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Strange old game, cricket. On a blustery but dry day at the Rec, EMCC embarked on a journey that would prove quite rocky and end at the bottom of the ocean. Looking at past games vs Newport, it has never been close. We have smashed them bowling them for under 100 and they have done the same to us. One thing never changes, their style of cricket, aerial boundary hitting. My one message to my troops before the game, 40 overs is a long time so take our chances and we will be ok. It started so so well. David B and Wayne bowled tightly. No misfields and we were rewarded with wickets. David picking up 3 including a good catch from C Dutton. A further 2 wickets were taken and we have them 65-5 the over before drinks. I mention this over as this is when the game changed. Young Max came on to bowl and bowl well he did and he lured the man on 28 to mishit a shot which looped to Charlie, Max?s dad. How he didn?t take it we will never know but everyone kind of giggled and laughed that fines would be fun.
Well, cricket is a game that if you don?t take your chances bad things happen? Charlie will have been disappointed but it was by no means just him. The batsman used his luck to effect and just kept prodding the ball in the air. He was dropped 4 times and we dropped a total as a team 8. Some hard, some not so hard. All the while he just blasted boundary after boundary. I distinctly remember coming on off my 2 pace run up due to my side strain and the over went, first ball drop at deep mid off, 6, 6, mis field off shin at deep mid off for 4, drop catch at deep gully and a single.
Ollie Cooke and Max Dutton, our youth remembers bowled well against a batsman who was well in. When I brought Wayne back on he took 2 very quick wickets, one of the man who accrued 140. Well done Wayne.
The second half of that innings was a tricky one and one I?d like to move on from.
Tea was good. There are 2 types of halal slaughter but that is another story.
Knowing we had to go some we sent in myself and Hollis to chase down the mammoth 270. Unfortunately it just wasn?t to be. If there are 2 things to take away from the game, 1, catch the ball more than you drop, secondly is the increasing amount of times we are giving each other out LBW. It?s happening every week. Back when I started playing at the Meon you were only triggered when it hit you bang in front half way up. Yesterday it was guess work. Let?s go back to being stubborn old umpires where decisions are only given when there is no other outcome. Anyway, mine was given and my thought is if I had hit it I wouldn?t have been out. Tim L came and went, Lakh came and went and Ian was also triggered above the knee roll. Mooro got a leading edge. The two Duttons looked good for a while before senior fell and a big mention to Max on a good score of 37. We limped to 104, destroyed each other at fines and drank beer. Lessons learnt? Onto next week.