Scorecard

Lympstone v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sat 08 Sep 2018 at 2.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 1 Wicket

Match report [Ed. It is not entirely clear if we were playing Ashburton, Lympstone, or a Pitt Farm XI. But play we did.]

A Game of Five Halves, by John Curtis

First Half.

After some bowling of satisfying fizz from openers George Greaves and Nick Walding during which their top two were removed, Ashburton always looked to be struggling to post what could be considered a ‘par score’, even one for what was proving to be an “uneven” wicket. Their one manifest threat, James Burton, looked dangerously organised (I knew it when I saw it) before being excised from their order with a surgical strike by Chris Ferro, who swooped on a perfectly reasonable second run after a solid straight drive, to wheel and lance the ball back to keeper Andrew Forrester for a 2-yard runout. Another couple of wickets from the first change crew meant that Captain Power was, at five down, very quickly confronted with what appeared to be considerable ‘Game Management’ issues, specifically re. how to contrive to aid Ashburton to post anything approaching a total worthy of, well, totalling.

Now at this point, your reporter has to confirm that to his knowledge, there is no actual witness to the Captain uttering the phrase ‘Game Management’, a point I feel is worthy of note given the all-too-prevalent ‘blame culture’ current in elite sports. Meanwhile, (far) away from such strategic considerations, Ashburton’s innings continued to meander to a predictably understated end of 103, (all available out), with Matt Crawford earning more wickets than he was granted and the last 2 falling to Jonathan Kirby’s inveigling trajectories.

Second Half.

In which Ashburton’s opening batsmen returned to address the issue of them only having fielded 9 in the first ‘half’ of their innings and to post 2 totals, 135 by the batting column and 138 by the bowling column. Some issue regarding “Transcription” your reporter learns.

Nice trees. (Attention failure warning).

Third Half.

The reply. Sixty-something for eight. Best not dwell. Captain Power a study in concentration, recalculating the value and efficacy of the very concept of “Game Management”, as Erratic bat after Erratic bat tumble to clever Ashburton bowling (Macgregor, 4-33, the pick) and some impressively sharp keeping by one Nick Birbeck (late of this parish). Matters are not improved by a pitch which, it had become shockingly clear, was not best understood as “uneven” but rather as borderline psychotic and, judging by the enhanced level of animation in the field, it was all too clear that Ashburton were also persuaded to the self-evidently best read of the game’s likely immanent result, and were scenting fluids. Collapse loomed as assuredly as rain from the grey mobility of Ashburton’s autumnal sky.

Then, like a balm to a fever, the chemistry of the ninth-wicket partnership between Jonathan Kirby and Duncan Chave miraculously compounded to restore equanimity to onlooking Erratics and rekindle the embers of faith in the various ruling orders (meteorological and cricketing) as the innings was, with a hitherto impossible serenity, shepherded first to 103,

Fourth Half.

and then to 135.

Rain and defeat stayed.

Then Johnathan got out. I don’t know how, I wasn’t watching.

136 for 9. Was victory to be alloyed?

Curtis, last man. In response to that last; Damn, and probably.

Fifth Half.

But, Duncan. A lovely straight 4 with 2 balls remaining, a shot entirely worthy of its presently weighted value as half a game.

Chave D., not out 41.

Justly and properly so.

In the clubhouse much of the warming chatter would revolve around the benefits of finely-tuned Game Management when deployed in the production of what is quickly hailed as one of the best games of recent seasons. Captain Power, vindicated. The value and efficacy etc., vindicated. A Devon Mist descending. Two quid a pint. Two quid a pint. Ashburton, fairest and loveliest….

Lympstone Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
138 (34.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Nick Walding4.0018118.004.50
George Greaves4.02818.002.00
John Curtis6.0024124.004.00
Chris Ferro4.02212.000.50
Matt Crawford9.0047223.505.22
Duncan Chave4.01522.501.25
Jonathan Kirby4.0024212.006.00

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
142		        
Fraser Chave Caught  1
Andrew Forrester Caught  8 1
Chris Ferro Caught  17 2 1 1
Jack Heslop Caught  8 2 1
George Greaves Caught  15 2
Phil Power Bowled  0
Matt Crawford Caught  0 2
Nick Walding Bowled  9 2
Duncan Chave Not Out  41 5
Jonathan Kirby Caught  22 3
John Curtis Not Out  0

Lympstone Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.