Damazan v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Wed 14 Sep 2016 at 12.00pm

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Damazan v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Wed 14 Sep 2016 at 12.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Lost by 5 wickets

Match report
And so after all the months of planning (thank you Mark and Jonathan) we were finally here at the picturesque Damazan ground in the Lot-et-Garonne department of south west France. There were a row of tall poplar trees at either end, a nod to Gras Lawn, and a lake to one side and a field of maize on the other. A ring of chalets and tents provided the pavilion facilities. A really pleasing setting for our first match of the tour.

Damazan are no ordinary ex-pat club. They were set up by the indomitable Jean-Claude Rieudebat, a Frenchman who fell in love with cricket at Taunton in the early 1970s while teaching at Illminster Grammar school. For a groundhopper like me it was also seriously impressive to hear that Jean-Claude has been to nearly every first class ground in England. He came back home and in 1989 set up a cricket club – with an all French team and a grass wicket. He even translated the laws of cricket into French.

In time some things have changed. While Jean-Claude still plays (he kept wicket today) most of the team is now made up from cricket’s Diaspora. In addition to two French players our opponents in this match included Indians, Sri Lankans, English and Irish (a member of Wexford CC who the Erratics played on their 1990 tour of Ireland).

It is fascinating to hear the voice of cricket in France. It is a mixture of English, French and the languages of the sub continent. But sometimes all three can be used in the same sentence. If in doubt the English speak in French to the Asians. ‘Howzat’ seemed to be universal however.

The grass wicket at Damazan has disappeared – a victim to drainage works. This match, like all our others, was played on an artificial surface.

Skipper Martin Wright won the toss and batted in a 35 over match starting at around 12.30pm. Mark Phillips (12) made a confident start outscoring fellow opener Duncan Chave for a time. Mark finally succumbed, caught behind, to give bowler Suzi Singh her first wicket.

Fraser joined his Dad and together they took the score from 37 to 89 in an excellent second wicket partnership. A six into the maize field by Fraser was a particular highlight. Sadly father (37) and son (30) were both out in close proximity as the Erratics moved into three figures.

Martin Wright has a bit about him when it comes to run outs. Peter Thomson in his Erratic Cricket Prints wrote “Martin has been developing an expertise in running his partners out”. Here he had another opportunity but just couldn’t face the moral maze of unjustly sending Krupakar on his way. So he sacrificed himself instead. “I lost sight of the ball” said Martin. “The fielder had it in his hands”. Martin was to have better times on this ground but that is for another reporter to reveal.

Krupakar, as he so often does, took advantage and hit a fine 37 not out as the Erratics finished with a decent 162-5.

And so to that great English feast – the cricket tea- expertly co-ordinated by Sheila Ayling, a former president of Damazan (the Aylings are an institution here – John is grounds man, umpire and everything else besides). The tea urn reminded several of us of Dunsford to which Duncan commented ‘only three people in the world know how to work that’.

Something else English was on its way too. The weather. Damazan had basked in months of hot weather. Games were often being played in the mid to high thirties with hydration breaks every few overs. But today things changed, dark clouds gathered, a cold wind blew and it started to rain as Damazan replied. When it really poured down we left the field to a heart warming welcome of “more tea?”.

After a while it was a case of pack up or go back out and get very cold and wet. Given the opportunity, of course we did the latter. For Mark Hailwood it was all too much and he asked to be taken off as his “nipples were chaffing”.
The Erratics had made a good start taking three early wickets thanks to persistence by Ben Youngman (3-24) and Danny Williamson. But it proved a false dawn. Damazan had a couple of seriously good pedigree cricketers in Mike Gear and Gagan Singh. Mike had played List A matches for the Minor Counties (before working for the ECB and then taking Durham into the County Championship as their Chief Executive). Gagan had played at a senior level in India and earlier this season played for SW France against the Lords Taverners.

Mike steadied the Damazan ship with 54 before wicket keeper Paul Molins caught him – one of his three fine catches. The home team were behind the clock before Gagan hit a quickfire 36 not out including three sixes to edge his side home with just seven balls to spare.

The pressure had started to get to the Erratics. At one point as Danny went to field the ball he was simultaneously advised by teammates to throw it to both ends. A slight wobble resulted which was dealt with firmly by the Fines Mistress Annie Chave.

After the game the excuses came pouring out. Pride of place to our skipper who claimed his performance had been affected by the shock of a giant centipede dropping on his duvet the night before.

The weather had definitely been a dampener but all credit to Damazan for agreeing to play on to get our tour on the way. As we all gathered over a beer the respective captains made speeches and gifts were exchanged. A bottle of the very good local Buzet wine to the visitors and some Devon cider and fudge (and Peter’s aforementioned book) to the hosts.

Jean-Claude told us all of the honourable tradition of cricket in the French world and how in Victor Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea (1865) he wrote that in Guernsey boxing was declining and cricket was increasing. Or to be more specific: “Le boxe decroit, le cricket prospere”.

Well on the evidence of today French cricket is certainly prospering still and as we moved on to Buzet for an evening meal together we were all rather glad we had experienced what it has to offer even if a little more cold and damp than expected.

Martin Weiler

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting

Player Name		Runs	Ct
extras TOTAL :	2nb 9w 9b 4lb for 7 wickets	24 162
Duncan Chave	Lbw	37	1
Mark Phillips	Caught	12
Fraser Chave	Caught	30
Martin Wright	Run out	5
Jayakrupakar Nallala	Not Out	37
Matt Crawford	Lbw	3
Martin Weiler	Bowled	9
Mark Hailwood	Bowled	0
Paul Molins	Not Out	5	3
Danny Williamson
Ben Youngman

Damazan Bowling

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

Damazan Batting

Player name		R
extras TOTAL :	19w 2b 1lb for 5 wickets	22 163 (33.4 overs)

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player Name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
Ben Youngman	7.0	1	24	3	8.00	3.43
Danny Williamson	7.0	0	25	1	25.00	3.57
Fraser Chave	6.5	2	42	0	0.00	6.15
Mark Hailwood	4.0	0	30	0	0.00	7.50
Duncan Chave	6.0	0	21	1	21.00	3.50
Jayakrupakar Nallala	3.0	0	18	1	18.00	6.00

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