MCCC Saturday 1st VS Crossbats (14-04-2007)
Won by 140 runs

With first day butterflies the MCCC Saturday team descended into the sleepy hollow of St Margarets to play their season warm up. We were happy to have new signing Jim “How is my hair” Paine and Jason “Bats like Kallis” Howarth. As this was a warm up we were fortunate to have the talents of the returning Andy “Im a Kiwi” Allen and Andrew “Cant take my tea” Jarrett from the league team. The ground was in excellent nick and the astro turf had been well groomed. Azam Malik and Mark B strode to wicket and got stuck into the opposition’s dollies and very short bowling which we hoped to return at a later stage (but they didn’t hang around long enough to attempt this). This kind of bowling will really be appreciated by the early season opposition on those sticky May wickets. Things looked good as we were 25/0 after the 3rd over and Mr Malik (trying to make up for Pakistan’s poor performance in the world cup) laid into the opening bowlers. We got off to a grand start and the first wicket fell at 61. However, the oppo didn’t realise the pandoras box they had just opened, as Jason “I can bat a bit” Howarth strode to the crease. Looking shaky in the first few overs, he got the engines running and then amassed 79 runs in not as many balls. At around the same time Azza got his first 50 of the season and then was promptly dismissed by another short delivery. However MCCC cannot take all the credit for the total we reached as Crossbats employed tactics that exceeded standard generosity (this unfortunately did not extend to an invitation to the pub!!!). They dropped 11+ catches and one would almost think that they had dealings with the Indian bookies to sponsor the classy shirts with names on their back. Jason and Tush “I have verbal diarohea” took the score to 220 odd off about 30 overs and things were looking quite good. After Jason departed, Tush and Simon “Im also a Kiwi” Watts dealt some lusty blows to get us to 250 odd for 5. The rest of the team attempted to get as much as possible and everyone chipped in getting 35 odd off the last 4 overs leaving us with a respectable total of 285. In the heat of the day there was some less than sportman like comments between our batsmen and the opposition, which slightly soured the game and probably contributed to the pub invitation which was MIA.

Sporting our new caps, the two Andy’s getting a warm up run for the league team pretty much ended the game in the first 6 overs. Andy Allen castled the 2 opening batsmen in the first over, and that as they say was that. The fielding in the outfield was a mixture of brilliant and something approach the Crossbats fiasco. The top scorer for Crossbats was Mr Extras, scoring a great 54 runs. This was a classy innings indeed and he lashed 4x’s off almost every bowler down the leg side. The backbone of the opposition came from the Mr Spiro and Mr Smith scoring 19 and 36 respectively, amassing 54 of the 89 runs off the bat in a test like approach. Mr Smith survived an unlikely incident when Tush “I will shout down the Ump” bowled the ball clean between the stumps but did not disturb the bails. Tush in his angst walked down to 3rd man and then thumped his forehead against the ground in disgust. The fielding moment of the match was when Jason “I can field a bit” Howarth ran from square leg dived to stop the ball and then threw the stumps down a-l-a Jonty Rhodes and had the batsmen well short. There were some wonderful muppet moments in the field epsecially when the V.C. , Mr Brown playing the ball away off his knee into the covers gifting the opposition with a run, this was followed up by the Skip, Mr Ware attempting to change directions like an Oil tanker at point and diving over the ball allowing the batsmen to run through. Andy Allen was the pick of the bowlers with 5 overs for 15 runs and 4 excellent wickets. He was ably supported by Andy J whom wrapped up the tail and had a chance at a hat-trick, which was dug out by the tailender. The rest of the bowlers performed well, but had a bit of a wayward time in wrapping up the opposition for 140 odd after 35 overs.

Man of the Match
Jason Howarth for a great batting performance, a solid bowling performance and a run out to boot. Well done son!

Name Batting Bowling
M.Bartram 23
A.Malik 50 3-2-2-0
J.Howarth 79
J.Ware 2
Tush 32 5-0-16-0
S.Watt 23 5-3-19-1
A.Allen 3 5.3-2-15-4
A.Jarrett 10 7-3-8-2
C.Brown 6
J.Paine 9 4-0-32-1
S.Vickery 2

MCCC vs Seveno, Saturday 23rd September

At the backend of September one cannot hold up hopes for any decent weather, but all and sunder were pleasantly surprised by the day that greeted us on the final game of the season against Seveno. It was a glorious last gasp effort at summer, a balmy 25 degrees, no clouds and a cool breeze, drifting across a slightly damp pitch. One could imagine the greats through history (Lille, Bradman, Richards and Capitao) had experienced the same weather as they walked out to the middle in the land that created the beautiful game. On this fine occasion our skip AJ, broke with tradition and decided to win the toss (Won 2 – Lost 10 – Drawn 0 a fine record indeed) and elected to bat. Once again the days activities would show how successful that decision was.

Chris “RyderCup” Whitfield and Mark “Pilgrim” Bartram ambled off to the crease to face. The most unlikely pair of cricketers you have ever seen, probably more suitable for a Laurel and Hardy episode (Chris you aint the skinny one) rather than a game of cricket. However, both lads can hold a cricket bat, and on most occasions face the right direction as well. Seveno, had some missing players (mainly there opening bowlers), so elected to open with their first change bowlers instead. The opening pair, didn’t waste any time in getting stuck straight into the wicket that looked like a green sponge used for cleaning the dishes. Put a layer of icing over the top and serve it with tea! The bounce would have put Andre Agassi off his game at Wimbledon. Cuan “Plays for both teams” Brown, was elected to fill in for the missing fielders and was fortunate enough to watch the drama unfold (and spend almost the entire day on the field!), however its said he enjoyed sledging both teams equally. The opposition barely had time to bowl the first deliveries before MCCC started offering their wickets like free kebabs to drunken antipodeans outside the local Walkabout Pub at 11pm! Unfortunately the wickets did not have the staying power of the renowned garlic mayonnaise (which haunts the breath for days afterwards) that is liberally applied to the kebabs. Instead the top order was evacuated, as easily as the chilli kebab the morning after!! Mark (6) and Chris (2) both departed while the score was on 10. Our superstar Capitao entered the fray, needing a not out, or a 50 to ensure that his average stayed above 50. He started in great fashion slapping the opening bowler back over his head to the long boundary for 6. However, it is alleged that the Aussie superstar had been negotiating with some bookies in the pub in Waugh/Cronje style and had orchestrated an early finish so that he could get back to please the lady in the hopes of seeing action on Saturday and Sunday. (Cricket Action that is, but I like the way you think). All seemed to be going to devious plan when some solid bowling, movement off the wicket and good catching dispatched of Capitao (6), Malik (1), Watt (0) and Clifford (0). (Almost like the queue for the free kebabs). This made eye watering reading of the scoreboard and a scorer that had not seen actions since the 90’s.

Our Skip AJ and Jason “Never Gona Give You Up” Ware attempted to steady the boat (That looked like the result of the “Titanic” & “The perfect Storm”) on 32/6 in the 11th over. Andy “I double step ever bowler” managed to restrain himself for 4 overs in staying in his crease and only getting 2 runs. AJ was tragically denied 4 runs, after a lusty blow back past the bowler was stopped on its way to the boundary as Jason “2-stepper” Ware attempted to move out the way of the accelerating missile. His ballerina steps, that looked something like an act out of Fanstasia, did nothing to prevent the scud like rocket as it homed in on his well padded buttocks. In absolute frustration at both the fielders and his batting partner allowing him to get runs Andy decided to give his wicket away and go smoke up a storm with Nick and Azam, which caused a 3% increase in the Camel Cigarettes company share price.

Cuan “No timing” Brown had to run off the field to get padded up and then run back onto the pitch. This created another Laurel and Hardy pair at the wicket, who at 41/7 in the 15th over, seemed to be starring down the proverbial barrel of a rather large gun.
It so amused the opposition that they brought on the original opening bowlers to clean up the tail so they could get into the pub on the rather warm afternoon. This introduced the paceman that looked and bowled like the famous son of West Indian cricket, Malcolm Marshal. As you can well imagine, the scoring rate plummeted and it looked as if the game was about to come to its abrupt end. Both batsmen did not help themselves by performing remarkable stunts of holing out to the same fielders, 2 deliveries in a row and were summarily dropped both times. Once again, the cricketing gods decided to intervene and change the fate of the game. Both batsmen set anchor, battened down the hatches and called to arms all sailors and weathered the opening pair’s storm. The solid attack progressed well into the 20th overs and the run rate had been but a trickle of singles and quick twos. By the end of the 20th over, Jason “Steel Eye” Ware and Cuan “Streaky” Brown, had managed to double the score to 80 odd. This frustrated the opposition, but their confidence was high and many were singing camp fire songs in anticipation of their victory. It was at this stage, that the trickle over runs became a deluge. Jason “Actions speak louder than words” Ware decided to show his intent in the 30th over by opening his shoulders and smashing Malcolm Marshall in Graham Pollock style back over the bowlers head to the boundary. The floodgates were then opened as the run rate accelerated to just over 6 an over for the remaining 10 overs. Jason “Maiden” Ware, reached his first 50 of the season on his way to a final score of 62 in the 39th over after sacrificing himself for the team. This included a devastating attack on a spinner that bowled 2 overs for 26 runs and a 100 run stand with Q. Steve “Give me a go” Vickery went for the big one and departed for 2. Graham “Here I come ready or Not” Pinkney, ably supported Cuan “Bradman” Brown whom reach 31 n.o in the last over, leaving MCCC on 147/9 in the 40th over.

After a quick tea, MCCC were out in the field, tails held high and wanting to get into the top order. MCCC did not need to wait long as the first opener fell to Brian “Bowl Me at the Death” Clifford, and shortly after, Simon Watt bowled the 3rd batsmen. However it was the silver haired opener that showed the young guns a devastating technique dispatching anything on leg for four runs. At 100/2 after 30 odd overs, it looked like Seveno were well and truly in the pound seat, and it was only a matter of time before the result was a foregone conclusion. The batsmen seemed confident and were even offering chances, but some Keith Pilgrim moments in the outfield let some catches go and MCCC seemed to be performing as well as they batted. An inspirational caught and bowled by the Aussie superstar Roy “Should be Playing for Aus” Capitao, proved he still had it in him in the influence the game, set the fireworks off. It was at this moment, that Graham “I toss em High” Pinkney pulled it out the bag, and dispatched the silvered haired, one stroke only, opener for 58, well caught at long on by Simon “Where are my sweaters” Watt. It was now 120/4 and it looked like Seveno had taken the training wheels off their tricycle as things were starting to look awfully wobbly. The game went down to the wire, 12 balls remaining, 10 runs to get with 6 wickets in hand. This brought our all-rounder Azam “Zam-Zam” Malik into the fray to make amends for the earlier miss-demeanours. However, things didn’t go our way with the first 2 deliveries going for wides, it looked like it would all end shortly. However Azam held it together, which left Brian “Move over Steve O Neil” Clifford, to bowl the last over protecting 4 runs. It was at this stage that lady luck did not turn up to the Seveno’s dance. They partied alone and madness ensued. The Seveno team crumbled like an exceedingly good cake under the pressure of continuous tea dunking. The next 5 deliveries brought about 1x caught behind, 1x bowled, 1 run and 1x run-out. Last ball, 2 to draw, 3 to win, everyone out saving the big shot. Brian “Just call me Flingotff” Clifford bowled a beautiful line and the ball traced its way easily into the keepers hands. MCCC had won by 2 runs. A great finish to a great season. Well done to all the lads involved, especially our skip AJ. A special send off for our Aussie Hero Cappers whom leaves to go back to his sunny home shores, “Send us postcards mate!”

Man of the match: Jason “The Rock” Ware for his 62, and an honourable mention to Cuan “The Rock II” Brown for his 31 in the 100 run partnership.

Muppet Moment: Mark B falling over his shoe laces as the ball trickled past him onto the boundary rope.

Batting
C whitfield 2
M Bartram 6
R Capitao 6
Azzam Malik 1
Jason Ware 62
Simon Watt 0
Brian Clifford 0
A Jarrett 2
Cuan Brown 31
Steve V 3
Grahame Pinkney 0

Bowling
C whitfield-6-1-29-0
R Capitao-8-1-22-1
Azzam Malik-1-0-6-0
Simon Watt-6-0-22-1
Brian Clifford-6-1-11-3
A Jarrett-5-3-10-0
Grahame Pinkney-8-0-31-2

MCCC Vs Bramley

Match Played at: Bramley
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 17/09/2006
Weather: Indian summer with clear blue skies.
Toss won by: MCCC batted first after winning the toss
Pitch Condition: Had all elements of a Bond movie.
Match Format: Time game
MCCC Total: 285/8 in 39 overs
Oppostion Total: 111 all out in 35.3 overs
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: Gerry the Gladiator!

Match Report:

It was just another typical day for the Sunday team. A long drive to reach the ground - Gerry smartly getting there via the shortest route, cheating all the false journey maps - Brian arriving well ahead of the match (read 2 hours or more) and Steve O' Neil arriving late yet again.

To add to Steve, the Cummins brothers and Mike T also arrived quite late. At toss, there were around 7 ppl from MCCC. Gerry had no option but to win the toss and decide to bat.

The ground - for the benefit of those who havent been there - is really a bit innovative. Its got the shortest leg side in MCCC club history and the traffic on the road is quite good. Cars speeding up and down all the time. Thats Bramley for you.

Brian D and Craig H opened the innings as the Cummins brothers hadnt arrived as yet. Being a time game, the strategy was to have a decent start and play sensibly and get the score ticking. Now, the opening bowlers were well into the late 40s and were enticing the batsmen with some slow loopy deliveries.

The devil knocks twice
----------------------

But just as it was turning out to be yet another 'typical day' - things changed. Three balls into the first over, Brian D was caught behind.
Two balls into the second over, Craig H was caught behind.

The scores 0/1 and 0/2. Suddenly the match seemed totally heading the wrong direction and it was less than 8 mins into the match. One down was Satish V and two down was Gerry C. The bowlers had their tails up and were really trying out their loop variations and some quicker ones in between. Needless to say, the repair work started in all earnest. Both the batsmen seemed clear of what they had to do. They had to stay at the wicket and make sure that no more wickets fall atleast for the next hour or so.

The 'Ger-Sat' Recovery
----------------------

Initially, there were some close calls - Gerry top edged one to a spilled catch at point. Satish was going for some deliveries well outside the off stump which could have left for the slip fielders. Then the sensible shots followed, good pull shots by Satish and Gerry's typical sixer factory was producing its first few missiles.
It could be compared to a proper test match scenario - wait for that one or two loose deliveries and dispatch them to where they deserve - the others, patiently block.

Time was the key, runs would eventually come by. Gerry kept the onslaught going and soon reached his 50. Satish was the quieter of the two batsmen, enjoying the sun and looking for the boundaries. The pitch was only adding insult to injury, making the odd delivery lift off or getting a sudden low bounce delivery in. Satish soon reached his 50 off a sweep boundary to fine leg. The score was now 135. It had taken painstakingly - one hour and 40 minutes in the hot sun. In the next over, Satish was out.

Gladiator Gerry
---------------

The partnership having broken at 135, Steve C was the next man in. Steve started in full flow, scoring 2's and 3's and made a fluent 26 before he was caught at midoff. The partnership was 52 between Gerry and Steve. Roy C was the next man in and he soon got out for 7. Next in was Steve O' and he didnt disturb the scorers and got out for 0.

While these wickets were falling - on the other end - Gerry 'the Gladiator' was in majestic form. He was cutting, pulling all over the place. Some of his shots were true cricket strokes. Genuine powerful and clean. His sixer factory was over-productive at times, giving out 2 or 3 sixers in some overs. Soon enough, came his 100. Everyone applauded, the bat was raised, all done and then it was back to the same old story.

There were different kinds of 'Bang' - 'Ball just missing a car' Bang - 'Ball lost in the woods across the road' bang - 'Catch dropped by yet another fielder' Bang - 'Never mind the catch drop' bang.

G = Gerry.

It soon became clear that some records were going to be broken as G crossed the 150 mark. He still seemed focussed and was very much in control of the game. The score in the meanwhile, was getting well beyond the range of the opposition. One of the opposition bowlers, tried to get G to spare him and hit the other bowlers - but G - the nice man that he was - equally distributed the runs amongst all the bowlers.

G looked like the man with a mission. He wanted to break the highest score record and broke it in style and went on to make 180 - when news came in from the scorers that G could make a double whammy. It was finally getting closer to the last over of the day - one could see the opposition thanking the Gods for that.

One over - 6 legal deliveries, 20 runs to make. Now that was not that difficult, Gerry managed 6 runs off the first 3 deliveries, the third of which, he was finally caught at deep square leg. As he walked off, his score was 186.

In came Tony who wasnt out, but was given out caught behind. The score was 277. The next batsman was T Wadhwa - who was desperately hoping not to repeat his hatrick Golden Duck. Luckily for him and the duck, he scored an off drive boundary off the last delivery of the match.

At tea, the score tally was being checked and it emerged that G was on 190 and not 186. A truly mammoth score.

Bowling to Win
--------------

The opposition wanted to get a draw. We need to get a good win. The MCCC bowlers were on fire from the first delivery. Tush W got a bad shoulder and couldnt bowl and was replaced by Gerry. Craig H - the lion heart - made the batsmen toil for the runs and didnt give anything away. Roy replaced Tush and he seemed in great form.

One of the best catches of the season - Craig H in first slip taking a blinder off Roy. It was a terrific catch and got us truly into the game.

First change was Tony H and Graham P. They too mixed their line and length well and kept the wickets coming. Graham picked two valuable wickets.

Soon there was a mild resistance from the oppo as they were trying to block and not give their wickets away. By now, drinks had been taken and it was the customary 20 overs remaining. In came Gerry and bowled some wonderful line and length and got 2 wickets in 2 overs and both of them were maidens!

That turned the match decisively in MCCC favor and it was left to the great finishers in the Sunday team - Mike T. Mike got the remaining 2 in 1.3 overs.

The oppo was bundled out for 111 off 35.3 overs and considering that there were another 3.3 overs to go for the match to get over - it was a very satisfying win.

MCCC Batting Order:
1. B Douglass - 0
2. C Harper - 0
3. S Viswanathan - 50
4. G Coetzer - 190
5. S Cummins - 26
6. R Cummins - 07
7. O Neil - 0
8. M Tennant - 04*
9. T Hammond - 0
10. T Wadhwa - 4*
11. G Pinkney DNB

F.O.W
1- 0(1) 2- 0(2) 3- 135(3) 4- 187(5) 5- 201(6) 6- 226(7) 7- 281(4) 8- 281(9)

Bowling:
C Harper 11 - 6 - 15 - 2
T Wadhwa 0.2- 0 - 4 - 0 (Retd.)
R Cummins 10 - 3 - 40 - 2
T Hammond 4 - 0 - 12 - 0
G Pinkney 6 - 2 - 20 - 2
G Coetzer 2.4- 2 - 0 - 2
M Tennant 1.3- 0 - 5 - 2

MCCC vs Energy Exiles, 16th September (Home) Lost by 4 wickets

MCCC faced Energy Exiles, on a beautiful September day. A mild cool wind, gorgeous sunshine and lovely flat green wicket at home was the setting for a glorious day out. True to form, our returning Skipper Andy “Jetsetter” Jarrett, ambled out to the middle of the pitch (about the location he normally bats from) and summarily lost the toss. It was decided that MCCC would face, and Chris “Balanced by my bottom” Whitfield and Mark “I skipped vs the 2nd’s, but the 2nd’s Won” Bartman strode off to the wicket.

Some excellent bowling by the Exile’s, meant that our intrepid openers were pinned down. In fact many of the fielders found it more interesting to come off the field and chat to remaining batsmen waiting for the leather to appear. After 5 over’s a total of 5 runs had been scored, and at the current run rate 50 seemed to be a long way off. However, after some relentless pressure, Exiles slipped, and the runs started to flow. Mark and Chris smashed some glorious 4’s to the boundary, and the run rate picked up. Mark, (whom had finally returned from hiding due to his loss as skipper vs the 2nd’s) fell for 23 just as he was looking set. This allowed Roy “I aint never gonna walk again, Cos I is Australian” Capitao to the crease. Roy was in a fiery mood to get his average up and was under pressure from the missus on the sidelines with a video recorder. Rumour has it, she was there to film each delivery for the Australian High Comission, to ensure that he did not walk if appealed at. Failure to do so would have resulted in Roy losing his Australian citizenship. Roys normal devastating batting seem to be a little off-colour (probably due to thought of losing his Australian citizenship), and the runs did not flow as they usually did. However, Chris and Roy still managed to climb into the bowling and managed to score 37 and 43 respectively before departing. At almost 110 odd for 3, MCCC seemed well set with 15 overs to go and a lot of batting to come.

It was at this stage, that I would like to paint the picture of a football manager watching his team 3-0 up at half time, only to lose 4-3 at full time. Energy Exiles brought on the twin spin duo of 1x Graham “I bat for both sides” Pinkney and 1x Unknown South African Spinner. The Saffie spinner, had obviously been to the Shane Warne school of spin, as he created pressure by pitching it on the 3rd pitch and moving it back onto the first pitch. Graham, bowled a good line and length adding to the mounting pressure which was turning coal to diamonds. It was at this moment that a collapse akin to the twin towers going down occurred and our football manager’s face appeared. Nick H, Azam M, Keith P, and Jason W all fell in quick succession for 1 or less. Azam was pressured into holing out at mid-wicket by Graham’s deliveries that were lofted so high, that small flying planes, birds and a few satellites were in danger of being brought down. Keith, whom was quiet clearly instructed by 2 batsmen and both umpires that the spinner was turning it a mile and then some, ambled down the wicket to be shocked when the ball moved like it was on a piece of string and it found him out of his crease. Stumped for a duck! Keith left the field wondering why he didn’t hit it for 4! The same advice seemed to fall on deaf ears when Jason W came to the crease. Normally a lad that takes 1001 deliveries to get settled decided on this occasion to play his not so natural game and loft it to long on off his very first delivery. This left Brian Clifford and skipper Andrew Jarrett at the crease with 10 overs to remaining. It was at this stage that they managed to keep it together and scramble up to around 140 runs. Their batting (mostly against the openers) showed that we had probably paid too much respect to their bowlers, and that our situation was purely down to our own failures. Andy fell for 15, after striking 2 cracking 4’s. Cuan “10 or Bust” Brown joined Brian (whom finished on a solid 27 n.o), and some quick singles and classy chinese cuts later left the score on 177 off 40 overs.

Andy, fresh from his stint in the US, some say as a try-out for pitcher for some 3rd division baseball outfit, was firing on all cylinders. The first delivery passed the nose of the opener and at about the same speed he rushed off the grounds to get a helmet and change his underwear. Some really tight bowling by both Andy and Brian kept the run rate down initially. However, once the openers were set, the 4’s started flowing and MCCC looked like they were in a spot of bother. Andy managed to make the breakthrough and get the first wicket. The next batsmen to walk to the crease looked a little shaky (similar to the wobbly bridge spanning the Thames between the Tate and Saint Pauls) and our tails were up. Chris W and Nick H were the double change and bowled a decent spell. Nick “I got some Pace” Hughes bowled a decent line, but frustrated the team by not delivering the pace from the previous week. It is believed that Nick only performs when he has crowds of adoring fans, and we please request that he brings them along in future games. It was off Chris W’s bowling that most of the action happened and he deserved more than just the 2 wickets he received. It was some poor catching that resulted in 3 drop catches by 2 fielders. They will remain nameless to protect their identity. From now on, they will be known as the “Cost-US Pair”. One fielder remarked he wasn’t in the field to catch, just to stop the ball. Moments after muttering this the cricketing gods swiftly dealt out the punishment, in the form of speeding leather cracking against shins and leaving a 3 week bruise on the fielder in question. The opener that was dropped twice managed to steady the boat, even after Exiles lost 4 quick wickets, and got to 50. Azza bowled four overs, but couldn’t seem to find the blazing rhythm that we have become accustomed to. Roy C bowled a fine line but was rewarded by only 1 wicket. Andy attempted to clean up the tail, but to no avail and went for some runs in the last few overs which spoilt his figures. MCCC lost by 3 wickets in the 39th over and were left wondering how the game would have been if they had held onto the catches like they held onto their beers.

Batting
C whitfield 37
M Bartram 23
R Capitao 43
Nick Hughes 1
Azzam Malik 1
Keith pilgrim 0
Jason Ware 0
Brian Clifford 27 no
A Jarrett 15
Cuan Brown 10 no
Steve VickeryDNB

Bowling
C whitfield8-2-22-2
R Capitao6-0-21-1
Nick Hughes 8-0-41-1
Azzam Malik 4-0-19-1
Brian Clifford 5-1-24-0
A Jarrett8-1-28-1

Man of the Match: Chris Whitfield for a solid batting knock (our new opener?) and some quality bowling.

Muppet Moment: Keith not attempting to catch a ball as he thought someone 20m’s away was going to run into him, and in the process almost being hit in the face by the leather returning back from the atmosphere.

MCCC Vs Leatherhead

Match Played at: Leatherhead
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 10/09/2006
Weather: Indian summer with clear blue skies.
Toss won by: MCCC batted first after winning the toss
Pitch Condition: One match away from being a disaster.
Match Format: 40 Overs each way
MCCC Total: 296 all out in 39.4 overs
Oppostion Total: 166 all out in 36.5 overs
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: The 'Sunday' team spirit.

Match Report:

It was billed as one of the toughest games by Jim. Ofcourse, our fixture secretary had an old score to settle. The pitch was really at its last few hours and wisely Gerry won the toss and decided to bat first.

Roy C and Brian D were the openers. MCCC started off in great style, with boundaries flowing left right and center. The opposition bowlers didnt really know what had hit them. We were scoring at a fast-forward rate!! Roy was particularly unfair and kept the fields totally out of the game with his sixes :)

Brian D plays this cut shot very well and it produced many a boundary. 100 in 16 overs (if my memory serves me right!!) - A dream start for any team. Brian D played one shot too much and got caught at long on for 43. He deserved a fifty by all standards!! One down was Satish V. Keen to keep the runs flowing, he started with a boundary and a six.

Roy on the other hand was in his 'ZONE'. Just kept playing his natural aggressive game before being caught/bowled off a top edge. 72 was his final score. Gerry C arrived next and started business as usual.

They say in India that you never run your captain out. Now thats something Satish V had in mind, when he went for a quick single, which ultimately costed his wicket. He was out for 28. After that, the match seemed to turn a bit hostile. Tush the umpire kept giving no-balls (genuine ones of course, and the oppo tried to get him involved in some verbal spat) - Gerry who loves such situations jumped in as well :))

Gerry's sixer factory produced a couple more and when he was looking great guns, he gave a catch to long-on, ending up at 66. Steve O' Lara came in next and played some sensible shots, scoring singles and kept the score ticking. By now the score was around 260. The lower order also contributed to the cause. Craig H made 18 while Jim P made 8.

Overall we batted like lions who refused to be tamed. The odd claps from the pavilion indicated that a wicket had fallen. There was only silence during the rest of our batting when the runs were being pounded.

Gerry C was very upset with the oppo guy who said passed on some unparliamentary compliments and he almost skipped tea for that!! Come on Skip, when the tea bell rings, you just go and pick up a paper plate - yeah!!!

297 to win on that pitch - even Australia cant do that. Leatherhead were out of the game by then.

Our opening bowlers made it all the more tough. Tush took a wicket off the first delivery. Jim P taking a good catch to his left. That set things up and we really strangled the runs and the momentum out of the oppo. Craig H had some 'almost there' deliveries, keeping the batsmen guessing most of the time. Jim P and Tony H were first change. Jim P bowled some immaculate line and length and every delivery seemed worth taking a wicket. Tony H was tempting the batsmen to go over the top and they obliged at his every request. Graham P and Mike T joined in and shared 7 wickets between them.

Mike T - the less said about his wicket taking deliveries the better. He got wickets out of full-toss deliveries and that too on the leg. Graham P was as usual varying line and length and making the odd ball flip in.

The opposition was bundled out for a mere 166 and it was really a good team hunt.

One could see the satisfaction in Jim's eyes - having waited for this day for three seasons.

I will update more on this soon. Watch out for this space!!!

MCCC Vs Energy Exiles

Match Played at: Chiswick
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 03/09/2006
Weather: Summer like weather with a very steady wind blowing.
Toss won by: MCCC bowled first after winning the toss
Pitch Condition: Good. Very green outfield.
Match Format: 40 Overs each way
MCCC Total: 183-3 in 36 overs
Oppostion Total: 182-5 in 40 overs
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: Gerry C for his thunderous 65 and 1-14 off 4 overs.

Match Report:
It was very important to play some games bowling first and then chasing up a total. Gerry decided to give it a go on this aspect and got the opposition to bat first.

Two of our players arrived late.. well into the 6th over. Majid and
Steve O'Chairman. Steve cited a lot of reasons, one of them being 'late-night salsa'!!

Harper the 'Lion Heart' opened the bowling with his 'bowling' partner Tush. A flurry of near misses and almost there deliveries later, the first few wickets fell. Once the initial barrier was broken, their top order got into the act and were playing a sensible game. Jim and Brian C did their best to get the runs under control and fairly succeeded in that as well. Jerry and Tony H were bowling second change. A tossed up delivery from Jerry got the main stay batsman clean bowled. Tony H was going on well on the other, holding up the flow of runs.

Graham later joined the bowling squad and took a quick wicket. In all it was good line and length bowling from all the bowlers and the batsmen had to really work hard to score runs.

All along a very stiff breeze was blowing across the pitch and it was a bit of a challenge getting the ball in from the outfield.

So at half-time it looked quite ok. 184 was the target in 40 overs.
Nothing great about tea. Good old food!!

The opening pair were Gerry C and Brian D. The former was playing like he had a flight to catch after the match and the other was well rooted. Missile Gerry started in full earnest with some lovely straight drives and was in full form. At one stage the score was 64, with Gerry on 50 and Brian on 5.

Playing one shot too often, Gerry got bowled having made 65. In came Satish V.
He had a flight to catch the next over. A swing off the first ball gave him 2 runs - 2 balls later, bowled out. Brian D was holding up his end well and made a patient 38 before being bowled.

The next time the top four batsmen in a team get bowled, they ought to be fined!!

Anyway, coming back to the game, the 'late-comers' were in the middle now. They wanted to make some amends and got into the act from the word 'Go'. They form a very good middle-order pair. Patient, reliable and yeah run-churning as well. Majid looked in very good nick and he was scoring in boundaries all along. He made an unbeaten 47 while Steve O was 22 n.o.

MCCC comfortably made it in the 36th over, winning by 7 wickets. Another match where the team played like one hungry 'pack' of wolves and gave their 100% all throughout.

MCCC Batting Order:
1. B Douglass - 38
2. G Coetzer - 65
3. S Viswanathan - 02
4. Majid - 47
5. S O Neil - 22

Rest - DNB
6. B Clifford
7. C Harper
8. T Wadhwa
9. T Hammond
10. J. Patel
11. G. Pinkney

F.O.W
1- 94(2) 2- 96(3) 3- 114(1)

Bowling:
C Harper 8 - 2 - 27 - 2
T Wadhwa 8 - 1 - 25 - 1
J Patel 3 - 0 - 15 - 0
B Clifford 4 - 0 - 23 - 0
J Coetzer 4 - 0 - 14 - 1
T Hammond 8 - 0 - 28 - 0
G Pinkney 5 - 0 - 36 - 1

Morden Corinthians (Vivek's Side) vs Old Fulham Prims - 12 AUGUST 2006
Match Report by David Lumby

A blustery autumn afternoon with the sounds of the start of ‘Kevball’ in the background provided the perfect setting for this one-sided match

In the field

Skipper Vivek rolled over again and allowed the opposition (who always seem to be delayed on the M25) to bat first. The opposition were unfortunately two men short so we volunteered the team mascot (Matt Oliver) to bat for the other side…..

Morden Corinthians took to the field on what could, at best, be described as a breezy autumn afternoon. The pitch looked hard and fast with some life in it given the morning showers

David Lumby had the opportunity to pick his end and decided that running into the wind looked like too much hard work. Thankfully his gamble paid off (even if the wind from behind made him struggle with his run-up all afternoon) and he struck with his first delivery. A beautifully directed slower ball, which had their opener rooted dead in front. Matt showed no respect to his new teammate, raising his finger quicker than Theo could grab the last cookie at Tea

Morden off to a great start then, and things got worse for the opposition as the replacement batsman played Lumby across the line to one that rose sharply off a good length (Lumby finally putting that height to good use). Tush took a tricky catch at fine leg in the swirling wind and Fulham Prims really had their backs against the wall

It was all a little embarrassing actually as the opposition frantically tried to pad up and make frantic phone calls to those still stuck on the M25. Tushar opened from the other end and the umpire decided to strictly apply his interpretation of ‘wides’ to get Fulham Prims off the mark as Tushar struggled to control his line in the strong oncoming breeze. Lumby struck again in the next few overs, clean bowling one member of the opposition playing across the line and then clean bowling their left-hander with a ball which pitched middle, beautifully clipping the top of off stump. Not even a surgeon could have performed an operation with such precision. The game was getting away from Fulham and Morden decided to take their foot off the gas and make a game of it

Wickets continued to fall however the opposition managed to scrape together a few partnerships with Matt (the oppositions favourite umpire) seeing how many balls he could leave in a row, ticking the total along to 80 all out with Arvind chipping in with two for nine and Chirag taking one for fourteen.

With the bat

Given that there was a club BBQ to get to and that we’d managed to skittle them over in under 19 overs it was agreed that Morden would bat after a short changeover and if we had not scored the winning runs by 5pm there would be a break for tea

Vivek and Daniel started fantastically with a good opening stand and Vivek finally found some form with the bat. Daniel, while looking picture perfect at the crease did not manage to hang around to see the team home, however he did manage to hit three glorious boundaries and get Morden off to a flyer.

New team member Saugata Mukherjee joined Vivek and they managed to take the score along nicely with the target clearly within reach, before Vivek called Saugata through for a suicidal single. At this level you would normally take the odds against a direct hit however the cover fielder came up with the goods and Saugata had to make the long walk back to the pavilion. From here Morden suffered a mini collapse with Theo and Chirag all ending up cheaply in pavilion. Captain fantastic managed to pull things together though and he and Arvind managed to bring the team home to another victory

Result

Old Prims Innings

Blake lbw Lumby 0
Blake bwl Vettiket 34
Blake ct Tush Lumby 2
Margetts bwl Lumby 0
Tomkins bwl Lumby 0
Law bwl Clifford 10
Oliver ct Moore Arvind 8
Fisher ct Tush Clifford 9
Wivell bwl Arvind 0
Wivell NOT OUT 0

Subtotal 63
Extras 17

Total 80

Bowling
Lumby 5 1 17 4
Tushar 4 0 18 0
Clifford 5 0 17 2
Vettiket 3 0 14 1
Arvind 1.5 0 9 2


Morden Innings

Sarohia NOT OUT 36
Denize ct A Law P Blake 12
Mukherjee Run Out 10
C. Patel lbw Law 0
Moore ct Law 2
Arvind NOT OUT 5

Subtotal 65
Extras 16

Total 81

Morden 81/4 won by 6 wickets

Champagne moment

Tough call really, between Vivek, starting the mini collapse on 20 (after just being dropped) or Matt giving the oppositions opening, and most respected batsman out first ball knowing that he’d have to spend the rest of the day with them in the field.