Scorecard

Lustleigh 80th six-a-side festival v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sun 17 Jun 2018 at To be confirmed
Erratics Cricket Club Lost (W1, L2)

Match report Lustleigh in the Dustleigh, by guest player/reporter Kevin Barron.

Lustleigh was celebrating eighty years of glorious English cricket with a six-a-side tournament. Being one of the Erratics’ favourite fixtures, we were part of the six team line up, two of which were supplied by Lustleigh themselves. A reluctant team, weary from the previous day’s game against Dunsford and the previous evening’s skittles tournament in Dunsford village hall, was scratched together at almost the last minute.

The teams gathered around 11am in front of the pavilion. Probably seven decades were represented and the younger ones were keenly warming up in the nets.

Organiser Ed explained how the tournament would work. There would be two groups of three teams. The winners of each group would play each other in the final. If time permitted, there would also be a play-off for third and fourth place which in a tournament of only six teams, seemed a little over the top. There was to be one over per fielder, and batsman had to retire after 20 runs.

The Erratics were first up against Stoke in Teignhead. Dunc and Chris opened the innings with blistering twenties, Dunc starting as he meant to go on with a four. In no time at all, they had both retired and Fraser entered the fray, followed by George who sadly missed out on the fun because he was bowled before he could join in, and Ben who joined Fraser in getting 15.

There were few singles. Instead, there were the frequent bouts of ball hunting. Sometimes this was achieved by dragging the river with a specially prepared net, often a posse rode off into an adjoining field in pursuit and sometimes a black Labrador was sent into the woods. Very few balls were lost, no cars were damaged, and the pavilion roof bounced back into shape whenever struck.

A 20-20 atmosphere was evoked by short blasts of music from Lustleigh’s sound system. This included snatches of “I don’t like cricket”, “Howzat! You messed about, I caught you out: Howzat. Now that I found where you're at, It's goodbye.” And others. These happened every time there was a four. Or something else interesting happened. All I can say is that the neighbours must have been irritated.

Meanwhile, the pressure was telling on Stoke’s bowlers who kindly added some wides and no balls to a tally that ended up on a satisfying 84. Stoke needed 17 an over.

Skipper Jim opened the bowling and was hit for 10 off his six balls.

“I suppose that’s quite good,” he said, given he’d kept them below the required run rate.

Little did he realise that 10 was as good as it was going to get all day. It was also the most expensive over of the innings. Ben, Dunc, Chris and finally Fraser followed, all keeping the runs down and with Chris and Fraser each taking wickets.

The win lubricated the aches a little, but then they remembered the next game was against a rather youthful side from Clyst St George. They decided they had better make the most of their rest between games.

The second game was indeed quite a different can of bananas. The Erratics even did some catching practice before it began. Jim hoped we could bat first, thereby ensuring the Erratics would be ahead for at least half the game. It was not to be.

Jim opened the bowling and was given a 26-run punishment beating. Others had better luck and Ben took a wicket. Chris bowled with conviction and the ball was duly punted to deep mid on where Jim was waiting. It pinballed around his hands until finally coming to rest in his left hand near his shoulder. Always the bloody showman in the field.

We made a fair shot of the reply, but Dunc was caught early and, it being Father’s Day, son Fraser felt it best to follow in his father’s footsteps. Chris was unbeaten again and George faced off the pace attack, but the scoring was too slow and we fell short of the required total.

It didn’t look like we’d reach the final on a single win, so the team settled down to a splendid lunch and pints all round. Then Organiser Ed moved the goalposts. In a cricket tournament.

It was decided that it would be a much better idea to have semi-finals before the final. This meant we had to play at least one more time.

“But we’ve started drinking!”

Dunc’s back started to ache in preparation for the first semi-final which began just as soon as everyone had finished loading up on sandwiches, scones and cake.

Lustleigh B was the opposition. Dunc tottered out with the ever-positive Chris and they knocked off twenty each again. Things were looking good. George had got into his stride now and joined in the fun with Fraser and Ben in support ensuring Jim played all his innings sitting down on the restful side of the boundary. We made 68, not as high as we’d hoped, but would it be enough?

Jim opened the bowling and received bruises on his already bruised pride as he went for 28. Bowling this type of limited overs circus really is only for masochists. He was pleased with his dot ball.

Things improved slightly after that, but bodies were starting to fail and the lead was tumbling. By the last over, poor Fraser had a mere X runs to defend. He bowled tightly until three runs were still required off the last ball. It was a big ask. In these circumstances, even a great ball can still hit out of the ground. Sadly, this was one of those times.

The teams had pulled off an exciting game, but were only too pleased that they wouldn’t have to coax their bodies into a fourth game.

In the end, favourites Clyst were knocked out by Lustleigh A who even managed to bowl a final maiden over. This meant that, suspiciously or serendipitously, the final just happened to be between the two Lustleigh teams.

Lustleigh won, the winning six being smacked into the bushes by Organiser Ed. Conspiracy theorists were gagged with burgers from the barbecue.

As we returned to Exeter, we contemplated how eighty years was a long time to be playing cricket. Duncan felt like he’d just played all eighty of them.

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 0 wickets
0
0		        
Duncan Chave  
Fraser Chave  
George Cockburn  
Chris Ferro  
Jim Thomson  
Ben Youngman  
A.N. Other1  
A.N. Other2  
A.N. Other3  
Annie Chave  
N.O. One  

Lustleigh 80th six-a-side festival Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Lustleigh 80th six-a-side festival Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 0 wickets
0
0 (0.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.