Haven't played in one (mainly because I'm so inept that any team fielding me is likely to get murdered), but I scored in two in the space of a week last summer. We had quite a spate of ties in Lincolnshire in June/July
Skegness I v Cleethorpes II - Both teams 138ao
(a week after Skegness tied with Alkborough)
Then Caistor U13 v Grimoldby U13...
(Match report regurgitated off Caistor Town CC Play-Cricket)
A miserable morning over the Brigg Road Ground did not bode well for a good game of cricket in the U13 League bottom-of-the-table clash between Caistor Town 'B' and Grimoldby. Caistor 'B' were also missing opener Matt Broughton and wicketkeeper-batsman John Codd. These gaps led to Jamie Patterson opening the innings and Peter Jacob donning the gloves. As the first shower of the match started to fall, visiting captain Gareth Spooner won the toss and elected to field.
Jamie Patterson's début as opener didn't go to plan. On just the second ball, Spooner bowled him and got Grimoldby off to an exceptional start. Ross Barr came in at three to partner Gregson and determinedly avoided another Caistor Town Collapse™. Both played themselves in and then started to increase the run rate, before Gregson skied an attempted pull back to first change bowler Walmsley. Sam Kinnaird lasted two balls, alike Patterson, bowled second ball. 30-3. In-form Andrew Pickup came in at five, and played a good supporting role to Barr as well as punishing the bad balls when they came. Barr was bowled by W.Baker for 24, off a controversial delivery which looked like it well have been a no-ball due to height. In the end it was half-signalled by the square leg umpire, and despite the confusion that followed, Barr was back in the pavilion. Ben Fenton then provided another two-ball duck, once again bowled. 58-5. Déjà vu, anyone? Will Holroyd then partnered Andrew Pickup and played a good supporting role to Pickup, who batted maturely to hold on to the strike and keep the run-rate moving. By the time Holroyd was bowled by Thompson, Caistor were looking good at 74-6. Holroyd's supporting role was such that in 15 minutes at the wicket, he faced just four balls. Peter Jacob then came in to partner Pickup, but it wasn't long before Pickup retired, bringing up 27* with 10 off four balls. Liam Overson faced the final two balls, crashing six off them to leave Caistor 93-6 with Jacob 1*. It was a good total, but could the bowlers keep Grimoldby's top order down to record their first win of the season?
Ashley Thompson opened for Grimoldby and quickly got after the Caistor 'B' bowlers, taking seven off Luke Dunlop's first over. Dunlop fought back to bowl Walmsley for 3 but new batsmen W.Baker played in the same vein as Thompson and Grimoldby raced to 44-1 after 7.1 overs, Dunlop (1-25) and Pickup (0-22) bearing the brunt of the assault. Here, there was a five minute break for rain, as the covers were wheeled to the middle only to go straight back off again as the rain stopped the instant they got there. This delay seemed to take the wind out of Grimoldby's sails and revitalise Caistor. Only two more came off the eighth over and then first change bowler Liam Overson bowled Baker on 15. Ian Marris was then hit for six runs off his first four balls, Thompson reaching 27* off 31 balls and retiring, before Marris hit a rhythm. Garlick skied one to Overson at cover and suddenly Grimoldby were down to numbers five and six. And not for much longer either... Jamie Patterson took a good catch off Spooner, running in at mid wicket to give Marris his second. Roocroft and Jones were the fifth wicket stand, and guided Grimoldby to 75-4 with five overs left - just 19 required. It looked like Grimoldby would coast home. However, Ian Marris had other ideas. Two wickets in one over, Roocroft caught and bowled, a good catch low down moving forwards, and then Hetherington bowled to end with sensational figures of 4-11, and Overson ended with 1-17. Eighteen needed off four. Scott Gregson's first over didn't fit the bill, eight off it. Despite Ross Barr bowling Watkinson on the first ball of the eighteenth, five more came and Grimoldby needed four off two overs. Caistor never stopped believing and Gregson only went for two off his next over to finish with 0-10. Two needed off one - surely they would make this. Not if Ross Barr had anything to do with it. Dot, Dot, Dot. Two off Three. Then a single. Scores Tied. Two balls left. Another dot. How much more tension could you want? As Barr bowled, non-striker Jones charged down the pitch for the single. Gibson missed it and remained rigid in his crease, and young keeper Peter Jacob kept his head and tossed the ball back to Jamie Patterson who knocked off the bails leaving Gibson, far too slow to react, out of his ground and Grimoldby stranded on 93-8, scores tied. Caistor may have won on fewer wickets lost, subject to confirmation, but even if it goes down as a tie in the books, the side are definitely the moral victors with a fantastic end to a classic match.
Relentless optimism has its advantages. At long last Caistor pulled off a result, and in the most dramatic of circumstances. As for the man of the match awards, what is comfortably the team's best bowling performance of the season from Ian Marris takes first, followed by Andrew Pickup's crucial 27* in second, and Ross Barr's 24 and tight final over takes third. The rain at 44-1 played a significant part, too...
Just Holton-le-Clay at Home, AS Grimsby Town at Augusta Street and the 'A'v'B' return match to come. It's time to build on this performance...
Then a week after, Caistor's Midweek XI also tied.
.It used to be 15 over matches. In both the matches the opposition scored somewhere near 80. Also the score was around 50 when i came in to bat in both the matches. I brought it close from impossible positions or should i say possible but nobody expected me to do it and the main batsman were all out. I was the last batsman out in both the games and in both the games they were full tosses on my leg stump and both the times i sent it back to the bowler while flicking it. I made 17 and 19 in those matches
