The last game of the 2009 season left FP’s 2nd XI requiring a win against St Ronald 2nd XI to be promoted to Grade 3, but St Ronald could actually win Grade 4 if they were to beat FP’s, and still beat us to promotion if they gained 12 points more than us in a draw.
The venue for this “winner takes all” encounter was the much maligned Sheddocksley, but on this occasion, the weather was good, the wicket looked reasonable and the outfield was not the worst we had played on this season.
The team selected showed five changes from the team that beat Dunecht one week and one rainy Saturday previously. Out for various reasons were Mike Blues, Harry Houghton, JPL Williams, Rizwan and Magesh, and returning to the team for various reasons, came Nick Blyth, John Youles, Craig Fraser, Mike Phillips and Mike Lloyd.
Pre-match nets were cut a little short when Phillips announced he had forgotten his white top, leaving him only some red monstrosity with three lions to bowl in and he had also forgotten his sandwiches. A white top was found and some food was bought so this week’s last minute problem was overcome.
FP’s actually won the toss and asked St Ronald to bat. The earlier game this season against St Ronald was a defeat for FP’s in the cup to a team that went for its shots at all times, so accurate bowling was going to be very important. Both captains’s diplomatically agreed prior to the start of the game that the umpires should be realistic with calling leg side wides, this now known as the Mastrick Treaty.
Karthik opened the bowling from the airport end, and soon found out what happens when full tosses are bowled to St Ronald, Khosla swatted a six for his first scoring shot. The St Ronald batsmen were scoring at a good rate, but in the 7th over with the score on 38, Karthik made the much needed breakthrough when Rehan edged when Russell dived and took an outstanding low catch at gully. New batsman A. Deep also started with a six, but Karthik bowled a beauty and potential match winner Deep edged behind to Muthu, St Ronald 53 – 2 off 11 overs.
Blyth had been bowling with pace and accuracy, and finally was rewarded when Bode was also taken by Muthu for 4 runs. Next ball, Blyth had Singh easily caught by Fryer for a duck (Fryer’s first catch of the season) and FP’s had St Ronald on 73 – 4. The purchase of the hat-trick jug was avoided when Blyth bowled an, er, non-wicket taking ball.
The pressure was now on St Ronald and soon after T. Singh was run out when Fryer kept cool and sent in an accurate throw, score 83 – 5, 16 overs.
Blyth had been giving Khosla a difficult time, and finally got his man when Muthu took a comfortable catch, score 88 – 6. Next over Hart, who had replaced Karthik, bowled Bhatti for a duck, and the St Ronald middle order had collapsed to 89 – 7. Hart was bowling well and had a couple of difficult catches dropped as the St Ronald batsmen went for their shots.
With the score on 107 off 22 overs, Karthik then took possibly the catch of the season, when he sprinted in from the long off boundary and dived full length and just managed to get his hands under a powerful shot from Ahmed, a real bonus catch as no-one could see Karthik getting close enough to catch it.
St Ronald had lost 6 wickets for 34 runs, the game had turned FP’s way, and a reasonable target was in sight.
However, batsmen Ali and Abid went on the counter offensive and soon were hitting boundaries all round the wicket. Blyth had bowled as well as at any time during the season, but his figures suffered as the batsmen turned the game around, scoring boundaries off good balls.
Russell and Youles replaced Blyth and Hart, who both unluckily had seen possible catches fall into space, one dropping perfectly between 3 fielders.
Youles made the vital breakthrough by bowling Ali for 37, score 176 – 9. The 8th wicket partnership scored a rapid 69 and two overs later Johnston took an easy catch off Youles to dismiss Abid for 26, St Ronald final score 180 all out in 32.1 overs.
This was another frustrating story of the tail end wagging the dog, but the FP’s bowlers stuck to their task, backed up by some excellent fielding.
Blyth took 3 for 62 off 12 overs, Youles took 2 for 14 off 3 overs, Hart 2 for 41 off 7, Karthik 2 for 44 off 7, and Russell none for 22 off 4 overs. . Mention should be made of wicketkeeper Muthu who conceded no byes in his 6 games, surely a record for the seconds in recent seasons.
The shortest tea interval in FP’s history, 8 minutes, meant that the game restarted before the scorebooks had been checked and, after a few overs, the game had to be halted whilst an arithmetical anomaly was corrected, and a revised target of 181 off 57 overs agreed.
Fryer and Muthu continued the batting against Deep and Ali, and batted sensibly and without real difficulty. But with the score 37 runs off 12 overs, Muthu was adjudged LBW to Bode for 14. Three overs later Fryer took a couple of strides down the wicket to off-break bowler Mohit, missed the ball and was comfortably stumped by the St Ronald keeper for 15 runs, FP’s now 41 – 2.
A mini collapse then followed, Youles was bowled by Bode for 1, Blyth was also bowled by Bode for 5, and Fraser was eventually adjudged LBW to Bode for a duck, the decision seemed to take longer than the tea interval, FP’s score was 46 – 5. Bode had taken 4 for 4 off 5 overs, and an embarrassing defeat looked ominous.
However Johnston came in with lots of overs to rebuild the FP’s innings in a calm and responsible manner and with that in mind, his first two scoring shots were a 4 and a 6 off Mohit. Next over Karthik smashed a 6 off Bode, and only then did the batsmen settle down as the bowling got tighter.
The bowling got so tight, and the scoring so slow, the scorers spent their time swotting a swarm of flies and studying the cloud formations which apparently at one time resembled USS Enterprise. Boredom does play tricks with the mind.
Onfield, the two batsmen batted sensibly knowing that they required around 4 an over to win, and after adding 44 for the 6th wicket, Karthik was bowled by new bowler Abid for a fighting 26 (1×6, 2×4).
FP’s required 91 runs off 23 overs, but St Ronald’s Sonny and Mohit were bowling very accurately. Phillips, who had brought along FP’s only spectator, hit his second ball for 4, and looked in the mood to finish things off quickly, batting well while adding 29 with Johnston, until given out LBW to Bode for 12 (2×4).
The scoring rate was creeping up and Hart tested the reflexes of the non-strike batsman with a ferocious straight drive for four to ease the pressure. The score was on 132 off 48 overs when Hart was the fourth FP’s batsman to be given out LBW (another record?) for 12 runs.
Russell joined a tiring Johnston whose runs were now coming mainly in singles as his better shots did a ‘Fryer’, going straight to the St Ronald fielders. Russell and Johnston stole several unlikely runs as the pressure on the fielders began to tell. The required run rate was now up to 6 an over, and Russell had just played a magnificent pull for four when he was caught off Sunny for a very well played 21 runs (1×4), FP’s 169 – 9 off 55.5 overs.
There were 7 balls left in the match and 12 runs required for victory and promotion to Grade 3 when last man Lloyd came to the crease. Unfortunately, a distinctly knackered Johnston, having earlier given away half his tea and more seriously, half his wine gums to Blyth, was by now suffering from dehydration and the famous Sheddocksley altitude sickness. This condition causing a blind spot the size of, in non-medical terms, a fielder at cover.
As Lloyd played his first ball towards cover, Johnston shouted “Yes” to Lloyd for a quick single. From the sidelines it may have looked a call from the Ricky Ponting book of quick singles. But unlike Ponting, Gary Pratt was not hidden from the non-striker’s view by the bowler on his follow through. This apparently easy single was made slightly more difficult as the invisible man picked up the ball and ran out Lloyd at the bowlers end. Grammar had lost the match and had lost promotion.
FP’s final score 169all out, Johnston ending up 41 n.o. So near and yet so far, and unfortunately a great opportunity to win was lost.
St Ronald deserved the win and a memorable match was played in a good sporting manner, an example being when one FP’s batsman being given a polite reminder by the bowler for backing up too far, and FP’s returned the compliment by giving LBW’s.
Man of the Match – Karthik, 2 wickets, 26 runs and a stunning catch.
Champagne Moment – Karthik’s catch.
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