Full Fixture Information

Result Descriptiom

Lost by 78 runs

Man of the Match

Lakh Jemmett - resolute batting for 23 overs

Champagne Moment

Martin Cooke - smart catch at fine leg

Teddy Bear Moment

Aaron Rees - denying Josh a hat-trick

Full Match Report

Funny old game cricket. As we headed off to West Sussex I realised that we were a bit thin on bowling but could boast a batting line up that felt pretty resolute and could withstand whatever the world threw at it.

I even wondered about batting second given my suspicion that we might struggle to take 10 wickets. However, for the first time this season (at the 7th time of asking) EMCC lost the toss and, perhaps unsurprisingly, were invited to have a bowl.

To remind us of our village roots and gentle Sunday nature of the match, it was only after three balls that the opening batsman realised he?d forgotten his pads and had to scamper off the pitch to pad up. If he?d been on our side he?d have won a gold-plated teddy bear for that ? although it was slightly odd that none of us in the field noticed anything amiss either.

Aaron Rees opened up for us (6-1-27-0), with some accurate but not especially penetrating bowling and then James Atkinson opened from the other end. Not sure how often he?s opened for the village, but it will come as no surprise that he bowled very well and threateningly on a bouncy turning pitch. Josh was soon stuck in at short leg and it wasn?t long before he bowled their opener ? 16-1.

He bowled number their number three in the 10th over 32-2 and ended up with the excellent figures of 8-3-22-2.

Lakh meanwhile had replaced Aaron and whilst his first over (14) might have been a bit of a loosener, the more he bowled the better he bowled and was unlucky to finish wicketless (7-0-40-0). Meanwhile, having scratched my head wondering where I was going to find some bowling, I managed to persuade Chris Hollis to have a go.

It was great having Chris Hollis back on the pitch, it?d been just over a year since a nasty beamer had shattered his thumb at Lynchmere, and rehabilitation and been a while ? but here he was, a slightly reluctant bowler about to make his first contribution on the pitch.

His first ball was a nice juicy full toss that was hit back over his head 20 yards into the horse?s field. Eeek. But it didn?t take long before his rhythm and radar was found and in his third over he struck twice ? first their number four was surprised by a shorter ball that he could only mistime back to the bowler having made 45 and then their opener spooned one out into the covers, where Josh completed a great diving catch and suddenly 84-2 became 85-4 with two new batsman at the crease.

Chris?s spell, in the searing heat, 9-0-34-3 included having their number 6 smartly caught at fine leg by M Cooke.

Josh (6-0-16-2) bowled very well and in his fifth over struck first ball bowling their number 7 for 15 with a ball that stuck in the hand, kept very low and was perhaps only inches away from bouncing twice, and then next ball Chris Moor completed an excellent stumping to put Josh on a hat-trick.

In came the field, out came the left-handed number nine, in went the slips, in went the short fine-leg (more of a leg-gully) in came Josh, out came the ball, short, slow, looping, back went the batsman to pull it around the corner, as slow as you like towards the excellently positioned Aaron, who with a wonderful butterfly dive sent his body soaring over the ball, it was cricket at its slowest.

Unlucky Josh! The hat-trick will have to wait.

I had come on at the other end to replace the wilting Chris Hollis and managed to take a wicket with the last ball of my first over as the lefty edged behind and was smartly taken by Chris Moor, before picking up a wicket with the first ball of the next over and finding myself on a hat-trick. Number 11 blocked his first ball before being bowled second ball and we?d wrapped up the innings before tea with them all out for 146 and I finished with figures of 1.3-0-5-3.

So from being worried about how we?d take 10 wickets we?d bowled them out with six wickets coming from me and Chris, neither of whom I?d expected to bowl.

Tea was a very excellent affair, very good sandwiches and cakes sat in the sunshine.

Chasing a modest (or so we thought total) meant at the half-way point we were all feeling rather well set. Not exactly complacent, but I don?t think any of us expected what was about to happen.

The Cook(e) brothers opened up for us. The Westbourne bowlers were all a bit quicker than we?d been, and managed to extract a lot more from the pitch, one ball whistling past Ian?s head and in the 4th over, Martin Cooke played on for a duck.

George Barnes came in at number three, fresh from a 100 against Clanfield at the start of the season, and having banished the memory of his club debut at this ground two years ago where a first ball duck had been his downfall, we?d have settled for something in between. Unhappily for him (and us) he was bowled by a beaut and departed for 1 in the 5th over. Rupert Smith came in and was soon bowled for a duck, Chris Hollis came in and was caught fishing by a ball that bounced a bit more than expected and it was 8-4, which soon became 13-5 later in the over as Ian Cook was bowled by a good full slower ball, Josh didn?t stick around deciding attack was the best form of defence and snicking one through to the keeper 21-6 in the 10th.

James hit one huge six before being bowled by another good slow straight full ball and EMCC were 34-7 in the 12th.

There might still have been more than 20 overs to go and only 110 to win, but after one life when Chris Moor was dropped at mid-off having a great razzoo something flicked and for the next twenty overs, Lakh and Chris blocked and defended everything that was thrown at them. Suddenly if felt like a draw might be on the cards. The overs ticked down, the openers came back on and with four overs to go Lakh get a great ball and edged behind for 27 ? the runs not nearly as important as the time ? and it?s been a while since Lakh has been at the crease for 22 overs (it obviously helped him that very little running was done).

I joined Chris at the crease, blocked out the 32nd over, Chris blocked out the 33rd over, I blocked out the 34th over and suddenly we were 74-8 going into the last over.

Dot ? Dot ? Dot ? WICKET ? Chris nicked behind off another excellent ball ? like Lakh ? he?d batted brilliantly 21 overs of defence. In came Aaron ? he?s not generally picked for his batting and with two balls to face could he do it?
In came Deano, Aaron missed, the ball missed the stumps by a whisker and there was only one ball to go. In came Deano, forwards went Aaron, he met the ball with the full face of the bat and back it went to Deano, tumbling forwards in his run up and off the last ball of the match, EMCC were all out for 78.

There aren?t many plus points to yesterday. 6 runs from the top 5 is definitely a fail.

But Lakh and Chris showed us how you defend, how you protect your wicket and neither deserved to be on the losing side. But there you go, EMCC?s unbeaten start to the season shuddered to a halt in our 7th game.

There was just time for a quick fines before some of us decamped to Lakh?s house (castle) for a quick swim and burger and sat in the warmth of the evening light realising that winning isn?t everything.