2006 Season - Calverton - 2006/05/28
Jez recalls (with the help of Patrick Eagar aka Dave Spencer):
Funny how the Calverton fixture tends to coincide with unavailability en masse from our bowlers. Andy Gaunt was a noticeable absentee this year, which will surprise few of us who witnessed last year's opening over shocker. Good to see Rich Brown start with a maiden this time around.
Despite the recent weather, Calverton's ground was in pretty decent nick - dampish but not soggy - although we had to make do with the artificial wicket, which led to many "trainers on / trainers off" breaks in play as the bowling attack rotated regularly.
Their boys had 50 on the board in the 11th over and moved along nicely to 100 in the 20th, with Benno keeping things relatively quiet at one end. We didn't help the situation with our fielding which, at best, could be described as "early season". The display of abject catching confirmed in the minds of the watching public that the Dorchester winter break is treated more as a rest from the previous season, rather than as preparation for the coming one.
Mind you, it was good to see that we had some interest from various foreign parts over the winter - word of Dorchester's high standing in the game had obviously reached a few young hopefuls keen to make their mark on the English club scene.
Most noticeable of these enquiries came from a pair of Sri Lankan conjoined twins, both brothers, who (according to their email) could bowl faster than Glenn McGrath and spin it more than Shane Warne. A pace bowler who can turn it square while simultaneously bowling right arm over and left arm round is a good addition to any team. However, the benefit of this double-barreled bowling attack couldn't hide the fact that the circus twins would be a nailed on certainty for LBW when batting. And we all know that Dorchester is essentially a batting side. With this in mind, their kind offer of summer employment was declined.
No matter, as one of our other enquirers - Paul Atkins from Gedling - made his club debut. And what a fine start too, claiming the day's "Monty Panesar Moment" (despite the stiff competition from the rest of us) with an hilarious display of knees-bent running about while loitering beneath a steepling catch from Calverton's no. 4. Sadly, by the time the ball landed, Paul was about 20-yards away.
For the record, their batter went to 50 in about 10-minutes, a knock which included 6 sixes. Crossy's bowling figures suffered most and I'm sure that two overs, nought for thirty is a statistic he's hoping won't make the match report. Tough. Terry was particularly disappointed when Crossy came off - "Another over of that," he told me afterwards, "and I'd have had Beetle!".
Good to see James Lees finally get a wicket, after about 12-months of trying, but it did little to stop the Calverton onslaught, which amassed 269 - 4 in their 40-overs.
The Dorchester reply needed a solid start and 6 for 1 in the third over wasn't it. To be fair, Paul (Taylor) was unlucky as a legside delivery richoted off his pads and into off stump. Flight and Cross moved things on well enough and with 71 on the board after 12-overs, we weren't that far behind the required rate.
However, wickets fell a little too regularly and it became increasingly obvious that "Ian Cross - the sequel" would be needed if we were to get close. He got to 82, with 4 sixes and 8 fours, before being adjudged stumped and our innings eventually closed on 209, with Smudger 29 not out. His 10th wicket partnership of 29 with Brad Taylor deserves particular mention and there was talkin the bar afterwards that this might be a new club record. It subsequently turned out that the highest 10th wicket stand is 41 (part owned by Terry) in 1976.
All in all, a fair performance for the first match of the season and we look forward to the next match at Belper, eager to put on an improved display in the field.
Action Pics:
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Paul gets Dorchester's reply off to a steady, if brief, start
That's good technique, is that
Brad shows us how it should be done |
Crossy plays the only way he knows how
One of Benno's more conservative shots
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