Scorecard

Heads & Tails v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Thu 29 Apr 2021 at 6:00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Lost by 2 Runs

Match report Mark Hailwood 'reports'...

This match had a difficult relationship with the time-space continuum. Siva started it, spreading a rumour on Wednesday afternoon that the game might be at Woodbury, not Newton St Cyres. An anxious round of texting quickly put this rumour to bed, and the Erratics assembled at the NSC Recreation Ground confident they were in the right place. But it turned out we had been worrying in the wrong dimension. We had turned up on Wednesday; we were expected on Thursday.

Well, at least we hadn’t missed the game, and the amiable groundskeeper kindly offered us use of stumps and artificial strip for a knock about. So, we spent a fun couple of hours having an inter-Erratics game of ‘President’s Pairs’ to mark Martin Weiler’s inauspicious first day at the helm. If I remember incorrectly, then Ben and I won.

As if JK hasn’t had enough to do as selector, he had to hastily assemble a side to return the following evening for the actual game. With the depth of our squad this season this didn’t prove a problem, but your humble reporter could not, unfortunately, make the Thursday evening. Still, not wanting to let the side down any further, I agreed to remain as match reporter, as originally assigned. These match reports basically write themselves, right? You don’t actually have to *be at* the game to do the report, right?

So, the Erratics arrived again, this time at the right point in all relevant dimensions. And who can forget those weather conditions, eh? A toss was conducted, and the hosts were soon having a bat. Heads and Tails made steady progress, with Lee and Phil particularly parsimonious, and at the half-way stage it looked set to be an unusually low total for this normally batsman friendly track. But with wickets in hand – and Lee removed for bowling too well – our hosts were able to accelerate rapidly in the second half, finding regular boundaries despite Siva’s flurry of wickets. Their total of 141 about right for this ground, though it had come from just 18 overs.

In the innings break some very amusing comments were, as ever, exchanged between the Erratics. Those involved will know what I am talking about, but you really had to be there, so I won’t repeat them here. Needless to say, the Erratics approached the resumption with their usual blend of cheery but restrained optimism: ‘get off to a good start and this is a possibility’ was the sort of comment that someone said, and someone else made a witty retort to.

And a good start did indeed follow. The ever-dependable Duncan, and the increasingly dependable Lee, both reaching their retirement with a nice blend of 1s, 2s, 4s and a 6. Lee was one of several batsmen who had clearly benefitted from time in the middle during the President’s Pairs the evening before, generously bowled into form by his teammates. Matt Crawford was another. In at three, and with a new leg stump guard suggested by Duncan during the warm-up game, he opened up the off side to complement his more traditional reap, and he too cruised confidently to 30. Things had slowed down a bit at the other end though, with both Mark P and Mr President having their timbers rattled after a promising early boundary (I’m picturing a nice pushed cover drive from Mark, a classy clip through midwicket for Martin). Fraser then came to the party – another with a bit of form from the pairs – and the rate was soon back in hand.

But Matt’s departure triggered a Spreyton-esque mini-collapse. Alex, JK, and Siva all made contact, but of an uppish nature, and within a matter of minutes all three were trudging back to the open-air-non-pavilion-changing-area with a duck to their name. Momentum had stalled, and all looked lost. But cometh the hour, cometh the Youngman. Fresh from an incorrectly remembered Pairs victory, he gave Fraser the support he craved, and hope was rekindled. It is, however, what kills you…

And so, to the final over, with a gettable double-figure number needed. Fraser found the boundary! And then a single. Ben found the boundary! And then just a handful of runs needed to win. But alas, the bowler held his nerve, and bowled a tight line and length that Ben couldn’t get away, and the Erratics fell agonisingly short.

But agony was short lived, as is the Erratics way, and by the time elbows had been bumped with the opposition, thoughts had quickly moved on to reflect on another great game of cricket, the second already this season that had come down to the final ball with all results possible. It will live long in the memory of those fortunate enough to have been there, and even in the imaginations of some who were not.

Heads & Tails Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
8w 5b 2lb 
for 6 wickets
15
141 (18.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Fraser Chave4.0038138.009.50
Phil Power4.011500.003.75
Lee Grant2.00313.001.50
Sivaraman Subramanian3.002538.338.33
Matt Crawford2.002800.0014.00
Ben Youngman3.0025125.008.33

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
3w 1b 1lb 
for 5 wickets
5
139		        
Duncan Chave Retired Not Out  32 4 1
Lee Grant Retired Not Out  30 2 1 1
Matt Crawford Retired Not Out  30 4
Mark Phillips Bowled  4 1 1
Martin Weiler Bowled  4 1
Fraser Chave Not Out  21 3 2
Alex Thomas Caught  0
Jonathan Kirby Caught  0
Sivaraman Subramanian Caught  0
Ben Youngman Not Out  14 2
Phil Power  

Heads & Tails Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.