Match Report
Crusaders began the new season with a first ever fixture at Addington. Although nicely situated, the pitch was green and the outfield littered with moldering cut grass. It did however offer fine views of Addington Council Estate where I was reliably informed the girls were dirtier than Christina Aguillera.
Wajih, in time honoured fashion, lost the toss and not surprisingly we were asked to bat. Rather more surprising was the chalk and cheese opening pairing of Schultz and Taylor. Gord, a former Addington player in the late 1940's, reminded them just what they were missing, dispatching the first two balls of the day to the boundary and then exposing his leg stump to be bowled by the third. If Gord was the excitement, Skinny supplied the drudgery - he stuck around for 26 overs for a mind numbingly dull 16. Unfortunately we had no one capable of batting around him and limped along at only three runs an over. Even Nita's new Tibetan monk hairstyle failed to raise the spirits. Finally Pommie and Jabs Vaas(on debut) went on the offensive. Through some clean hitting and intelligent rotation of the strike the pair added 54 in only eight overs, with Pom hitting three maximums in his top-scoring 40 and Chaminda chipping in with a useful 19. Danglers and DDDDamon helped the score along to 157 at the end of our forty overs.
It was important that we got wickets early and prevented easy runs being taken. Moysey provided the breakthrough in the first over, but that was as good as it got. We chipped away manfully at our hosts, but never gained a firm foothold in the game. All of their batsmen looked capable, whilst in the field we looked like it was our first match. Two wickets for Jabs completed an impressive debut, but he now leaves us until June, to study for his GCSE's. It was testament to our efforts that we put off the inevitable until the 36th over, with Addington taking the spoils by five wickets.
