Scorecard

South Brent v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Wed 24 Jun 2015 at 6.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 85 runs

Match report Report by Jeff Haynes

Erratiquote: “Will you please open the batting, Ben … then at least you’ll get a nice break before you keep wicket” (Jeff Haynes to Ben Abrahams)

It was exciting news that we’d put together a full team for our evening match at the Palstone Park Recreation Ground, thanks to four additional players from Lympstone whose own match had been cancelled. The news was tempered by the withdrawal of Chris Ferro, leaving me first choice – hard to believe – to captain again. Then came the Erratic confusion, maybe not enough to qualify for the Cook-Up Award, but it went something like this. Selector Gareth had asked Gary Abrahams to provide at least four Lympstone players to make up our numbers. So Gary did provide four players, arriving with Ollie Creighton (A N Other 1) and Hugo Boatright (A N Other 2), as well as Ben, not realising that Gareth had included regular Erratics – Gary and Ben – within his original team. So, while two more Lympstonians missed out on the chance of a match, our team of nine had to take on the South Brent opposition. As I walked out to (lose the) toss with Brent’s midweek captain, Dave Lewis, Penny Price was still on her way from Plymouth so, with only eight Erratics available at this time, Dave obligingly put us into bat.

A captain’s role can still be quite daunting in these short-staffed circumstances: get two batsmen in, get at least two more padded up, provide two umpires (who are not yet padded up), attend to the scorebook and keep the scoreboard up to date … but everybody pulled together. Ben A and Lucky Bandhu went out to face Brent’s opening attack of Bancroft and Down. The wicket, in it’s second year of restored maintenance, had been well cared for – the ball would come on to the bat, there was a fair bit of bounce and a hint of spin – and the outfield was fast, but sufficiently large to permit several threes to be scored. After five balls the Erratics were 1 for 1, Lucky trapped by a corker of a delivery from Bancroft which moved and kept low. This brought Gary to the crease … and meant another player had to pad up, but Penny had arrived to complete the squad and keep a watchful eye on my scoring. I had asked Dave about retirements and he said that Brent don’t normally play retirements in a T20 match so I had agreed.

Fast forward to the beginning of the 16th over, 112 runs later, and I’m calling Gary in to retire on 51 not out. He and Ben – already past his own 50 – had seen off a hostile opening spell, taking singles at every opportunity and ruthlessly dispatching all the bad balls. Brent disappointed themselves in the field, dropping several regulation catches and allowing the ones and twos to keep accumulating. Ollie Creighton and Nigel Rutherford joined Ben for some lusty hitting in the final overs, enabling the Erratics to post a total of 163 for 2. Ben’s 85 not out was an innings of real style and application. At just 15 it would be lovely to think that Ben will have a long future with the Erratics, but I fear we will lose him to the higher echelons of competitive cricket all too soon. Thanks at this stage to Ben Youngman who witnessed all of Ben A’s innings at close quarters – a great stint of umpiring.

As our nine Erratics took the field Dave (coming out to umpire) admitted that out total was the highest set against them in a T20, but still kindly offered us a fielder: I thanked him and said we’d see how the first couple of overs panned out. Hugo plays for Lympstone but is looking for a club to play longer format weekend matches. His first over was a loosener, but with Clapham on 16 Ben A gathered a throw from Ollie to secure a run out for the first wicket. In the second over, Nigel trapped Joyce leg before and, despite the size of the Recreation Ground, it now seemed inappropriate to ask for a loan fielder. Hugo’s next three overs really tested South Brent’s batsmen and saw him catch and bowl (young) Prosser for 10 and bowl captain Dave Lewis. Nigel (and everybody else) thought he had a caught behind. Then Lucky came on and pinned Cranch to his stumps lbw. Saunter was run out before he could do the damage he looked capable of and Brent were reeling when Goff holed out to Ben Y at backward point off my first ball, but Ollie’s catch to dismiss Bancroft for 16 off Ben Y’s bowling was the final big breakthrough. Cook carried his bat for 13, as Ben Y mopped up the last two wickets, the first with a catch parried to Nigel from ‘keeper Ben A, and the last with a clean bowled, reducing Brent to 78 all out in 14.1 overs.

The Erratics once again lived up to their name: it is a rare occurrence to see them out-bat, out-bowl and out-field an opposition. Dave Lewis admitted that Brent, who have been having quite a good season, would learn a lot from this match, but back in the Oak Inn our hosts resolved to put up stiffer opposition for our afternoon match in September. Palstone Park is a lovely ground and the South Brent players are friendly and welcoming: they have a healthy squad and some accomplished batsmen and bowlers, so put 6th September in your diaries. Sadly I will not be available for that match, but I think we may well need a full eleven that day!

Thanks again to Gary for providing the Lympstone support which enabled this fixture to go ahead, and for his great batting (with no sign of a run out!). Thanks to Ollie and to Hugo (of whom I hope we will be seeing a lot more). And thanks to Ben A who was on the field for every ball of the match, and never once stopped smiling. It was a joy to captain this entire team.

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 5w  
for 2 wickets
8
163		        
Ben Abrahams Not Out  79
Lucky Bandhu b Bancroft 0
Gary Abrahams Retired Not Out  51
Ollie Creighton ct Bancroft b. Goff 7
Nigel Rutherford Not Out  12
Hugo Boatright  
Ben Youngman  
Jeff Haynes  
Penny Price  
N.O. One  
N.O. One  

South Brent Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Bancroft4.00717.001.75
Down4.003700.009.25
Lewis3.001900.006.33
Cranch2.001900.009.50
Goff3.0041141.0013.67
Cook4.003900.009.75

South Brent Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
3w 2b 1lb 
for 10 wickets
6
78 (14.1 overs)		     
Clapham Run out  16
Joyce lbw Rutherford 0
Prosser S ct and b. Boatright 10
Saunter Run out  5
Bancroft ct Creighton b. Youngman 16
Lewis b Boatright 0
Cranch lbw Bandhu 0
Goff ct Youngman b. Haynes 9
Cook Not Out  13
Down ct Rutherford b. Youngman 0
Haines b Youngman 3

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Hugo Boatright4.0025212.506.25
Nigel Rutherford2.0110110.005.00
Lucky Bandhu2.00717.003.50
Ben Youngman3.101535.004.74
Jeff Haynes3.0016116.005.33