Hill bakery for the second time in a month, and escaped with a fine bounty of chicken baguettes, Cornish pasties, portugeses tarts and iced buns [Woolhouse favourite].
With the memory of Washington’s rout for 30 still fresh in the captains mind, he opened with his premier strike bowlers Paddy and Simon. However, on what was a much slower surface than a fortnight ago, it was perhaps unrealistic to expect a re-run of that innings again. Paddy picked up one opener for 1, but Simon uncharacteristically struggled to find his rhythm. By now Frost and Mounsey were batting with typical Jags belligerence, hoisting anything short towards the mid-wicket boundary and slamming full-pitched deliveries straight back towards the sightscreens at each end. With such a modest total to defend this were tough circumstances to bowl in, and Woolhouse and The Horse both found it hard to contain the Jags in such confident mood. The brothers Gower [5-18] did achieve some inroads though, and the sheepishness with which they played Dave G’s spin suggested he should have been brought on much earlier. The bowling of Chris Woolhouse [after many years away] was also played with some introspection, confirming that slow-medium pace was the trickiest bowling of all to contend with. It didn’t help matters that Frost [67] was dropped 2-3 times, but it was his confident striking that eventually settled matters.
The fielding was very good overall [bar dropped catches], with special mention going to Len, Guy and DP behind the timbers.
With another 30-40 runs this could have been a much closer encounter, and there were many “if’s” and “but’s” discussed over some heavy shandy-drinking outside the Highgate Inn after the game. Credit to the Jags, they played a bolder game and kept their cricket straightforward and direct. We look forward to taking them on later in the summer, they have us 3-1 down now…we have some work to do!
Written By: JG
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