Scorecard

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics v Bridford on Sun 12 Jul 2015 at 2.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 9 wickets

Match report This was a match in which, surprisingly, 404 runs were able to be scored in rather soggy conditions.

The day started with some doubts about the viability of the match because of the weather. Fortunately for the record-attempting run of Erratics wins it did take place and became the seventh in a row. Conferring with the Tedburn home ground contact to check that the local “owners” had no objection to us still using the ground despite the light rain that had been falling all morning was met with the comment that we were very welcome to go ahead but that we might not be very comfortable! The forecast promised it to be clearing up in the afternoon and so, as it an artificial pitch, we also agreed with our opposition, Bridford, that both teams should meet at the ground and decide whether to play.

Whilst Bridford only mustered nine players, we, for once, had a full team (Will Thornton, co-opted, is A.N.Other in the score summary.) A 40 over match was decided upon with rules of 8 overs per bowler maximum, Erratics loaning two fielders to Bridford and Bridford putting their first batsman to be out in again when there was no-one else left. (That sounds redolent of those jokey tea towels and pavilion posters that attempt to explain the cricket process to ingénues by a lengthy script of when everyone is out and then in etc.)

At the start of the game the weather did indeed look as though there was a chance of the ground drying out progressively. However, the outfield was still long enough and wet enough that one of the three tea-towels (none of these had cricket instructions on them) brought for drying up after tea was, instead, taken onto the field to dry the ball.

Bridford got off to a great start. Their openers put on 26 for the first wicket, James Dunk looking quizzically at the pitch after he had been bowled for 10. He came back later to knock up another 31 for his second innings in no time at all! Tom (?) Gard, the other opener, remained at the crease for two hours and twenty minutes amassing an impressive innings of 73, giving no chances that the reporter noted, until being stumped towards the end of Bridford’s innings.

And what of the Erratics bowling through all this innings, I hear you ask? Ben Youngman opened and delivered an excellent spell, conceding only 20 runs in eight overs, with three maidens to his credit but sadly no wickets on this occasion. Nevertheless, his spell was significant in keeping the Bridford total lower than it might otherwise have been. Krupakar, Will Thornton and both Chaves laboured away with frequent changes of the ball actually in use. Duncan achieved a particularly economical spell with one wicket for 25 off his eight overs. And then, towards the end, our captain, Matt Cook, brought himself on to finish off batsmen Nos.7, 9 and 2 (on return innings) with figures of 4-1-3-9. An excellent spell.

Matt Carter came in at no. 3 and looked to be in great attacking form, until he got carried away by calling for a suicidal single and was easily run out after being quite rightly sent back by Gard. After that the innings progressed steadily to the eventual total, which looked challenging, of exactly 200. The other high scorers were Wellings and Dunk with his second go. The most notable feature of this big total was the relentless loss of balls to all parts of the ground.

At tea, our captain pondered and ordained the Erratics batting order, which was duly inscribed in the scorebook as is usual. This listing turned out, pleasingly, to be largely academic, as only three of these expectant batsmen were actually required to contribute to the necessary winning total. Jonathan Kirby and Martin Wright opened and looked set to get on with it. Unfortunately, Martin, after striking a powerful boundary to midwicket was caught at point off his lofted square cut. That brought Matt Cook to the crease and no further Erratics wickets fell! The rest of us were left to watch a very satisfying partnership, score, umpire, look for lost balls or talk amongst ourselves for the rest of the innings. Krupakar, scheduled to go in at No. 5, had had his pads on for so long that he eventually decided to take them off again, this making his endeavours looking for lost balls in the hedges, ditches and nettle banks of Tedburn St. Mary far less cumbersome.

Returning now to the partnership. It was good to see Matt back in action for us, accelerating in his way towards a well-earned century. It has to be noted, as it often is in cricket commentaries, that early on in his innings he was lucky not to be caught when one of his shots going more skywards than perhaps desirable fell about 15 yards behind the bowler’s stumps, just out of reach of mid-off and mid-on who both converged unsuccessfully towards the ball’s trajectory. After that incident, all was plain sailing. Jonathan batted with great assurance regularly scoring boundaries and attacking the ball in his usual style, building a superb innings of 68 not out and, if I have got this right, scoring the winning four. It was great to see them both walking off the pitch with tremendous satisfaction in the 29th over. (Bridford had used 38).

As for Bridford’s bowlers, we must sympathise. It had not been easy. A heavy downpour occurred during tea. Others followed this throughout Erratics’ innings. This was not at all what the weather forecast had said would happen! Although a wet outfield might seem to be to the batsmen’s disadvantage, in fact the soggy ball made controlled bowling difficult (or so Bridford told me.)

Last season, Jonathan had an equally splendid innings at Cheriton Fitzpaine and, if I recall correctly, he also made 68 not out on that occasion. It was mooted in idle conversation that such a score for an individual batsman should, in future, be known as a “Kirby”. Evidently more exacting to get the right number rather than just a 50 or a 100!

Finally, to note that despite zealous ball searching around the boundary there was a significant loss of balls during this match. The Thomson dog was brought in to assist and Krupakar and Duncan disappeared from view for a lengthy period at the far side of the field conducting a detailed search of a popular ball destination – without success. Annie was getting quite concerned about what had become of her husband. He did indeed return to the pavilion with his forearms the worse for wear having braved the nettle and bramble banks quite thoroughly. Some of us were happy to confine ourselves to filling in the scorebook. It does seem that some form of low netting around the edge of the field would be beneficial.

To sum up this match: very wet, very enjoyable, a lot of missing soggy balls and a great win - seventh successive.

Mark Phillips


Bridford Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
4nb 10w 5b  
for 9 wickets
19
200 (38.3 overs)		     
Gard st  Chave D. 73
Dunk b  Nallala 10
Carter Run out  18
Dodlerer b  Chave F. 5
Tucker Run out  3
Staniforth ct  Chave F. 12
Wellings b  Cook 26
Buckley Not Out  3
Beer lbw  Cook 0
Dunk (reprise) ct  Cook 31
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ben Youngman8.032000.002.50
Jayakrupakar Nallala7.0045145.006.43
Jonathan Kirby4.003500.008.75
Fraser Chave8.0061230.507.62
Duncan Chave8.0125125.003.12
Matt Cook3.31933.002.57
Will Thornton4.003600.009.00

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 11w 1b  
for 1 wickets
14
204		        
Jonathan Kirby Not Out  68
Martin Wright Caught  4
Matt Cook Not Out  118
Fraser Chave  
Jayakrupakar Nallala  
Mark Phillips  
Duncan Chave  
Chris Ferro  
Andrew Forrester  
Will Thornton  
Ben Youngman  

Bridford Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Williams7.414700.006.13
Buckley7.0049149.007.00
Dunk7.004500.006.43
Carter2.003300.0016.50
Tucker5.003900.007.80