Match Report
Sunday 16 August –v- Old Wilsonians at Hayes Hill
The following is an un-abridged report from our Correspondent in Kasmir
Blow by blow as it follows: well we got there at Old Wilsonians at 13:50, and that was 4 of us including Don (with the courtesy of Chand's non compliance policy now a days.) Rest of 11 arrived in bits. 1st bit of 4 at 14:15 incl vice skip Mike who was then able to at least do toss etc… with oppo. 2 of rest of 11 arrived 25 past hence were able to start the game before the expiry of 10 minute deadline given by oppo captain. 11th man jagdesh arrived by cab once we were more than half way through the first innings.
As we were one player short we were put to field first but I am not sure whether it was our captain or oppo's who took that decision which turned up right for us in every way since then. We got off to a good start with Jabz and Mike opening the bowling. Oppo was steady but slow on run rate due to some pacey swing bowling of mine and Mikes ( you don't have to believe my bit). Mike took the first wicket after two easy drop catches off his bowling and this time around he obviously decided to help himself by taking a fine catch off his own bowling. I then followed him taking oppo opener skip out after breaking his toe and cracking his helmet. Thanks to Alex who took good catch of his on short mid-on. Poor skip was out caught behind few balls earlier which umpire unfortunately could not judge it but was convinced that as he was skip and in case of any involvement his bat, he would have walked off himself as he was an honest man. Umpire himself was struggling with my swinging Yorkers (all credit goes to my Pakistani matchball made of Halal leather and favourable wind of course) as skip and others had already survived at least 4-5 lbw appeals of mine. In next over I took another and that was the end of my first spell.
Ali replaced Mike and I was replaced by Alex who did bowl well but Ali conceded some runs before he got most decent man out bowled. Alex then struck from the other end took two quick wickets only after two fine drop catches by our mid off SPECIALIST fielder Nita, who had already dropped one off Mike's earlier on fielding on very same position. Wickets kept falling gradually, thanks to a brief but fine spell from Hong Kong X-press who replaced Alex but oppo managed to reached 115 all out due to our fine usual (mis)-fielding and quite a few dropped catches and little bit of poor short deliveries of Upkar. I then was brought back and I took the honour of taking final wicket finishing with un-usual figures of 13.4-2-24-3.
Fine lunch we had then Mr Reynolds and Nita got us to a start very much expexted, well definitely not due to very poor bowling attack though but simply because of self-hypnotised and mismerised big guns of ours who somehow spiritually know what score they are going to get even before they turn up for the game. Nita like always though was out there to play GOLF and swung and missed one and then tried the same but this time luck favoured the bowler who was out there to play CRICKET unfortunately for Nita. Jagdesh replaced Nita but was unfortunate and was given out LBW by a 'neuteral' umpire as every1 knows this is us, Crusaders, typical conservatives always going by the books. Anyway we were 2 down on 4. Grant showed some character and Woj and him read and struck ball well with some excellent powerful shots and got us to 50'ies for 2. Woj then fell pray to an excellent caught and bowled display soon followed by Grant, who was splendidly caught at third slip off a definite no-ball who none of umpires could see that it was a beamer little lower than ( I mean come on) Grant's neck!!!. Don and I joined the show and took the score to 70ies. I, who had already survived a difficult chance on very first ball, then departed soon for 12 trying to finish the game (and my season) asap. Ali then went in but it did not take longer when Don again tried to rely on his Gray Nicholls and caught on mid-wicket. It soon looked that with only 3 wickets in pocket, we will not be able to score 35 off 13 overs. But Mike and Ali kept the cool and finished it off for us with little over two overs in spare, with Ali some fine boundaries in last two overs. Before that they had fine running between the wicket with 1s and 2s knowing the fact that wicket will never favour the hard hitters ever.
We could have won this game by at least 6 wickets, if not more had we done better fielding, supporting fine bowling against an opposition having 9 batsmen and only two bowlers in the side.
PS facts and figures are just close estimation and not exact (figures to be confirmed with scorebook) Spelling errors are due to a non-English born EngLEESH man.
