Scorecard

Mount Edgcumbe v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sun 26 Aug 2012 at 2.00 pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 5 wickets

Match report Match Report by Martin Wright:

As the rain sleets down like Devil’s spit onto sad summer’s passing
I realise to my horrror that I’ve been caught half-arsing
By failing to write this match report as timely as I ought
And so now belatedly I essay to right this tort.

With apologies to the ghost of William Rees McGonagall
For lapsing so unscanningly into these lines of doggerel
But since Young Tristram dipped his pen in wells of poesy
It’s tempting for the rest of us to prove we too can do it, see?

Had I but world enough, and time, I’d promise you a marvell
Of tightly scripted stanzas – but deadlines loom, and ah well…
I’ll end this dismal effort to scale the peaks poetic
And, just like my batting, settle for something more prosaic.

Anyway…

‘Twas in the year Two Thousand and Twelve
That Eleven Strong and True Erratics did delve
Deep into the inner recesses of their motivation
To take the fight across the Tamar to the Cornish nation.

Agghh…. Damn you, Tristram Neal, do you see what you’ve started?!

Time to access my inner sporting hack…

“I think I can speak for all the lads when I say we take a lot of positives out of this game. The boys all fronted up early doors, and put the ball in the right areas… Oughters and Mo were right on the money from the off, and Chavs and Ruthers bowled nice tight lines, asked a lot of questions of the batters…and it was great to see Cooky and Kotch come good at the end… joined the dots nicely, built the pressure…

I always thought 160-odd was gettable as long as the boys put their hands up, executed their skillsets and went out and expressed themselves… it looked a bit tight at times but we held our nerve, and now we’ll take a lot of momentum from this going forward…”

There, that’s better… Normal service resumes.

A long drive to Mt Edgcumbe was enlivened by the company of Ferro (in the back seat) and Varun (navigator upfront), with the talk ranging from cricket to Karnataka to the joys or otherwise of open mike nights.

Martin: “I’ve done a couple of those, always enjoyed them, but even if it’s a small audience you feel a bit nervous, don’t you? Like before going into bat…”.

A pause. Then a quiet voice from the back seat: “I can’t really imagine what that’s like.”

After ferrying Tamar we plunged into deep dark Cornish lanes, navigated impeccably by a satellite-enabled Varun, and emerged on the spectacular slopes of Mount Edgcumbe. This boasts surely one of the most sweeping views from any cricket ground, from Plymouth Hoe in the east across Devonport docks, over sparkling estuaries and rolling green hills all the way up to the heights of Bodmin Moor.

No wonder it’s one of the more popular fixtures – a tribute to the aesthetic sensibilities of the average Erratic.

On a breezy, sun-and-cloudy day, Skipper Ferro won the toss and chose to field. Vindication followed swiftly, as Oughton struck with the second ball, Rutherford taking a sharp catch at second slip. There’s always something slightly surprising about such a professional-looking dismissal in an Erratics game. There shouldn’t be, but there is.

A few overs later, and Varcoe foolishly attempted a short single to Cook, lurking in the covers. He uncoiled like a cobra, and zinged the ball into Jonathan (“probably the best keeper in Devon” – P. Thomson) Kirby. Who promptly dropped it. But recovered smartly and whipped off the bails. (Editor's Note: P.Thomson did not describe me thus. He described me as "crap". Martin is also wrong to say that I dropped this one - I launched the ball towards the stumps. It left my hand, true, but it was not a drop!)

Anyone doubting that Kirby was a keeper to his very core would have been reassured by a later incident: Rutherford repeatedly snaked the ball past the batsman’s edge, tantalising Kirby with the prospect of a straightforward catch, the sort of dismissal which would have reinforced Thomson’s opinion of him. Suddenly another run out loomed – a crazy mix-up, a simple throw – and Kirby dropped it, opting craftily instead to knock the bails off with his gloves. (“I realised at the last minute my name wouldn’t be in the scorebook.”) His keeper’s nous was confirmed when, a couple of balls later, the ball finally took the edge, and Deane was out CAUGHT KIRBY (bowled Rutherford) for a fighting 23.

It was a timely dismissal. Deane and Ware had mounted something of a recovery, both hitting some powerful shots through the offside, which, depending which end was in play, either scooted downhill for four, or trickled up the surprising slope for two or even just a single (depending whether it was one of our veterans, such as your own correspondent, or a (relative) colt doing the chasing. (Our absolute colt. Chave, F., was cannily positioned on the unforgiving downhill slope more or less throughout.)

Suhaib and Rutherford both bowled tightly, giving little away, despite some fierce counter-attacking from Watson (31) and R.Ware (63). Both found movement in the air and, occasionally, off the seam too, Suhaib taking the decisive wicket of Ware with a peach of a ball that both swung and seamed.

Cook bowled four economical overs, and Kotchamachu six for just 14 runs. Chave, F. started well, had the misfortune to run into some robust thumping from A. Ware (“just as well there’s no B.Ware”, quipped a spectator, “that would have been worrying”), before snaffling him thanks to a neat catch from Ferro at long off after one thump too many. Oughton polished off the tail, with the aid of a smart one-handed catch from Kirby. P.Thomson, please note.

Throughout, we’d fielded tidily and our bowlers held their nerve despite some (mainly Ware-y) moments when the batsmen threatened to cut loose.

Substantial tea was taken with a target of 163.

Chave and Wright opened – your correspondent buoyed by the presence of Suki, daughter Rosie and son-in-law-to-be (provisional) Paul. (The latter disappointingly neither cricketer nor poet. Sorry about that. We really should have an audit committee for such things. Item for the AGM?)

Chave started confidently; Wright, perhaps unaccustomed to such mass familial support, less so. Doubtless in an effort to exude an image of authority visible to the distant spectators, he airily summoned Chave for a mid-pitch chat after the first over, informing him that “it’s keeping low, so it’s front foot stuff”. Then played back to the next ball and was plumb LBW for 0.

But if Edgcumbe thought they were through to the soft underbelly, they were much mistaken. Over tea, Ed had revealed that his surname has its origins in East Prussia, and promptly demonstrated this with a series of muscular, Germanic thumps off the backfoot. Chave (derivation Old French, prob. Norman), matched them with ancestrally-appropriate sophisticated drives and steers. One cover drive for four in particular was all silky elegance – head over the ball, leaning into the shot, effortless placement wide of mid-off. No wonder the Saxons gave up…

Talk of French origins provoked some discussion among a dwindling crowd (Wright’s supporters having abandoned the scene in disgust) of possible French field placings. ‘Glissades’ for slips perhaps, and ‘ravin’ for gully… ‘troisieme homme’, obviously… and… ‘drole de point’ maybe?

Chave and Paleit added over 50, punishing some rather optimistic field placings, with one unfortunate at drole de mid-off suffering the indignity of several nutmeggings.

Then a triple misfortune: Chave leaned forward, but borne down perhaps by the weight of a heavy tea, overbalanced and was stumped. 56-2. Paleit went aerial and was caught. 60-3. Ferro strode to the crease, always a calming sight for Erratics nerves, but strode back soon after, castled by “a veritable jaffa: pitched middle, hit top of off” – and who am I to argue? 66-4.

Three wickets down for 10 runs, and we were wobbling.

Kirby and Cook took up the challenge. At drinks we were 73-4 – needing another 90 at five an over.

Kirby diced with death by going deep into his crease; Cook was more front foot, but both looked initially uncertain, getting used to the pitch and the preponderance of left-armers, perhaps, at least one of whom bowed unsportingly straight.

The rate crept up towards six an over. Erratics supporters distracted themselves with talk of county rivalries.

Gareth: “I’m very glad that Yorkshire didn’t win.”
Annie: “Why?”
Gareth: “Well, in cricketing terms I’m from Lancashire.”
Annie: “Well so are we, but we like Yorkshire”.
Gareth: “You can’t do that, that’s like liking Israel and Palestine.
Annie: “I don’t like either very much…”

Back in the middle, Cook was starting to find his feet, sending one ‘stand and deliver’ shot rocketing back past the bowler for four, while Kirby began to connect with his trademark tucks and laps. Both scampered with intent. The hundred came up. Kirby sliced one to backward point – and was dropped. 103-4 with 10 to go – six an over.

A loopy off spinner tied both men down; Cook had a huge heave, missed, the ball thudded into pad, opposition appealed as one, Umpire Ferro’s finger twitched – but stayed mute. Next ball, Cook fetched it to mid wicket.

Talk turned to the batsmen’s contrasting style. “Jonathan’s a cutter and a lapper”, said Gareth. “Matt’s more of a slapper.”

The most senior Ware came on, all flight and frustration. The rate crept past seven. Kirby, like a cat with too much of an appetite, lapped once too often and was bowled.

126-5. More than eight an over needed now, with five wickets down.

Rutherford came out firing: missed his first ball, swotted a six off the second - signalled by Paleit with rather exuberant bias - and hammered a four through mid wicket. Then Cook leaned back, the spitting image of his Dad, on fire, and belted it over mid on for four. The rate slipped back to seven.

The field scattered: five men on the boundary left plenty of gaps for singles. Two overs to go: 12 needed. A run a ball. Cook launches another belter over mid on. Seven needed from 10. Rutherford runs two. Or rather, nearly two, while Cook runs none at all. Slips, scrambles, makes it back.

Four needed off the last over… Cook nudges a single: Rutherford plays and misses…digs one out…then slaps the next clean over the bowler’s head for four. Home with three balls remaining!

A deeply satisfying win, over a keen but courteous opposition, with a view to cherish. And sausage and chips in the pub for afters.

Almost made up for the duck. Almost…

Mount Edgcumbe Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
7w 4b 2lb 
for 10 wickets
13
162 (40.3 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Gareth Oughton10.0041313.674.10
Suhaib Mohammed8.002638.673.25
Nigel Rutherford7.0127213.503.86
Fraser Chave5.3036136.006.55
Matt Cook4.001200.003.00
Varun Kothamachu6.011400.002.33

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
5w 3b 3lb 
for 5 wickets
11
164		        
Duncan Chave Stumped  31
Martin Wright Lbw  0
Ed Paleit Caught  21
Chris Ferro Bowled  1 1
Matt Cook Not Out  51
Jonathan Kirby Bowled  20 2
Nigel Rutherford Not Out  28 1
Fraser Chave  
Suhaib Mohammed  
Gareth Oughton  
Varun Kothamachu  

Mount Edgcumbe Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.