Runs Akimbo

17/06/2010

The Cricket Team Cup Team lost to Winford Village CC 1st XI by 20 runs. Ev reports thus:

Can’t remember who won the toss on a warm sunny evening at Winford but they batted first. We took an early wicket and, considering how tiny Winfords ground is, did well to restrict for the first 8 overs. Then they opened up, or rather one of them did. He went on to make 111 not out (though we dropped him 3 times), smacking the ball into the surrounding fields at will as they put together a mammoth 190 for 3 from their 20 overs.

A quick turnaround and Simon and Kalu got us off to a decent start, and then, at the fall of the first wicket, Justin strolled in at number 3 and everything went weird. Haring between the wickets, screaming “yes!” like some crazed suicide batsman, regardless of where the ball went, Justin simultaneously scored freely and ran out Evan and Bolts without them even facing a ball.

By the time we got to the 16th over Justin was shot to pieces. Hanging from his bat between deliveries, panting, he was too tired to swing the bat. And despite instructions from our skipper to run himself out, couldn’t find the energy even for this.

Eventually, weak and confused, stranded in the middle of the wicket, seemingly having forgotten which way he was running J was run out for 41 (redeeming himself by making our top score).

Dunc, Ange and Ian H all chipped in as well, and the cowboys made a respectable 170 for 9 in the end.

See the full scorecard here.

19/06/2010

The Saturday Cricket team beat Avonside by 98 runs in a top of the table clash.

When Rob opened the shed at Frenchay he was greeted by two startled fledglings who had just left the nest. The metaphor of new life and new beginnings was not lost on the Cowboys… What! Of course it was. Ev arrived 5 overs into the game looking like the portrait of Dorian Grey, Roger was nursing an England Vrs. Algeria hang over and Strange forgot to pick Kalu up from outside the Plough.

Avonside won the toss and put EC into bat and got a little over excited when they got Dutch out for 28. Angelo discovered the joys of not having to exert oneself too much when batting with a runner and was fined for jug avoidance hitting 49, Strange was less amused because having got out for 7 he was looking forward to putting his feet up and picking his nose but got called back to do Angelo’s hard work for him.  Kalu hit 43 not out in some style. EC scored 176 for 9 from their 40 overs.

At tea EC were a little subdued because the Frenchay pitch is easily worth 200 runs however Joe and Dutch kept the faith. Joe bowled 8 overs 2 maidens 2 wickets for 27 runs and Dutch bowled 5 overs 1 maiden for 8 runs. Avonside carried their obsession with Dutch into their own innings and the two opening batsmen looked very uncomfortable as he unleashed a very hostile spell of bowling, in fact as the figures show they tried to have nothing to do with it leaving Gretch to deal with most of the deliveries.  Despite this they got off to a steady start and with their openers batting well it looked as though they could make the total, that was  until Joe ran their star batsman out. As Dutch was taken off the foe breathed a sigh of relief but made the fatal error of trying to attack Kalu’s leg spin and produced the perfect demonstration of how to collapse a batting order with only two batsmen getting into double figures. They were all out for 78 in the 24th over complaining that it was just plain embarrassing. Ev took 2 wickets after destroying the non-striker’s stumps with his first delivery and Gretch took a great caught behind standing up to Joe’s bowling.

Avonside no longer think we are a one player side, they think we are a two player side. And our star wicket taker didn’t even get a bowl. It was great to see so many people there to watch, they also got to see a thrilling finish in Frenchay’s game.

MOM – Kalu: 43 runs, 5 wickets and 2 catches. Although it could have been Joe for diverting to pick up a stranded Kalu from outside The Plough.

Cider moment – Joe running their best batsman out.

See the full scorecard here.

20/06/2010

Easton Cowboys Friendly Team  lost to Ram CC by 4 wickets. Grant reports thus:

I’ve thought long and hard about how to make dubious references to sheep, lasso’s and the like – but in the end I figured it’s all a little obvious and actually not very funny, so I’ll just talk about the cricket.

On a beautiful day, with Frenchay’s strip looking bone dry and even, we won the toss and decided to bat – a perfect choice on what turned out to be a lovely pitch to play on. It’s rare we get to play at home without the damp slowing the pitch down, but today it was good. An even bounce kept the ball up enough for Voltan the destroyer and Ian the Scouse to go out and have a good knock, making the first 50 in what seemed like record time. Plenty of boundaries to keep the cowboys in good spirits, and a healthy run rate to allow a little relaxing in the sun. A deserved man of the match eventually went to Ian for his 96, with the lack of the 100 being less important to him than the fact that this is about the fifth time in his life he’s made it to exctly 96, and then gotten out. Apparently when he spooned the ball in the air for an easy catch, he just knew at that point he must be on 96!

We played slow and steady from then on – with most of the sqaud going out and getting double figures, taking their time and playing like proper cricketers. We needed to run a little more than we did – and that possibly contributed to our downfall – but we played well. Sadat earned himself the cider moment for his sound fx whilst clubbing the ball for 6 over the trees – whoosh! – which actually turned out to be ‘yish’, which means something but no-one was quite sure what. Flinton asked me to go out and stay in, which I seem to be getting good at – so I did, earning myself a 17 not out to give me a warm feeling inside my tummy. We ended the innings with 236 – a good total, or so we thought.

Opening the bowling was Sayed – who must have scared the life out of the Ram folk, with his pace and line. You could see it was all they could do to defend for a handful of overs, until they got themselves in. We had slips in place, for the edges that came but even those flew to the boundary because of the pace on the ball. Barney bowled at the other end, with his ungainly run up disguising a fantastic variation of bouncers, seamers and swing. We  got a couple of early wickets, but they were also running well – taking good singles and building it up slowly but surely. The fall of wickets I can’t remember, except a blinding catch by Dave ‘the Dynamo’ Flinton in the gloves, taking a screamer off Sadat. The battle really began with their number 4(?) batsman – a chap we remembered from last year as being good. He could hit a ball. Him and Duncan shared a little moment or two on the pitch, as almost everything Dunc tried just wouldn’t quite get him to make a mistake – and Dunc bowled well, lots of variation, setting his field to his bowling and drawing the batsman in – but these guys got their eye in good, and the rate was running away. At this point I think I should mention that every time a boundary was hit, their team would all start bleating from the sidelines – a slightly surreal moment to hear grown men all ‘baaaaa-ing’ in unison in the fading afternoon sun – but I digress.

Dean had a funny turn, and had to go and sit down – honestly it wasn’t the drink from the night before, it really wasn’t – but we lost a bowler. Neil stepped up, but did get tonked for a few. The curse of the slow bowler. We could see how the game might go, if we didn’t get a wicket soon. It took Duncan the last ball of his last over to get his man – and a glorious ball it was. We had two new batsmen in, about 3 overs left, with them needing about 30 runs. It was like pulling teeth – with the odd single followed by the odd boundary – it seemed like we could be on for another tie, like last year. Barney had one over left, but this time his bouncers were pulled for 4, rather than ducked out the way of, and the only bowler we had left at this stage was Ian, with his limp. It really did come down to the last over, 4 balls left, scores were equal – could we squeeze out 4 dot balls? No – it was tonked across the ropes the very next ball, and that was that. All agreed, it was a great game – one which the result is secondary to the spirit and the effort put in. Despite the loss, i’d still rather be a Cowboy than a Ram.

See the full scorecard here.