Scorecard

Crediton Inn v Erratics Cricket Club Erratics on Thu 26 Jul 2018 at 6.00pm
Erratics Cricket Club Won by 5 wickets

Match report Mark Hailwood reports...

A typical batting line-up at pretty much any level of cricket will contain representatives of diverse batting philosophies – from the destructive to the obstructive; from the slogger to the prodder. Not so the Crediton Inn. Of all the teams we play, they seem to come closest to batting with one mind. Like a cricketing version of the fighting Uruk-hai, bred with a single purpose: to attack the bowling of men. When you knock one down, another batsman marches into the breach, and maintains the relentless barrage of clubbed boundaries and aggressive singles. When it comes off, this single-minded attacking can leave you feeling somewhat bullied, and we have certainly conceded some big totals in this fixture in recent years.

It is, of course, an appropriate way to approach T20 cricket, but it does keep the wickets column interested – and in this game it rattled along. Every field change made by Captain ‘Midas’ Wright seemed to instantly produce a catch or run out. Perhaps it was something to do with inadvertently donning JK’s trousers – future skippers take note that these magic trousers are now available to rent. Our regular wicket taking created the sense that we were in firm control throughout, but Crediton’s ability to accumulate at 6 or 7 an over regardless of wicket-loss basically meant that unless we bowled them out – not easy to do in 20 overs, and we didn’t quite manage it – they would still end up with a competitive total.

And so it proved: they crept up on us a bit to set us a chase at 7 runs per over. Not as imposing as some we have faced here, but enough to make it a contest, especially if we got off to a bad start.

Which we did. JK – batting without his magic trousers (though not, thankfully sans trousers altogether) – slapped his first ball straight to cover point. Skipper Joel is a fine practitioner of a field placing himself, and boundary sized gaps in the field proved hard to find. The run rate started to gain altitude quickly.

But this was, in the end, a very fine example of the kind of calm, well-paced run chase that the Erratics have become increasingly adept at (learnt at the feet of its master, Chris Ferro), and which helps to account for our now astonishingly good T20 record. Martin and Krups are wise enough to know that you can always make up for lost time when your eye is in, and both displayed the perfect balance between patience and purposefulness, moving steadily through the gears towards retirement scores – keeping the run rate in sight, and not getting panicked by it. From that position all you need is a couple of big overs, a weak link in the bowling attack, to get you over the finish line.

Enter Nick Walding. He doesn’t really do ‘steadily through the gears’; his is more of a full throttle approach (I’m not sure I’d be lining up for a lift with him if he gets himself a car…) Nick has endured more ‘nothings’ than ‘alls’ in recent knocks, but he bounced back here with a vintage Walding knock, battering the ball and the opposition’s spirits. The highlight was a truly huge six onto the railway tracks that very nearly caught the 7.53 to Barnstaple – which would have taken some beating in the ‘furthest travelled’ category of the Wright-Walding Sixes Challenge.

By the time he was done he had effectively won us the game, retiring with the required rate well and truly reigned in at 6 an over: an assignment that was never going to cause a headache for the incoming Chris Ferro. It was back to steady as she goes, and the victory was secured with 3 balls to spare.

The game was played in a great spirit – Crediton had sportingly agreed to bowl from one end only for a few overs as the sun set behind the bowler’s arm, an issue that has caused contention here in previous years – and all were agreed it had been a thoroughly enjoyable tussle. It was followed, as ever, by a welcome carb-fest back at the Crediton Inn itself, underpinned by those irresistible roasters. Conversation turned to people’s experiences of Hull, and Plato and Aristotle were likened to the ‘Derek and Clive’ of the ancient world. At that point, it was clearly time to call time on another perfect evening of Devon cricket.

Crediton Inn Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
138 (20.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Mark Hailwood4.0028128.007.00
Ben Youngman4.001929.504.75
Fraser Chave4.001735.674.25
Matt Crawford4.0035135.008.75
Will Thornton2.0023123.0011.50
Nick Walding2.001300.006.50

Erratics Cricket Club Erratics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
142		        
Jonathan Kirby Caught  0 1
Jayakrupakar Nallala Retired Not Out  30 2 1 1
Martin Wright Caught  29 2 1
Nick Walding Retired Not Out  33 5 1
Chris Ferro Not Out  17 3
Fraser Chave Caught  0
Paul Molins Caught  11 1
Will Thornton Bowled  0
Mark Hailwood Not Out  6 1
Matt Crawford   2
Ben Youngman  

Crediton Inn Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.