GuyFromLancs
State Vice-Captain
Mostly sincere apologies if such a thread exists, but I wanted to recant a match I played in back in 2004 for a works team, on an AstroTurf wicket.
The match was 12 overs per side, and we had only formed our team at the beginning of the season, from enthusiastic, but mostly talentless, chancers.
Earlier in the season, this opposition (our local hospital’s second XI) has spanked us something in the region of 138-4 to 35 all out. However, in the first contest a good proportion of their runs came by virtue of us literally not knowing how to ball straight and giving away about 50 extras. Also, in the first match, they had a cardiac surgeon playing for them that rumour (and ability) had it, was a first class and possibly even ODI player back in Pakistan in his younger days. The ridiculous ease he brushed 40 runs and then took about 3/6 with his offspin testified to that. But he was gone now, moved to another site – so revenge was on the cards.
We started badly, losing our openers inside 3 overs for about 10 runs. And then our only “real” player was out at the half-way mark after smashing about 30 runs off 12 balls. The rest of us dug in. I scored a run an ball 8 before being bowled clean trying one of those S.Waugh type sweep shots - among other such scores - and in true Agar-like fashion, our 10 or jack (can’t remember which) slugged 20-odd off the last over and a half.
We posted 92 overall, which was our biggest score of the season by about 30 runs –against the league’s best team too. Nothing short of a heroic effort in the circumstances. They actually looked worried.
Their opening batsmen were clearly “real” cricketers. Kitted out to the max, and played textbook standard shots all over the place. I bowled quicker then than I do now, but not quick enough to drop short on a hollow Astro-turf wicket, and when I did their lad hit me into the river about half a mile down the road. About half way (6 overs in) they were 60-ish for 0. But both of them lost their wickets in the next over. We had one lad for us who was quick as hell, but suffered glass back. But we threw him on with the threat of a beating, and he trapped both of them LB within 3 or 4 deliveries. We bowled the remaining 7 for about 26 and won the match by 4 runs with a full over left. I took two wickets, one were the lad tried to come down the pitch to hit straight and I knocked over his off, and the other I released quite blindly only to look up and see it knock over his leg stump as he moved across the stumps (pure luck but who cares).
I’ll always remember that game, for the simple fact that if any one of us had given a fraction less, we would have lost. It was our Rocky moment!
The match was 12 overs per side, and we had only formed our team at the beginning of the season, from enthusiastic, but mostly talentless, chancers.
Earlier in the season, this opposition (our local hospital’s second XI) has spanked us something in the region of 138-4 to 35 all out. However, in the first contest a good proportion of their runs came by virtue of us literally not knowing how to ball straight and giving away about 50 extras. Also, in the first match, they had a cardiac surgeon playing for them that rumour (and ability) had it, was a first class and possibly even ODI player back in Pakistan in his younger days. The ridiculous ease he brushed 40 runs and then took about 3/6 with his offspin testified to that. But he was gone now, moved to another site – so revenge was on the cards.
We started badly, losing our openers inside 3 overs for about 10 runs. And then our only “real” player was out at the half-way mark after smashing about 30 runs off 12 balls. The rest of us dug in. I scored a run an ball 8 before being bowled clean trying one of those S.Waugh type sweep shots - among other such scores - and in true Agar-like fashion, our 10 or jack (can’t remember which) slugged 20-odd off the last over and a half.
We posted 92 overall, which was our biggest score of the season by about 30 runs –against the league’s best team too. Nothing short of a heroic effort in the circumstances. They actually looked worried.
Their opening batsmen were clearly “real” cricketers. Kitted out to the max, and played textbook standard shots all over the place. I bowled quicker then than I do now, but not quick enough to drop short on a hollow Astro-turf wicket, and when I did their lad hit me into the river about half a mile down the road. About half way (6 overs in) they were 60-ish for 0. But both of them lost their wickets in the next over. We had one lad for us who was quick as hell, but suffered glass back. But we threw him on with the threat of a beating, and he trapped both of them LB within 3 or 4 deliveries. We bowled the remaining 7 for about 26 and won the match by 4 runs with a full over left. I took two wickets, one were the lad tried to come down the pitch to hit straight and I knocked over his off, and the other I released quite blindly only to look up and see it knock over his leg stump as he moved across the stumps (pure luck but who cares).
I’ll always remember that game, for the simple fact that if any one of us had given a fraction less, we would have lost. It was our Rocky moment!
