Yesterday a much-changed, but talented and passionate, MCMCC 3rd XI hosted our friends at Whittington Wanderers in a match at Cromford Meadows that proved, as matches between these teams often are, to be a gripping encounter. Pete Kidd was posted to the front line to report on this one.
The moist end to the working week had given way to some early summer sunshine and a pre-match inspection showed the wicket to be firm and bouncy. There was also some dusty soil atop it that had the texture, but not the flavour, of uncooked Cocoa Powder. To aid in preparation of the wicket, Tom Oxley had rolled the wicket by hand multiple times that morning in a manner that left MCMCC members wondering if there is anything he cannot do.
The toss was lost but face was saved as skipper Tony Cadman proclaimed he would have put the Wanderers into bat in any event. Their team had been somewhat erratic of late, one week they had scored 150-odd but in another week they had, much like a Fiat Panda driver on the motorway, barely topped forty.
Usual skipper Matt P was in Italy taking a well-deserved rest from his sterling work growing and developing the 3rd XI over the past few years and was not, as some local press had reported, skipping the game to see his favourite Dire Straits tribute band.
Opening for the Wanderers were consistently excellent wicket-keeper batsman and genuine gentleman Bill Smith together with Simon Pratt. Simon offered us all wise perspective on the match by pointing out we play for love not money and so should enjoy the game. Amen to that.
So it began, with the impressive and aggressive Jacob Harris opening from the pavilion end. He had pace and bounce and Bill’s focussed approach to applying his technique was needed in full force to see him through the early overs. Jacob’s development this season has showed tons of promise and the possibility he’ll become a genuine fast bowler as he possesses the right amount of aggression and control.
At the football ground end, Craig Wallis used the sheen on his bald pate to distract the batters as he swung it in gently in an accurate manner that has helped him become a genuine all-rounder and real-life MCMCC talent. His assured steadiness was certainly an inspiration to his captain and the team as a whole as he strives to be as much of an action-hero as his brother from another mother Jason Statham is in the movies.
The difference, perhaps, between this week and last week’s challenging draw against Codnor, was even during spells where the batters dominated; MCMCC members remained motivated to encourage each other. This level of motivation saw an increased brilliance in the field although not always more catches being held. The exceptions to this were Tony diving low with his fingertips outstretched at short mid-wicket to take a capital catch at full stretch to get rid of Bill Smith off Jacob Harris while Tom Oxley held a screamer close in to eliminate the “Mighty” Bhusan off Wallis. Suddenly the Wanderers were 6-2 and interesting times were ahead.
However seasoned pro Mick Pashley, who had the footwork of a clog dancer, arrived at the wicket and in tandem with Simon they calmly rebuilt the innings. Mick showed his fondness for the sweep and backfoot drives while Simon pulled to square leg and drove quite straight as he eased his way into the innings.
The bowlers and fielders however remained excellent with Emma Self, coming on first change, bowling tight with three maidens and a good shout for lbw that was worth closer scrutiny. Emma moved the ball through the air and little and bowled one adventurous delivery that flew out the back of her hand to cause challenges to the batters. Emma’s fielding too has improved as she continues to add value to all teams she plays in.
Rafe Lomas then came on for Craig and while he took no wickets, Rafe’s length and variation was well ahead of his showing against Codnor last week and one got the vibe that he could take a wicket at any given moment. Rafe definitely should take confidence from his performance and realise that at his best he can dismiss any batter.
A welcome return to bowling, after Emma’s strong spell had finished, was Simon Edwards. Simon’s ability to flight the ball into the stratosphere could, perhaps, be due to his membership of the Royal Meteorological Society. The breeze was blowing and Simon used the wind to good effect as it accentuated his flight and turn to leave the batters guessing and he obtained some rightful congratulations on his efforts from batter Pratt. Simon’s efforts were certainly a joy to watch.
Replacing Rafe at the football ground end was Tom Oxley, who was not bowling with his keeping gloves on or paying or offering any other kind of beneficial incentive to the skipper to allow him to bowl. Tom had a good go and created a few chances that on another day could have created wickets. Indeed, Tom showed that his value to the team is more than just being a wicketkeeper and batting low down the order. He was again backed up by good fielding and Tony’s fielding was so good he earned from Pratt the sobriquet “Tiger Tony”. It was well earned as Tony’s fielding was “grrreat”.
Tony’s captaincy was excellent as he was able to, as should every captain leading a team at this level, give everyone a chance. Nobody was hidden in the field, everyone batted and many bowled so nobody was left out and this contributed to game of cricket all teammates could be happy they had invested their Saturday in.
Adventurous flight then was swapped for more adventurous flight as Pete Kidd replaced Simon at the pavilion end. PK’s form has improved of late with the ball and he kept it tight, even when the batters started to go after him. He broke the Pashley-Pratt Partnership of 93 by bowling Pashley with one that had more spin on it than a Party Political Broadcast. In a post-game interview, PK’s motivation to perform was made clearer as it was discovered he was in Beanie’s fantasy cricket team and been warned a failure to perform might result in Beanie coming to his house and stamping on his train set.
Ralph Chapman finished things off at the end of the innings by bowling his left-arm pace with accuracy and he was not fazed by the batters chasing after him. He was unlucky too as the batters slogged high and difficult chances that would have on another day been caught. However, like Jacob, Ralph has come from seemingly nowhere to become and important MCMCC player.
MCMCC would not have performed so well in the field too without a strong showing from new wicketkeeper Jo Wayne. Jo had a number of different styles of bowling to keep to and she made very few mistakes while keeping her concentration levels high despite some hot conditions in the match. Jo also made an early move for the award of best dressed MCMCC player 2024 with her leopard -skin baseball cap that twinkled in the sunshine.
Whittington Wanderers closed their innings on 128-3 off forty overs and, considering the pitch and the bowling, that was a competitive but reachable total.
Rumours that the league umpire due to stand at this game had very sadly, accidently, brutally cut his head off while combing his hair on the morning of the match proved to be unfounded. However it left MCMCC with the tough job of umpiring their own players, always a challenge particularly when called upon to adjudicate on lbw decisions bearing in mind the lbw law is not always understood even by many professional umpires. That said while the five lbws given were in some cases arguable either way, the reality is all batters must learn to get forward properly and get bat on ball to avoid risking an lbw decision in the first place. The bottom line is if you hit the ball correctly, the problem is eliminated together with an unenviable decision for a teammate.
Dave Hill and Tony opened the innings for MCMCC and it was slow going as they struggled to find anything near top gear. Dave was one of the lbw victims as he fell to Bryan Hodgson who, with his bright blue headband, looked a bit like Mark Knopfler on a budget. However Dave can take comfort from his excellent fielding and proactive leading of the pre-match stretch session while understanding that his topless wanderings round the boundary are not likely to mean Hulk Hogan need give up his day-job.
Craig was next up and while he did not always play his usual aggressive game early on, he showed patience and fortitude to bat for a very long time and his round 50 before he was fifth out contributed hugely to the draw.
Tony meanwhile hit a lot off the middle and hit hard and straight for some boundaries and with time it is likely his technique will reap him more runs at a quicker rate than the 22 off 82 balls he had managed in this outing.
Of the other batters, most melted like a warm Easter Egg as they seemed intimidated by the close field that was backed up by very accurate slow bowling from Messrs, Barfoot, Winter and Pashley. The advice to play the ball not the person was something all should have followed. The exception to these were Ralph Chapman, who showed courage beyond his years to take on metronomic craftsman Barfoot, and Simon Edwards who hit bravely. The team however owed special thanks to numbers 10 and 11 Emma and Jo as they both valiantly stood in front of their wickets to ensure a draw was achieved as the innings closed on 96-9.
There were heroes on both sides. Pratt and Pashley for Wanderers with the bat and Pashley, Barfoot, Hill Hodgson and Winter with the ball from them. For MCMCC all the bowlers were heroes, as were Jo, Craig and Tony but everyone can feel they offered something positive to the match. Thanks too go to Cathy and Charlotte for scoring and making some exotic mid-innings drinks.
Most MCMCC players stayed to relax after the game as they celebrated Rafe’s birthday with friends and teammates in the club house as the early summer sun glowed across the pitch from the nearby canal.
Just chillin’- ten of the team from the match relax in the shade post game.
Causeway Chats 