Full Fixture Information

Result Descriptiom

Won by 172 runs

Man of the Match

David Blackburn - 9-4-11-4

Champagne Moment

Josh Haslettâ??s massive six into the alpaca field

Teddy Bear Moment

Stickoâ??s bodyline at the oppo No.11

Full Match Report

April is passing into history, but it felt close yesterday: a green wicket, a chilly wind, and watery sunshine interrupted by scudding clouds. Recent rain has given the ground, and the whole valley, a spring-like burst of life; leaves are yet to turn, grass is restored, and hedgerows and fruit trees are abundant. There was splendour everywhere, and EMCC???s cricket matched the surroundings with a rare and commanding win against Pyestock.

Oli Atkinson, standing in as skipper for Andrew, called wrong at the toss and we were made to bat. Ali Wheeler, playing for the first time since a very fine knock of 70-odd not out at Froxfield, set about the bowling in the company of Rupert Smith. They put on 30 in three overs before Rupert fell, having the misfortune to pick out midwicket. Ali was joined by Rupert Preece, playing for EMCC for the first time in recent years. Misfortune continued to befall Ruperts as he was bowled by a jaffa. 39-2 off five.

The next four overs saw Oli and Ali take a breath and rotate the strike. The calm ended in the tenth over, which Oli took for 22. One felt for the Pyestock bowler because, if Crombie???s Hilux had not been presenting a target for divebombing, parked as it was (briefly) on the village side of the pavilion, I doubt that Oli would have taken quite so many risks. Nonetheless, his stroke play was pure. The tone was set. Eleven overs later, at the drinks break, the score stood at 149-2, with Oli on 76. His fun ended after drinks when he dabbled with a nondescript ball outside off and gave a thin edge to the keeper. During this innings, Oli reached 950 runs for the season ??? a significant feat, especially because, more often than not, we have needed those runs.

Sticko, in at five, hit a solid boundary and was then very well caught by a fielder running backwards and taking the ball over his shoulder. This brought Josh Haslett and Ali Wheeler together, and they put on 50+ runs in a partnership that broke Pyestock???s will. The field went quiet, save for the hearty crack of Josh periodically launching the ball into the alpaca field and a serene Ali Wheeler moving towards a hundred.

The certainty of that landmark ??? and the quiet around the field ??? was broken by a yelp as Ali pulled a hamstring. He was in the nineties. Once the extent of the injury became clear, I (David Blackburn) was sent out as a runner. There then followed an undignified tableau of standing in the wrong place, bovine indecision and weird calls. But, somehow, Ali made his hundred and limped off. Another superb contribution by A. Wheeler.

I said to Josh that, now shorn of Ali and his alarming penchant for shouting ???come, come???, we could run with more purpose. However, to score a run requires one to hit the ball, which has proved challenging for me this year. So it proved again. With winter coming, I must now take myself off to the cricketing equivalent of Siberia for re-education in the basics of batting.

The lower middle order of Tim Lawrence, Aaron Rees and Mooro gave Josh sufficient support to reach a well-deserved fifty, scored at much more than a run a ball. Wayne was padded up but not required. 267-6 at tea.

Tea was sumptuous. (Huge thanks to Becky, both for the delicious cakes and for tidying everything up. Very much appreciated.)

We went into the field confident, if a little bilious. Skipper Oli opened with Josh and Tim to create chances and scoreboard pressure with their parsimonious spin and cutters. Tim, bowling up the hill, struck in the fourth over, trapping the dangerous Ben Armes LBW. 10-1.

Pyestock???s equally dangerous number three, Hinchcliffe, was undone by a tragi-comic run out in which Mooro floated the ball to Josh at the bowler???s end, who had time enough to learn Sanskrit before splitting the stumps. 26-2.

Tim continued to bowl a nagging line and threaten both edges. He bowled out with 8-5-9-1, after which Pyestcok could not win. But could we?

Wayne replaced Tim and removed the stubborn opener, Ford, for 17 to leave Pyestock 54-3 after 18 overs. That wicket meant we had two relatively new batsmen at the crease. I had replaced Josh at the Alpaca End and, after three uneventful overs, had one of those spells when everything clicked. The seam hissed on its way down the pitch. Line and length were, for once, tight. The ball shaped in the air and moved off the pitch ??? just enough to find the top of off stump four times. If I could do that for eternity, well, that would be Heaven. But, after nine overs, the seam hissed less vehemently and the batsman were settled. Oli, rightly, made a change. 9-4-11-4. There???s always next year.

Three wickets to get. 12 overs to go. Wayne (6-2-31-1) was unlucky that some thick edges did not go to hand. Aaron Rees replaced him and delivered a magic ball to bowl the obdurate number six and dispatched a debutant to finish with figures of 5-3-2-2. Oli bowled an over of zippers, toe-crushers, moon balls and mingers. A maiden. But no wicket.

Sticko, meanwhile, had been storming down the hill for 30 minutes like a latter day Larwood. He was unlucky to return 5-2-10-0. An edge split Mooro and Oli. A strong appeal for caught behind was turned down. A return catch went begging. Sticko treated the No.11 as a frontline batsman and bowled straight at her body. It was enthralling viewing, but he was withdrawn from the attack before the Old Bill ??? or, bizarrely, a no ball ??? was called.

With two overs to go, Josh Haslett returned to the Alpaca End. His first ball gripped, turned and spat at the No.11, who could only edge to Tim Lawrence, who ticked off another rung on his bucket list by taking a slip catch. He threw in a good dive and roll, too, for the benefit of any passing Hampshire Chronicle snappers. 96 all out in the 41st over, with Josh Haslett finishing with 6.1-0-28-1.

We braved the cold and, in gathering darkness, set to the serious business of fines. Mooro said that the club needs money, so Sticko was punished for mowing the outfield; Davy Rees was chastised for fielding in place of the injured Ali Wheeler; and Andrew was hit for turning up. As is meet and right, I paid a penalty for cap and jug avoidance, with a top-up fee for the duck.

Happy winters, all. Until next time.