On A Roll
13/07/2013
The Saturday 1st Team beat Midsomer Norton Methodists by 17 runs. The Cowboys hit 179 with Asad hitting 53 and Ben hitting 49. In reply the methodists hit 162 for 9. Garnier, TT and Asad got 3 wickets each and Asad got 2 wickets. Scorecard
14/07/2013
The Sunday Team beat Carsons and Mangotsfield by 6 wickets. CMCC were bowled out for 100 off 28.4 overs. Kalpit, RT2, Wilko and Andy B all got 2 wickets. The Cowboys got the runs in 23 overs with RT2 top scoring with 23. Scorecard
TT reported the Sat 2 vicotry thus:
On a molten Ashes afternoon, the Saturday 1st XI entertained Midsomer Norton Methodists’ 1st XI at at the furnace in Farmborough. The pitch looked a bit rough and patchy and may have been given a drink earlier in the day, but surely if he won the toss, skipper Ben wouldn’t ask his team to bowl first in the heat? Thankfully, after he’d worked his voodoo spell on the coin, he opted to bat first and those that could retreated to the shade as Ev and Ange walked out to open up.
The wicket soon exhibited a few signs of unpredictable spite that the bowlers exploited well, Ev falling to a catch in the gully with the score barely in double figures, Ange falling to a catch off the same bowler after the promise of three boundaries and the foundations of a partnership with Ben. Justin’s early departure, bowled on the back foot, left the Cowboys on 31-3, scored at just under three an over. The tempo picked up with Asad at the crease, appearing as capable and solid as the skipper with whom he steered the team away from danger, the former finding the boundary with powerful blows, the latter accumulating with deft touches and defending with perpendicular correctness. Together they sailed the total past a hundred as the opposition, wilting in the sun, juggled the bowling around but couldn’t dislodge them: By the time Asad had hit his tenth four to bring up his half century, the pair had amassed the team’s highest partnership of the season. When he fell shortly afterwards for an impressive 53, he’d helped the Cowboys to a very handy 150-4.
The resolute skipper remained, joined by AB batting on his debut for the team, both intent on wringing as many runs as possible out of the remaining overs. Selflessly, after hitting a boundary AB sacrificed himself in a run out, leaving Davey to grab a few more vital runs with Ben, who, after 40 overs with the score on 179-5, ended up on a jug-avoiding, disciplined captain’s innings of 49 not out, proving that food poisoning the night before doesn’t necessarily affect one’s batting.
And so to tea, which was a long time in the making; the beans, peas, carrots, lettuce and spuds were planted in May, the strawberry, gooseberry and redcurrant bushes are a few years old. Cakes and sandwiches don’t grow on trees.
Leaving sidelined coach Iggy to do the washing up and get out of the sun for a bit, the Cowboys took to the the field with a rather mangled ball. Davey and Garnier opened the attack but the batsmen found runs reasonably comfortably in the first dozen overs and Ange was kept busy behind the timbers: His agility and safe hands made the breakthrough when the Landlord came on, tied the batters down a bit, found a sweet spot on the pitch and induced an edge behind. The other opener then skied a catch to Asad in the covers, putting a second dent in the innings and the score on 69-2. Having been hit for a six – the ball lost and replaced – Lalith changed ends and soon had his adversary caught low down by Davey, coming in from the long on boundary with a fag in his mouth, which was presumably there as an aid to concentration.
The replacement ball was noticeably livelier through the air, although its preponderance to swing, despite being advantageous, also took some controlling. Before the end of his spell the Landlord had the chance to remove the young No.5 who was getting set, but the return catch was upon him too soon and he didn’t have a fag in his mouth. This proved costly as the fourth wicket partnership grew, reaching fifty as Asad and Lalith toiled without any luck, before Asad had a successful LBW appeal as reward for bowling a good line and Lalith inflicted a double blow to the Meths by bowling the No.5. As with buses, the third wicket came along behind with Lalith bowling another to reduce the opposition to 128-6, some fifty runs short with less than ten overs remaining. Would the tail wag or whimper?
The low sun was still fierce, the hedgerow dark, as veteran swinger Garnier returned for another spell: Novice AB sent down a tidy handful of overs, preventing the run rate from accelerating and adding to the squeeze. Boundary patrol intensified, the whole team on high alert to prevent the opposition from scoring. Then Garnier heroically bowled the No.8, followed by the No.9 and the batting was running out of breath a couple of dozen runs short of the target with only a couple of overs remaining. Asad picked up his second wicket by bowling the No.10, adding further weight behind the unanimous Man of the Match nomination as the innings petered out on 162-9, securing a hard fought victory for the Cowboys by seventeen runs.
Cider Moment nominations were multitudinous and included Ange and Davey’s catches but omitted Ghanaby’s feat of cycling to the match, mending a puncture en route and fielding like a gazelle.
Fat Boy comments thus:
Spot on once again, you can call me Paul the Octopus if you like. Wins for both league teams, a moral victory for the Saturday friendlies and an honourable defeat for the Sunday friendlies. Not knowing the make up of the friendly teams I refrained from a prediction for them last week, however my league team oracle is in fine working order.
Preece’s Peregrines plucked another pigeon with victory over Midsomer Norton Methodists on saturday at Farmboro, the landlord has provided his usual excellent piece of prose elsewhere. The coach was apparently sick as a parrot at his team’s turn of fortune since his injury has been keeping him out! The win has moved the Saturdays up to 6th, 8 points behind 2nd placed Oldfield Park, but a massive 16 points behind table toppers Bath, who they meet on Saturday. Can the Saturday Cows make it four wins on the bounce? Well there are more remarkable things in the world, such as the Giant Squid, so what the hell, bollox to bath and hail victory to the Peregrines of the gorge, over the poncy ones of Bath Abbey!
The Saturday 2s have another week off but other action in their division last weekend means they are now back in 4th place after Whitchurch beat Bath Exiles convincingly on Saturday. Interestingly 3rd placed Whitchurch play 2nd placed Grendel next Saturday, will the Otters send a spy along? Hopefully Jeff’s boys will be getting some practice in over the weekend as their next game is at the Farm against Lansdown who are still cruising this division.
So to the Boltcutters, Bolts’s Badgers maybe, or more commonly known as the Cowboys Sunday XI. We travelled to Pomphrey Hill, a hard sun-baked ground to play Carsons & Mangotsfield yesterday. Your correspondent played very little active part in the game as he had been partaking of to much cider, tequila, brandy and curry the previous evening, and among the many wise decisions by the skipper was the one to leave me standing around aimlessly in the field, rather than get me to try anything more strenuous.
C&M won the toss and elected to bat which looked a good decision given the heat of the day, and the age of most in the Cowboys team. Bolts mixed it up again with Wilko and Andy B opening the bowling, which after a few boundaries reaped dividends with both getting balls to pop up and make the openers lob the ball into the waiting Kalpits hands, Wilko then got one to turn through the gate to bowl no.3, before Andy removed their skipper Glen ‘run machine’ Cambridge for a duck with the help of a catch by our glorious leader. Dean got in on the act by bowling their number 4. Amidst this clatter of wickets a cheer from the pavilion assured us that England had finally got their man. Rosling at no.6 was batting manfully for his team and was rewarded with a half ton, whilst being supported by younger members of the team, however when Wilko was left stunned by their young female batter he wasn’t eyeing up young ladies, she edged one, he stopped the ball using a combination of hand and eye, Justin was on it in a flash and the young woman didn’t make her ground at the bowlers end. Perhaps she was too concerned about the older gentleman she had left writhing on the parched earth. Mark’s bravery for the cause was only superceded as Cider moment by Tom’s brilliant stumping off Kalpit’s bowling to remove another dogged youngster. Kal then comprehensively bowled the half centurion, before Rob T cleaned up the tail to leave Carsons all out on exactly 100.
After tea your correspondent took up position next to Liz T to perform his only useful function of the day-scoring, assisted by Tom T and then Kal on the snazzy electronic scoreboard thingy! The skipper and Justin started at a good rate but then stalled against some tight C&M bowling until Bolts holed out having scored 16 off 28 balls, Tom T and Justin continued to accumulate slowly before they both decided they had had enough of the heat with the score on 56. With Rob T and Duncan at the wicket the run rate improved markedly, and although Duncan was bowled just before the end, Kal came in and Rob beliggerently finished it off having scored 23 n.o. off 10 balls, after a total of 23.1 overs.
This result combined with a defeat for PSJ at the Old E, and a more surprising defeat for Blagdon at home to Purnells, leaves the Cowboys Sundays joint second with PSJ with a game in hand, and only 8 points behind top team Blagdon. Lurking just 2 points behind us are in form Cheddar, and another 2 points back are the Old E. Blagdon take on Cheddar next Sunday, while the Cowboys face Failand & Portbury, at home but not at BWI apparently. Failand’s recent mini revival was ended by Cheddar on Sunday so they are still 2nd bottom, and although they have shown some improvement I predict another Cowboys victory.
I wave all my 8 arms in salute.
Paul