Scorecard

Bridford v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sun 07 Aug 2016 at 2.30pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 5 wickets

Match report A gloriously hot and dry August afternoon in the bucolic Teign Valley. A stream trundles along the boundary edge, buzzards circle overhead, swallows swoop, and 22 white clad figures mill about in a golden field, playing the greatest game man has ever conceived. Test Match Special murmurs away on the boundary edge, relating a fine England victory at Edgbaston. Thomsons, Squires and Laverick's pop out from Exeter to soak up the sun. Friendly old dogs – and some canines too - mingle with the spectators (one of which looks like a cross between Stoppard and Beckett according to Chris Ferro – or at least I think that's what he said). A hard-fought but good-natured contest between amicable and well-matched opponents ends with a well-earned pint in a lovely pub. Insert your favourite village cricket clichés here – this afternoon at Bridford had it all, and there is surely no better way to spend an English summer afternoon. Not a bad way to bring up my 100th Erratics appearance.

It was a good match, too. Our hosts batted first on an extremely quick and occasionally volatile outfield, and they made hay. Attacking shots were well rewarded, and our bowlers and fielders toiled in the afternoon heat. Oughton was, as ever, miserly – he has an economy rate of 2.5 this season, from over 100 overs bowled. The rest of us did our utmost to give Skipper Ferro some control, and whilst the 5.5 runs an over rate that Bridford consistently scored at might not have been frugal it could have been a lot worse in this batters' paradise. Bridford's opener Tom hit a masterful 93, and looked destined to get a deserved century when Fraser had him caught and bowled, using his crotch to secure the dismissal. As we munched on cold roasters at tea we reflected on what felt like a very long and bruising session in the field, but there was quiet confidence that we had the batting resources to chase 226 in very good batting conditions.

And so it proved. Eyebrows were raised when Gareth was asked to open – Chris had been out in the sun for rather a long time, after all – and neither he nor the more sensible choice of opener Mark Phillips managed to trouble the scorers before being dismissed. As Hobbs and Sutcliffe turned in their graves our second batch of openers, the Brace of Chaves, made a better go of it. Fraser looked in fine form – even despatching rank full tosses to the boundary with a certain elegance – and was mortified when he missed a straight one after making a positive 36 that set the tone.

Duncan and Krups then came together. On a good batting surface. You can guess what happened next: a pull-up-a-chair-and-enjoy-the-show century partnership – not their first for the Erratics. Highlights: a towering six from Krups that had us all oohing and ahhing as though he'd set off a firework, and a lusty blow that put a dent in the side panel of an injudiciously parked Land Rover. Both were eventually out after 'edging' to the keeper, which left Marc Palen to come in and hit his first two Erratics boundaries – the second a hard line drive to centre field which nearly decapitated the umpiring Oughton (one of three Marc/ks in the side – an Erratics first? It has also been posited that Marc is the first American Erratic – anyone with evidence to the contrary?). At the other end Chris Ferro came in to apply the finishing touches and after a handful of crisp on drives we were home with 4 overs to spare.

Summary by Mark Hailwood

Bridford Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 7 wickets
0
226 (40.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ben Youngman8.003800.004.75
Gareth Oughton8.0218118.002.25
Mark Hailwood8.0145222.505.63
Fraser Chave8.0143143.005.37
Sean Webb4.003100.007.75
Duncan Chave3.0035135.0011.67
Chris Ferro1.00414.004.00

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
227		        
Gareth Oughton Bowled  0
Mark Phillips Caught  0
Duncan Chave Caught  89
Fraser Chave Bowled  36
Jayakrupakar Nallala Caught  58
Marc Palen Not Out  10
Chris Ferro Not Out  18
Mark Hailwood  
Ben Youngman  
Sean Webb  
A.N. Other  

Bridford Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.