Dunsford v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sun 04 Oct 2009 at 13.30

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Dunsford v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sun 04 Oct 2009 at 13.30
Match was Drawn

Match report [Photos not yet uploaded; Simon Orpen Capt, Sid Thomson WK]

Match Report: Chris Cook

A draw in the drizzle, that’s about it…. Keats? you must be kidding. What mellow fruitfulness? what bosom friends? And our players, ay, where are they? Erratics two short, but it didn’t seem to matter, in the rain.

Dominic Prosser proved mere cockney slang for a no-show & the chairman had something better to do (& judging by the weather, so did we all). All save Gary – who limped his aching back out to the middle and squished six sticks into the sod.…. & so the match began between the two bosom-friend sides, in drizzle, Erratics batting, watchful at first, the conditions producing few runs, handsome drives pulling up in the wet outfield for a single.

It took a rank full toss after eight overs - and good timing from Sid Thomson - to register the first boundary. The lively wicket eventually duped Chris Mellett (one of four Chrisses in the side) to hole out to a slo-mo catch at mid-on, bringing Molins to the crease, intent on punishing the bad ball – a clean drive back over the bowler’s head the pick of them.

Then came a little controversy (do pronounce correctly) when Sid appeared to hole out to gully off a ball of full-length, only to stand there unsure as to whether the ball had ‘bumped’, on which umpire Gary concurred. There was much pointed comment from close fielders (most of it in the direction of the pavilion) upon which Sid nobly elected to give himself out.

Now came Chris2, Cook, rare species, wary of the Dunsford track, especially with Garforth bowling a tight, testing spell. Mike then bowled Paul with a lovely yorker and quickly dismissed dangerman Chave with one that moved to find the outside edge, sharply taken by the keeper. This brought Chris3 (Squire) to the crease, nonchalanting his first delivery over the infield for two before perishing next ball LBW on the back foot - he can count himself unlucky though – when the captain congratulated his bowler, the reply came ‘thanks, my first of the season’.

Chris4 came out – Ferro, with Erratics sinking at 50 – 5, and played in suitably circumspect manner, as Cook found aerial shortcuts to the boundary and, as the sun emerged for a few delirious moments - some sweeter timing, collecting a sequence of fours behind square. Soon the score was looking healthier and Cook’s 50 came up, supplemented by selective pulls and hooks from Ferro, to collect the 100 partnership in what was likely to be the last over before tea.

Glimpsing his captain bat-swishing on the boundary, Cook sallied forth and was duly stumped off a wide. Orpen, alas, followed in his footsteps – exactly, as it turned out, and was equally stumped, gifting Perry two wickets in his first and only over.

Garforth returned a tidy 3 -32 from 12. Erratics 151 for 5 at tea – an excellent tea, autumnal cakes, hearty sandwiches, melon. Melon? An unlikely calm. Harry had finally snapped the elastic he was using to catapult plastic balls at Fraser’s head. Sets of hypothetically related twins eyed one another up in brooding autumnal manner.

Post-prandial Erractics spread out as best they could (being 9 and tea-bound).

What men or gods are these? What mad pursuit? Chrisses on all sides (a chris-cross) and pledges of ‘rings of steel’ (as might well form in a combination containing ferro).

Soon the conditions turned the fielding rusty, our captain opting for footwork off his own bowling, during an otherwise beguiling opening spell of ‘Orpenballs’ (drifty, lobby, bouncy) which tempted Drake, after a bright 24, to hole out to the man of iron in the covers.

At the other end Penny Price deployed her seamers to good effect, and was unlucky to reap no reward, as was Ferro himself, who forced the batsmen increasingly into their shell. It was no surprise then, when Simon (fed up with his infielders waving at spouses/children on the boundary) turned to Molins to crack the egg, emolinating the ball from the back of his hand into the mist, to have them descend with a tad of spin & variable bounce somewhere in the vicinity of the batsmen. The batsmen panicked. A solid start, Povey making 18 and Perry 25, unravelled by Paul’s artful fingers. Catches from Chave, an LBW when the ball stayed low, a smart stumping and a clean bowled.

At the other end Cook C bowled tight leaguey stuff to infuriate. So when Gavin, Dunsford’s skipper & hard hitting batsman, came to the crease, the game was evenly balanced – a quick burst of runs and Dunsford would probably stroll to the total in the last 20 overs - but Paul tossed one up – high, too high, - and who could resist? Gavin hit it back from whence it came - straight up in the air, and Cook C, sensing an unwillingness on the part of Squire and Price to negotiate their recipience, sidled betwixt the two and caught it. Paul had his 5-for!

And then another… a person absurdly purporting to be Chris Squire’s brother, just because he had twins as well. 108 – 7. The Dunsford batsmen had a little discussion in the middle – 8 runs an over needed, and promptly dropped anchor (to be retrieved in pre-season).

Now in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn, and all Paul’s guile cannot induce a false stroke, though had his three vociferous – if solitary - appeals (one from deep extra cover and two from deep midwicket) been upheld he would have clinched the match single-handed.

As it was, we laughed at him & he still got to lead us off. It was darkling outside and near-dark in the changing room. Chris could be distinguished neither from Chris, nor Chris, nor Chris. And in the pub there was a great deal of arguing about irrelevancies and bursting of Joy's grape against palates fine – fine that is until the arrival of the legendary Dunsford sausage, previously described by Matt Cook as javelins, tonight more of police baton demeanour, not aerodynamic at all, still less their effect. Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Or just a draw in the drizzle?

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting

Player Name		Runs
extras TOTAL :	9w 5b 2lb for 7 wickets	16 151
Chris Mellett	Caught	2
Sid Thomson	Caught	25
Paul Molins	Bowled	15
Chris Cook	Stumped	71
Duncan Chave	Caught	1
Chris Squire	Lbw	2
Chris Ferro	Not Out	19
Simon Orpen	Bowled	0
Penny Price
N.O. One
N.O. One

Dunsford Bowling

Player name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
No records to display.

Dunsford Batting

Player name		R
extras TOTAL :	4w 1b 1lb for 7 wickets	6 108 (36.0 overs)

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player Name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
Simon Orpen	8.0	2	21	1	21.00	2.63
Penny Price	6.0	0	30	0	0.00	5.00
Chris Ferro	5.0	1	10	0	0.00	2.00
Paul Molins	10.0	1	32	6	5.33	3.20
Chris Cook	7.0	0	13	0	0.00	1.86

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