Scorecard

Branscombe 6-a-sides v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sat 12 Jul 2014 at 09.30am
Erratics Cricket Club Lost : Semi-finalists

Match report Branscombe Sixes

Mark Hailwood reports...

The Erratics are not generally thought to be at their best in the shorter versions of cricket. But despite ongoing struggles this season in the twenty-over format (a tight victory against Ashburton this week notwithstanding) it should be remembered that the Erratics have a relatively rich tradition of success in the six-a-side version of the game.

In 1984 the Erratics won the Teign Valley Sixes trophy at their first attempt. 25 years later the club made its first appearance at the Branscombe Sixes tournament (The Branscombe Bash?) reaching the final. There is no evidence that we played in the tournament in 2010, but in 2011 we were back, and this time claimed the silverware (The Selohesra Cup – can you decipher the non-too-subtle anagram?) thanks in large part to the destructive batting of Dom Prosser. Cancellation of the event in 2012, and abandonment half-way through due to rain in 2013, meant that we (Captain Gary Abrahams, son Ben, friend of Ben's Will Silver, Ollie Creighton, Mark Hailwood, Dom Prosser) returned this year still clinging sheepishly to the status of incumbent champions, and with the chance to extend our reign of dominance into an era-defining fourth year.

It didn't happen. What ensued is probably best summed up, in sporting platitude terms, as 'a spirited defence' of our title, but all the luck and fine margins seemed to go against us and it wasn't to be. The day's highlights can, rather fittingly, be captured by a tale of six sixes.

Six the First: The 'Mind the Windows Tino'

The rump of the 2011 championship side – Hailwood and Prosser – went out to open the batting in our first group game against Sidbury. A quick single from your narrator brought Prosser on strike. Could he recapture the magic of that day three-years earlier? He went back to his first ball, and pulled it high in the air behind square leg – where it smashed straight through the glass window of the Branscombe pavilion. As we met mid-pitch to await the retrieval of the ball from the wreckage, South Brent's answer to Viv Richards put it to me simply: 'Well – we've arrived'.

Unfortunately, though, the Master Blaster – perhaps wracked by guilt, perhaps worrying about the implications for his overdraft - couldn't repeat the feat, and was bowled shortly after. We struggled on to 42. Our bowling performance was respectable, and included your narrator, making his wicket-keeping debut, taking a catch off an outside edge snick from Dom's bowling (making some amends for several byes conceded through the legs: it’s a long way down from 6 foot 2). Sadly, it was one of only two wickets we took all day – the other coming from a perfect Ben Abrahams leg break that took off stump – and 42 was too little for us to defend against a strong looking Sidbury side.

Six the Second: The 'Six or Out'

Defeat in game one meant we had to beat the other team from our group of three, East Branscombe, to advance to the knock-out semi-finals. A change of strategy from the skip saw him take up the gloves, and us bowling first, but despite another decent effort we conceded 55: the highest score of the day to that point. The chase seemed possible if Dom got going, but again he departed early. Then Ben and Gary – very much in the family spirit of the day – stepped up to the plate, and some fine shots from both took us into the final over needing 6 runs to stay in the tournament.

Gary fell first ball of the last over, and your narrator, who had not found his timing in game one, was sent in with the simple equation of 6 off 5 or we were done. A very vocal East Branscombe only got louder after a first ball play and miss – but two fours off the next three balls ('clutch' hitting, in baseball terms, remember) and a semi-final berth was ours.

Six the Third: The 'Monster'

Buoyed by our successful chase our tails were up, and with optimism rising we opted again to bowl first in our semi-final against the host side, the Cider Lollies. The best efforts of our promising young pair Ben and Will deserve praise, but somehow our bowling seemed to deteriorate game on game, and this time we again allowed the opposition to set a new highest total for the day, 66.

It looked like way too much, but this time Pavilion-Botherer Prosser did get his eye-in, and in the second over launched a massive six into orbit over long on and quite possibly across the parish boundary.

Six the Fourth: The 'Hearts in Mouths'

Two balls later Dom launched another – behind square, and off the bat its trajectory looked ominous for the remaining pavilion window. Thankfully it kept on rising, and cleared pavilion, hedge, road and took its place in the pantheon (presumably well populated) of never-to-be retrieved Branscombe sixes.

A few further blasts for four and Dom retired at 25, with us ahead of the required rate of over 13 an over. It was not a rate we could maintain, however, after his departure from the crease.

Six Not the Fifth: The 'Ghost' Six

And so by the fourth over we needed some big hits to keep us in the game. Your humble narrator received a waist high full toss. He crunched it back over the bowlers head for what, for a fleeting moment, he thought would be his first ever Errati-six. But it kept on rising, and cleared the netting on the straight boundary designed to stop balls landing in the river. Any shot clearing the net counts for _no_ runs, and results in dismissal for the batsman. The cruelest way to depart, and a dot ball to boot.

Six the Fifth: The 'Game On'

This left us needing 20 off the final over, surely out of reach, especially as the Cider Lollies were able to turn to their best bowler. Captain Abrahams was not to be cowed, however, and launched the first ball with a classic straight drive that landed on the bank for six.

Six the Sixth: The 'False Dawn'

The next ball was banged in short, and this time Gary kept his nerve to help it over his shoulder and the keeper for six more. Suddenly the equation was just 8 from four for a place in the final, and the completion of another heroic chase. But the fireworks stopped there: runs kept coming, but not in boundaries, and we fell 3 or 4 short of the required total.

So that was that. We'd smashed some windows, lost a few balls, and provided a bit of drama with our spirited chases, but we bowed out at the semi-final stage. It was probably for the best really, as our defeat allowed the hosts the Cider Lollies to progress to the final all the locals were hankering for, a fixture with the impressive Youth of Branscombe, and effectively a clash of the village's Dads versus its Sons.

The undeferential youngsters skittled out the old guard for just 30, which they comfortably chased down, securing their first victory in the tournament. Their excellent all-round play was a deserving tribute to their recently deceased coach – the 24-year old Seaton cricketer Ryan Walker who tragically died last week of an asthma attack – and for whom they had worn black armbands throughout the day. As they sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate at the scoring of the winning runs I couldn't help feeling rather relieved that we hadn't spoiled this special moment with a successful defence. Hopefully they will have us back next year for some more carnival cricket: though they might be advised to invest in some double-glazing and a higher net in the meantime.

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
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Gary Abrahams  
Ben Abrahams  
Mark Hailwood  
Dominic Prosser  
A.N. Other2  
A.N. Other1  

Branscombe 6-a-sides Bowling

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Branscombe 6-a-sides Batting
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Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

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