Scorecard

Marldon v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sun 10 May 2015 at 1.00pm
Match was Tied

Match report Mark Hailwood reports...

''Tis a silly game', opined Captain Kirby during some pre-match philosophical reflections. 'Is that Beckett?' asked Chris Ferro. 'Er, no. Monty Python', replied skip. And an apt comment it turned out to be: when you spend a whole afternoon battling tooth-and-nail in a gripping, see-sawing sporting contest, it does seem a bit silly that the outcome can be that there is no winner anyway. Well, except Cricket Itself, of course. But then we all know that the tie is really the best and usually the most dramatic result of them all, and so it proved…

It was the first time many of us, myself included, had played in the village of Marldon, and it had me at first sight – the quintessential English village 'Holy Trinity' of Church, Pub and Cricket Pitch were all directly adjacent to one another. Perfect. The weather was less so, and we were greeted by a light drizzle that delayed the start time slightly. It soon passed, but the skies remained resolutely grey, like the imposing late medieval church tower that looms over the ground, throughout the afternoon – setting a brooding tone for what was an attritional game of cricket characterised in large part by tight bowling, sensible batting, and lots of singles. Although the boundaries looked appetisingly short the difficult mowing conditions of recent weeks meant that Marldon's outfield was another example of a recent spate of lush and sluggish Devon outfields. Factor in the slope – a must have for any self-respecting South Hams ground, surely – and it wasn't likely to be a batter's paradise.

Kirby sagely opted to bowl, and promptly ordered his troops to restrict the opposition to 140. We duly obliged (well, 143 to be exact). [I've been missing a trick with my own captaincy it seems – I didn't realise that you simply got to pick the opposition's score]. In reality of course it took some controlled bowling against a Marldon line up that batted judiciously throughout, blocking the good balls and picking up runs from anything a little loose. Rutherford was the pick of the 'downhill' bowlers, despite the fact that he was delivering the ball with his front foot landing behind the line of the stumps. A morning of diligently pacing out his run up in his back garden had failed to correct this quirk, but it mattered not, as figures of 8-2-10-2 attest to. I don't think I'd be making any major adjustments anytime soon Nigel.

Prosser continued the good work, bowling a fine spell with controlled aggression (not Dom's only type of aggression…), and Youngman bowled nicely up an awkward slope with the kind of consistency that is fast making him a captain's favourite. Phil Power provided the penetration though, bowling with his customary guile, and rather less orthodox bright blue tail (a long bath towel for drying the ball tucked into the back of his trousers and trailing behind him as he bowled that gave him the appearance of a My Little Pony – or perhaps more fittingly, a unicorn?). Phil took 3 wickets for 21 off his 7 overs. One of which in particular needs recounting here, if only for the sake of Nigel, who missed said wicket whilst taking a 'comfort break' down at third man: it was a quicker, flatter delivery that trapped half-centurion C. Flintham lbw when he was looking to sweep – a crucial wicket at a time when the well set batsman looked like he might start to take the game away from us. Another one for the captaincy notebook: try sending Nigel off for a lucky leak when in need of a breakthrough.

The Erratics also held their catches (though we were to be upstaged in this regard by our hosts) and benefitted from a sharp run out executed by Chris Ferro. Ground fielding proved a little more difficult, especially in the muddy gully that ran along the boundary at the bottom of the slope. Your humble narrator, in a set of brand new dazzling whites bought for the new season to replace a rather unprofessional looking pair that were heavily soiled (no, not like that) from several years of committed fielding, was delighted to be asked to go and patrol said boundary. Several dramatic slides later (which saved a grand total of 0 runs) and I was muddy enough to attract a severe rebuke from a passing spectator – a seasoned wife and mother of cricketers by the sound of it – who was eventually appeased when I assured her I would be doing my own washing. Anyway, after 40 overs of good honest toil, effectively marshalled by Kirby—whose regular bowling changes and proactive field placings kept an energy to our efforts—we trudged off to our egg sandwiches and salt and vinegar twirls with a competitive but gettable total to contemplate, and Chris Ferro slipping back into philosophical mode to question whether the closeness of Marldon's total to our skipper's projection had serious implications for the existence of a batsman's free will.

The Erratics' innings followed a similar pattern to Marldon's, with a steady and watchful opening partnership between your humble narrator and Rob Scott – who did an admirable job in his first ever assignment to open – before the latter fell to a first-class slip catch from the impressive Josh Washbrook off the bowling of John Roberts, who bowled an excellent spell down the hill. Enter Chris Ferro. The bowling remained tight – throughout the innings our hosts offered us very few four balls, in contrast to their warm hospitality in every other respect – and Hailwood and Ferro had to be content with working the singles. Your hum. nar. then missed a good length straight one and lost his off stump (Trademark: Hailwood, 2014 -15) for 29 a few balls before the drinks break, and when the squash came out things were tantalisingly poised with the Erratics on 58 for 2, requiring 86 to win off 20 – a little over 4 an over with plenty of batting to come.

Rutherford joined Ferro for the next 10 overs, and added a few hard hit boundaries to the ongoing diet of carefully placed singles, before he fell to another good catch from Washbrook for 17. The Erratics now had 101 for 3 with 10 overs remaining, the rate still at a little over 4 and Ferro looking set. Captain Kirby was the next man to step into the breach, and after a frustrating day with the bat at Sidbury the day before he played with composure and determination, and with the Erratics' two undisputed scamperers-in-chief at the crease 4 quick singles an over looked very gettable. Then, of course, a twist, when Kirby middled a ball that was again excellently caught, this time at cover, out for 11. With just over 5 overs left, the Erratics were now 117 for 4, with 27 more needed at 5 an over. No need to panic though: two natural hitters in Power and Prosser were waiting in the wings, and although Marldon were starting to scent victory a few lusty blows from either would make short work of it. But Power went first ball, caught behind off a top edge looking to turn the ball behind square on the leg side. In the next over Prosser was cleaned up by his first delivery, and the Erratics had lost 3 wickets in 6 balls adding just 1 run. The next over yielded only a single.

It looked as though all hope was lost. But amidst the gathering gloom – and swarm of flies – one man remained stoically calm. No stranger to Erratics' hopes resting on his shoulders, Ferro brought up his 50 with yet another immaculately placed single. It was a bit like watching a snooker break, such was the precision and control with which Ferro stroked the ball around the green baize. He raised his cue curtly, an indication that the job was not yet done. Ferro – so I found out incidentally last week during the course of my research on seventeenth century working life – is Latin for 'to shoe a horse'. And to risk a rather strained literary device here, such a task would no doubt involve a considerable degree of careful application, composure, skill, and perhaps a bit of well-directed aggression, no? How fitting then, that our hero of the hour was faced with a similarly demanding scenario to see the Erratics home…

As the Erratics only had 9 batsmen (Marldon very kindly loaned us 2 fielders, but this was where our lack of a full side came back to haunt us – take note those of wavering availability!) so we had only 2 wickets in hand and 25 runs still to get with just 3 overs to go. The plan switched to surviving to the final over, and then having a tilt at whatever remained. Ben Youngman batted gallantly to keep the ball out and the game alive, giving Chris time to force a couple of boundaries, before Ben got a ball that had 4 written all over it – unfortunately his shot went straight at a fielder, and Marldon weren't dropping ought. So to the final over, and the Erratics had whittled the target down to 11 to win. Ferro guided the first ball through a gap in the field for 2 runs. 9 off 5. He turned down a single from the following ball, hoping for a better connection on the next. 9 off 4. Perhaps surprisingly, he then took a single, bringing Jeff Haynes on strike: 8 off 3 needed, not a comfortable place to find yourself in for a self-professed number 11. A dot ball followed as Jeff attempted a block-and-run single that was hit a little too firmly straight to a fielder. 8 needed off 2. Jeff held his nerve and changed his approach, and middled the next ball firmly into the leg side – on many a mid-summer outfield it would have raced for the required 4 runs, but the long grass served as the 12th fielder once more, and there was only time for a single. 7 needed off the last, or 6 for a tie.

But before we get to that, the plot thickens further: given its short square boundaries Marldon has a local rule on sixes – to save too many balls being lost into neighbouring brooks and gardens, a six can only be hit dead straight over the bowler's head (a nice rule anywhere I think – no ugly leg side slogs, just lofted straight drives please). So, there was a portion of the boundary, about 20 yards in width between a designated shed and tree, that was the only place that an Erratics escape from defeat could be sought. After clarifying the precise parameters of this target with the opposition wicket keeper, Ferro took his guard. Beasant, who had bowled fast, full and straight all innings, puffed up the hill for one final effort. It was a good ball, Ferro swung straight, connected cleanly, the ball went up, up, up…. and sailed in a glorious arc that lit up the dull skies, and dropped neatly over the boundary for a straight, match-saving six. Match tied.

And so with heads shaking in wonder we retired to the Church House Inn for a pint with our amiable hosts (an interesting pub name that: before the English Reformation in the sixteenth century the Church built many a 'church house' next to parish churches to host communal drinking events, but after the Reformation the Puritans looked to sever the tie between the Church and village piss-ups, so they were sold off and became privately owned pubs. If you're interested, someone has recently written a book about the early history of the pub…http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=14607). Anyway, the consensus was that a tie was a fitting end to a cracking game of cricket that had been too close to call throughout, and had been played with an ideal balance of competitiveness and friendliness. It might be a silly game, but on afternoons like this it's hard to imagine there are any better ones.

Marldon Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 8 wickets
0
143 (40.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Nigel Rutherford8.021025.001.25
Ben Youngman8.0020120.002.50
Dominic Prosser8.012700.003.38
Phil Power7.002137.003.00
Jeff Haynes5.0050150.0010.00
Rob Scott2.001200.006.00
Mark Hailwood2.00300.001.50

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 7 wickets
0
143		        
Mark Hailwood Bowled  29
Rob Scott Caught  8
Chris Ferro Not Out  60
Nigel Rutherford Caught  17
Jonathan Kirby Caught  11
Phil Power Caught  0
Dominic Prosser Bowled  0
Ben Youngman Caught  1
Jeff Haynes Not Out  1
N.O. One  
N.O. One  

Marldon Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.