Marldon v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sat 20 Sep 2008 at Unknown

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Marldon v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Sat 20 Sep 2008 at Unknown
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 46 runs

Match report The sun shone and we played cricket. Two reasons to be cheerful. We started on time, both teams had eleven players and the Erratics managed a victory. Three more reasons to smile.

Marldon is a lovely little ground in the heart of the village. You can tell the time by the church clock, there’s a pub next to the pitch and there are also a number of greenhouses, windows, a stream and thick vegetation which means that well-struck balls have come to annoy the neighbours or simply get lost rather easily. This has led to some local rules which visiting batsmen need to get their brains around…

The “straight” boundaries are fine. Sixes and fours at either end of the ground are scored the same as anywhere else, though with the wicket itself at a slight angle a “straight” drive for a right-hander from the top end has, in fact to be an on-drive. To the sides, however, it’s different: on the “greenhouse side” there is netting; on the stream side there are trees. Fours are permitted as normal, but no sixes are allowed on either side. In the event of a batsman lofting a ball into the netting or the trees, a four is scored unless the ball leaves the ground, in which case it’s a dot ball. The long hop which would normally be deposited into a neighbouring car park therefore gives a batsman a lot to think about, which can be very confusing. Here ends the first excuse for the Erratics posting a total of only 93 for 9 in this 35 over game.

The second reason was some very tight bowling and fielding from the Marldon team. Like us, they were helped by meadow-length grass off the square, well, off the wicket, and we were also complicit in many of our own dismissals.

A year ago, Andrew McRae ran himself out on this ground when in clear sight of a 50. To celebrate this anniversary he called Chris Ferro for a sharp single when only a direct hit would see him dismissed, and later called Oliver Kirby for a hugely improbable single (the ball have been fielded at mid on) when only a weak throw and a fumble would save him. Oliver was lucky, Chris was not, and the Run-Out Legend endures. Andrew himself later hit a preposterously wide ball straight to point. Al Brunt also gave Point the most delicate of catching practice, while Paul Molins had the misfortune to pick out (probably) the only Marldon fielder capable of a spectacularly athletic one-handed catch. Oliver Kirby pummelled three boundaries and then thought he ought to play a defensive shot – not a speciality of that family, though I did manage a few myself on this occasion on my way to a top score on either side of just 17. The really interesting batting actually came from our final pair, Simon Orpen and John Pearson.

John was clearly David Salter in disguise. The young Marldon bowler toiled up the hill and delivered. If the ball was wide of the wicket, not a muscle twitched in John’s body, aka the Colossus That Bestrode The Crease. If the ball was on the stumps, then it was allowed to hit the bat and drop dead. Heartbreaking for the bowler, who tired quickly. Simon batted similarly, but with more of a flourish, including three boundaries, and with the help of a few wides, the pair added 23 in using up our last few overs.

The only batsman to use less energy than John was James Burrows, who had declined the opportunity to face more than one ball. He was saving himself for his bowling, clearly, and a devastating opening spell of five overs which included three maidens, five runs and three wickets.

“He can put them there all day, no problem” growled one batsman to the fielders as praise was shouted to James for a ball that had been successfully defended. The next ball clearly wasn’t in the same place because it uprooted the off stump, or did the batsman just miss it? James was on fire!

Others were similarly economical: McRae 6 overs, 1 for 11, Ferro 4 overs, 2 for 2, Ellis, unlucky not to get a wicket, 6 overs for 16, and then Simon Orpen…

There was general agreement in the dressing room afterwards that Simon had something of the spirit of Stephen Fisher about him: disarming affability and a deadly slow arm which drove the batsmen crazy. They wanted to hit him, but they just couldn’t (except direct to fielders) and Simon finished with figures of 7 overs, 2 maidens, 4 wickets for 14 runs.

Tight fielding also played a part in this dismissal of Marldon for just 47 runs in total. Martin Wright and Chris Ferro patrolled the short boundary in exemplary style, Paul Molins got a sharp stumping, and Al Brunt nearly pulled off what would have been the catch of the match with a dive to his left to stop a ball that would have rocketed to the boundary.

So, it was early to the pub and discussions of the possibility of inviting Marldon to Dunsford next year.

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting

Player Name		Runs	4s
extras TOTAL :	1nb 9w 3b 1lb for 9 wickets	14 95
Chris Ferro	Run out	13	2
Martin Wright	ct Williams	2
Jonathan Kirby	b Williams	17	3
Paul Molins	ct Butcher	7	1
Andrew McRae	ct Lehmann	9
Al Brunt	ct Butcher	0
Oliver Kirby	b Dodwell	12	3
Phil Ellis	b Dodwell	0
Simon Orpen	Not Out	13	3
James Burrows	b Dodwell	0
John Pearson	Not Out	6	1

Marldon Bowling

Player name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
Camp	5.0	2	8	0	0.00	1.60
Williams	7.0	3	11	2	5.50	1.57
Storey	4.0	1	13	0	0.00	3.25
Cunningham	5.0	1	15	1	15.00	3.00
Butcher	4.0	0	19	1	19.00	4.75
Dodwell	5.0	1	14	3	4.67	2.80
Lehmann	4.0	3	8	1	8.00	2.00

Marldon Batting

Player name		R
extras TOTAL :	for 10 wickets	0 47 (0.0 overs)

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player Name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
James Burrows	5.0	3	5	3	1.67	1.00
Andrew McRae	6.0	2	11	1	11.00	1.83
Chris Ferro	4.0	2	2	2	1.00	0.50
Simon Orpen	7.0	2	14	4	3.50	2.00
Phil Ellis	6.0	3	16	0	0.00	2.67

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