A mega hot June week ended with a forecasted rainy Saturday. Baston had assembled a quality team of 11 players to travel to league leaders Moulton Harrox 2nds, trying to complete a league double after their opening day heroics.
Unfortunately, the end of the week saw a couple of withdrawals, and with the game expected to be called off, no-one stepped forward to replace them. This meant Baston travelled with just 9 players, including 2 debutants: Stanley, a loan from Bourne, and Martyn a former Bourne 1st team player. There was another new addition as Roffy was wearing a pair of comedy glasses, because his mum had told him they made him look intelligent.
Roffy and his new comedy specs
Moulton had seen some rain in the morning but was dry when the boys arrived. The wicket looked used, green and not very Moulton-esque. With Moulton fighting for the title, they would want to bowl first with the forecasted afternoon weather likely to see an abandonment. Ben negotiated that no toss was required as Baston were keen to bat. Only after the agreement for Baston to bat first, did Ben tell his opposite number that they only had 9. A clever ploy to avoid chasing 300+
Ant tucked his bus pass into his bag and joined the skipper in the middle. This was very unlike the opening partnership of carnage last week where Baston had reached 50 in the 8th over. After 8 watchful overs here, they were 16-0.
Ben had worked hard to get himself in, left at least one ball and started looking to score. He got an inviting legside half volley to put away. The flamboyant back leg kicked up, there was a quarter pirouette and flick at the ball, which would have resulted in a boundary for any competent batsman. This was a case of right shot, wrong player, and Ben (8) had to walk off as the ball deflected off his pads and into the stumps.
Martyn, the only living person who remembers what John Lamin looked like without a beard, was in next and played a couple of glorious shots early in his innings. Ant motored along to 16 before holing out to mid-on in a very un-Ant way. Meanwhile in the scorebox, Lamin was really struggling. Not only had he not brought his reading glasses, but he was also missing countless runs and umpire signals. He was put out of his misery at drinks and asked to join his captain for a spot of umpiring.
Martyn thinks he's seen a ghost
With 2 debutants at the crease, and Ben getting more desperate by the week for new players, he didn’t do himself any favours in his umpiring stint. Big LBW candidate Martyn (16) was distraught at being given out to a ball that hit him on top of the foot in front of middle. His argument that he’d got a stride in fell on deaf ears, as Ben reluctantly raised his finger, with the former Bourne 1st teamer livid as he stormed off. Eager to impress Stanley (4) flittered outside of his crease one too many times just a few balls later and was given out stumped to leave Baston 50/4.
As Dave joined Al in the middle, the players came off due to a shower, and hopes of an abandonment were lifted. While the boys huddled in the changing room, Alex was busy berating the local press for trying to take his photo. After 45 minutes the rain subsided, and the game restarted.
Dave (11) hit a couple of lovely fours through the covers but couldn’t keep out a yorker. Alex (7) groped at one outside off and was picked up nicely in the gulley by a diving groundsman. Already irate after his clash with the paparazzi, Alex was feeling dangerous. While the nice and friendly Moulton boys gathered to celebrate the wicket, Alex took offence to absolutely nothing, and turned around with a big “You what mate?”. No one had any idea what was said to upset him, and he continued his trudge off the pitch with Baston 68/6.
Eden hiding from the paparazzi
Roffy and Buzz got together and started to build a little partnership. Roffe, keen to get off the mark pushed one straight to mid-wicket, hesitated and then called Buzz through for a crazy single despite the fielder having the ball in his hand. Buzz would have been run out by half a pitch, had the keeper not dropped the ball as he tried to throw the stumps down. Ant, now umpiring at square leg, saw nothing wrong with it and had to be overruled by overzealous umpire Ben and Buzz got a reprieve.
Buzz really made it count, as he dragged a wide full toss onto the base of his off stump a few balls later. Normally the angriest man on the field before any bad luck, the Moulton player who gave him a sympathetic pat on the back must have had a death wish, as Buzz (7) booted a bail halfway down the pitch and stormed off.
John Lamin somehow found his way to the middle, via a nearby hedge, batting at number 9; his highest position in a Baston batting line-up for several years, though he was still the last man in. Lamin (6*) and Roffy (15) batted sensibly to push Baston to 100 runs and a batting point, before Roffy unleashed a monster assault on a short ball, skied it and was caught in the ring at mid-wicket.
Roffy in the middle
Defending 100 was always going to be tough, with limited bowling options and only 9 fielders, there were gaps everywhere.
Buzz was tidy early on, despite continuing his run of bowling no-balls. He should have had a wicket with both Dave and Martyn dropping chances off young opener Suwarneraj in the cordon. Moulton keeper/skipper Ramsden found the massive gaps in the field with ease, striking to the boundary regularly to put any chance of a Baston miracle firmly in the bin.
Buzz: More no-balls than wickets
With literally no other option, Roffe shared the new ball and took a wicket in the 8th over, Suwarneraj (6) finding the safe hands of celebrity Eden at cover. Moulton were 32-1.
After bowling his most economic over, Roffe (5 overs, 1-28) was pulled out of the attack for newcomer Stanley to have a bash from the far end. Like every other aspect of his game, Stanley’s bowling was wild. A mix of sharp seam, full tosses, and the odd beamer in the mix.
Baston took their second wicket from Stanley’s bowling. A legside ball was half stopped by Dave behind the stumps. Ramsden (40) was called through for an unwanted single, and Dave did brilliantly to throw to the non-strikers end where Stan the man took the bails off for 63-2.
Wicketless Buzz (0-19 off 7) came out of the attack, mainly because he was bowling too tidily and slowing the chase down. Ben came on and helped accelerate the innings, but also had a nick behind go down, before taking a wicket. A straight ball finding the leading edge of S. Juckes (18) and Roffy taking the catch at square leg. 82-3.
Grumpy groundsman Hibbert (8*) and J. Juckes (15*) saw Moulton home to a big win and maximum points, while Baston took just the 2 points. Things would have been different but for some late drop outs, and it’s always going to be difficult playing with 9.
Ben & Roffe, wicket takers
Scorecard - https://baston.play-cricket.com/website/results/5175450