Scorecard

Cheriton Fitzpaine v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Thu 20 Jun 2024 at 6.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Lost by 3 Wickets

Match report Match report by Martin Wright.

Around 30 years ago, Cheriton Fitzpaine seized the occasion of the Summer Solstice to stage the longest cricket game ever played: a mighty 27 hours and 24 minutes.

They had aimed for 30 hours, apparently, but became distracted by the lure of watching England take on Ecuador in the World Cup.

Fortunately their players today were made of sterner stuff (resisting the temptation of what would anyway have been an uninspiring 90 minutes watching a draw against Denmark), and turned out on a warm midsummer evening for a game which, while about 10 times shorter than that record, was long on sheer enjoyment.

Skipper Jonathan Kirby joined the ranks of Erratics' Useless Tossers and we were inserted. Your Correspondent was blessed with opening with our very own Master Blaster, Anuj Tiwari. While I managed a few customary nudges and nurdles, Anuj was brutal decisiveness made flesh, launching Cheriton’s decent opening attack to all parts with some mighty drives and soaring sixes. When he was bowled going for glory, Fraser Chave took over, sending two successive sixes into the pasture, and proceeding to a brisk 33 before retiring.

For a while it looked as though 150 might be on offer, but progress slowed as the home team tightened up, making full use of Cheriton’s…sporting…wicket. Their youthful off spinner, Alfie Butterfield, was particularly effective, while Fin Tricks, an even younger lad of just ten summers (bowling appropriately off 19 yards), was accurate enough to see off the mighty Ben Yarde-Buller. Both Krupakar Nallala and Lee Grant threatened briefly before being caught, and then with a final flurrisome six from Tim Fawcett off the last ball, Erratics made it to 119.

We opened tidily, with Fraser bowing up the hill and Lee hurtling down – a fearsome sight for any batter, and miserly effective, too. Anuj took over coming uphill, proving hard as ever to get away. Tim recovered from a wayward start to tighten up, Krupakar was alert and lively behind the stumps, but Cheriton stayed in touch throughout, with Grant Squire and particularly Ed Carter (30*) finding the boundaries just a little too often for Erraticomfort.

Mark Philips and Ben both contributed solitary overs: Mark’s yielding two wickets, as the batters generously struck one ball down my throat (almost literally) at long-on, and another to Anuj at long-off, who held it at the third attempt, thanks to a ricochet off his boot… Tim was particularly sharp in the field, taking two catches, including one off Ben; the finest concluded with him sliding across the smooth grass of the square like a rather robust imitation of Bambi-on-Ice, before curling his outstretched hand under the ball. Mark Hailwood was characteristically on the money from the off, wobbling his way to two wickets.

The game swung delightfully to-and-fro to the end, but it was Cheriton who held firm, thanks to an uncle-and-nephew partnership between captain Jeremy Tricks and Fin. It felt only appropriate that it was the latter -- cricket’s future – who slid the ball past the infield to take the home team home, with a ball to spare, as the last beams of the setting sun lit up the ground in midsummer magic...

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 7w 9b 1lb 
for 7 wickets
18
119		        
Anuj Tiwari b D Saunders 27 14 3 2 192.86 1
Martin Wright b T Murphy 14 32 1 43.75
Fraser Chave Retired Not Out  33 27 2 3 122.22
Mark Phillips lbw A Butterfield 0 3 0
Jayakrupakar Nallala ct K Manns 10 17 1 58.82
Lee Grant ct T Murphy 4 4 1 100
Ben Yarde-Buller b F Tricks 3 13 23.08
Tim Fawcett Not Out  8 4 1 200
Mark Hailwood b K Manns 0 1 0
Jonathan Kirby Not Out  2 5 40.0
N.O. One  

Cheriton Fitzpaine Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ed Carter3.001800.006.00
Daniel Saunders3.0023123.007.67
J Cole3.001400.004.67
Tom Murphy4.0027213.506.75
Alfie Butterfield3.0013113.004.33
Fin Tricks1.01313.003.00
K Manns1.00321.503.00
Barnie Butterfield1.00800.008.00

Cheriton Fitzpaine Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
15w  
for 7 wickets
15
112 (19.4 overs)		     
Grant Squire ct T Tiwari B. M Phillips 20
Barnie Butterfield ct M Wright B. M Phillips 5
Ed Carter Retired Not Out  30
Daniel Saunders b M Hailwood 0
J Cole b A Tiwari 1
Alfie Butterfield ct T Fawcett B. M Hailwood 3
Tom Murphy ct T Fawcett B. B Yarde-Buller 13
K Manns b T Fawcett 1
Fin Tricks Not Out  5
Jeremy Tricks Not Out  19
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Fraser Chave3.001900.006.33
Lee Grant3.411400.003.82
Tim Fawcett3.0020120.006.67
Mark Phillips1.001527.5015.00
Anuj Tiwari4.0215115.003.75
Mark Hailwood4.0020210.005.00
Ben Yarde-Buller1.00919.009.00