TEAM BITCH BLOWS IT FOR BASTON

By Jon Howard - May 2 2007
TEAM BITCH BLOWS IT FOR BASTON
Team Bitch
Dropped catches cost Baston an opening 21 run defeat on Sunday away to fellow title contenders Caythorpe. At times the Baston fielding would have looked more at home in a circus than on a cricket field.
Caythorpe won the toss and on what looked like a cracking track with a lightening fast outfield there skipper had no hesitation in deciding to bat first. The day began overcast and early doors offered the Baston opening bowlers enough assistance to give them some encouragement.

However 16-year-old opener Morris soon made his intentions clear as he set about any slight error in line or length from the Baston attack of which there was plenty. Caythorpe raced to 33-0 after 4 as Cunningham and Stasiak were treated with complete distain and the home side looked set to make Baston’s afternoon a long and hard fought one.

Something had to change…and fast, where to look…

Where else!! An inspired bowling change from the Baston skipper Dyer bringing himself into the attack in only the fifth over, Dyer not widely regarded as a first change bowler was greeted with murmurs of laughter from the boundary’s edge. Those murmurs were soon quashed as Dyer got one to grip and bounce resulting in a leading edge offering a simple catch, which the skipper duly accepted.

The fall of the wicket brought O’Connor to the crease, a more watchful, patient batsman and so the run rate subsided. Although with Morris at the other end the Baston fielders could ill afford any lapse in concentration….

Baston realised by now to oust Morris could see them run through the young Caythorpe line up…

Any chance must be snaffled…

Dropped – Richardson x 2, G.Cunningham, Barnes.
Missed Stumping – Burton
Evasion due to fear of ball – F.Cunningham x 3
Didn’t see it – Newman
It wasn’t my catch it was his – Dyer/Burton
Day dreaming as ball passed by – Howard
One hand one bounce – Howard

The team bitch being the worst offender, Morris on 77 skied an attempted hook shot...fielders shouted…’its yours bitch’ Cunningham answering to the call positioned himself square under it…he looked confident...barely got a hand on it.

Morris went on to make 134 guiding Caythorpe to a more than healthy total of 237 with the next highest scorer 23. Had any of these chances been taken Baston would have been chasing a very modest total on a good pitch.

Tea was lovely.

Burton and Newman set about the chase in positive mood scoring at between 6 and 7 an over, helped by Caythorpe opening bowler Braithwaite who bowled with pace but no accuracy, the ball racing to the boundary for 4 byes on numerous occasions.

Their departure brought the engine room to the crease, Howard/Cunningham who milked the average Caythrope bowling attack adding 65 for the 3rd wicket, at this stage Baston would have expected to knock off the runs with ease, the run-rate never a problem, wickets in hand and facing a poor bowling attack. But we are Baston…super Baston.

Howard was dismissed box before wicket, the ball nearly ricocheting to the boundary after crashing into the immense structure. Team Bitch top-edged trying to clear RAF Cranwell, new player Sorely went after showing signs of promise, Rico looked good until loss of concentration saw him bowled for 27.

Sisso…what was that…words cannot describe such foolishness.

Felix…In future if we do not require many runs to win and your skipper is well set at the other end and he walks down to tell you to just stay in and not do anything rash, a John Travolta impression dancing half way down the track will not be acceptable and will result in your head being flushed down the toilet…you will have to learn the hard way.

Is was left to skipper Dyer and Spear-chucker Staziak, they offered some resistance and kept the Baston’s dream of chasing down over 200 for the first time in their history alive, until Dyer was superbly caught at short mid-wicket after Dyer had accidentally found the middle of the bat and for all money looked like he had taken Baston one boundary closer to victory.

Last man Barnes strode to the crease with dreams of hitting the winning runs, he started well enough clouting old boy Noble over mid-on for a couple before unfortunately playing on next ball attempting to pull to the mid-wicket fence, leaving Baston all out 21 runs short of victory.

Baston had made a valiant effort in the chase and at stages looked like they could pull off the unlikely victory, however in truth should not have been chasing anywhere near such a total.