2006 Season - Mountsorrel Castle - 2006/07/16
Paul writes:
Another beautiful day, another new fixture, another mammoth batting display!
The Mountsorrel Castle captain left me shocked, stunned and very grateful, when tails failed and asked me to have a bat. His team mates were less than impressed in 30+ degrees heat!
Nick & Jez rattled up 90 in fifteen overs, when Nick was stumped, quite amusingly trying to find the popping crease with his back foot fumbling like a blind mans white stick. Much merriment on the sidelines as he trudged off.
This lead to Nick�s Elvaston opening partner Matt taking the stage in his debut match and after a few lusty drives he departed with 25, then Ian with 11 and me with 3.
Enter Smudge at 191-4 in the 27th over. Meantime Jez was compiling runs and getting more and more dismissive with ebowling and the ball was now striking the middle every time.
In the 13 overs that followed an unbroken 5th wicket partnership of 128 was blazed, with Smudge nipping in with a pleasant 18 not out. So you don�t have to be a genius to work out that Jez belted it, bashed it, cracked it and smashed it to all parts. His terrific batting year continued with 27 fours and 7 sixes. He finished on 179 not out and went into the DCC record books with the third highest innings behind mssrs Bamber & Blake.
Needless to say it was a great knock, in blistering heat. He was therefore forgiven by Mr Cross and myself at tea time for having the dirtiest cricket socks this side of Bangladesh on display, as we munched our sandwiches. It was a light tea as we were on for a BBQ later. Benno turned up hobbling and got abuse for not webbing his Leicester Teachers match report after a shocking 2 week duration.
Chasing 319 in 40 overs, I felt at 25-1 in the tenth we were safe!
Lovely to see Andy drop back into a bit of form as he completed 8-1-21-1. Rich extracted a bit of life and pulled in 7-2-14-1. Mick & Smudge got a bit of tap, but mixed in there were 6 very tidy overs from young Mr Spencer, relishing his early retirement and acquiring a new nickname in �Spinno� cos he did turn it and picked up a couple of wickets. Plus he gentlemanly let a batter stay when he completed a hoopla & dive c& b, which most thought he�d bagged but reasonablye doubt won the day. Maybe in a tighter match a different outcome eh?
Our catching was ordinary, Mr Cross behind the stumps off Mick, then in the deep off Spinno and me with a running backwards over the shoulder skier which clipped my finger. And then Spinno at cow corner, right at the end off Bradley, who in his 4th over was looking for his 2nd wicket. His first was the prize scalp of their one batter who was picked behind the stumps by Matt (swapped with Crossy) for 60 odd. I thought 4-0-19-1 in the last 4 over from one end, when they were having a punt, was a good effort.
Closing at 193, leaving us with a 126 run margin of victory and a particularly sweaty dressing room. But the Carling was extra cold and the BBQ acceptable, but could have been better with a bit more internal cooking rather than just the outside of most things. No reports of Monday or Tuesday off from anyone so no harm done.
So Jez steams on and there�ll have to be some pretty big knocks from other batters (or lots more not outs from Jonny) to deny him his first DCC batting award. Currently averaging 144 as we get ready for Breadsall and the half way point in the season.
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Nick shows exemplary textbook technique, just like a professional player really, before getting out to a comedy village stumping. |
Jez prepares for another wild swipe into the legside |
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The capacity crowd is packed in around the boundary. |
The Vicar passes on a few pearls of wisdom to some of the younger players. |
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Jez trudges off, knackered. |
Smudger trudges off, smirking.Not out again. |
