We arrived at Abbeydale an hour before the start of our game with a team consisting of one 20 year old, two 19 year olds and the rest all still being able to play junior cricket! This was mainly thanks to Captain Simmo deciding the cricket season is a great time to sun yourself by the pool in Turkey for a week, and Crofty.. being himself and ending up with only one elbow.
Anyway onto the game and after a torrential downpour of hailstones and Straws informing me “the square looked damp” we took off the covers to find one end nice and dry and the other end anything but. After seeing this both umpires have told both captains “I’d have a bowl on there if I we thee!” It would have been nice to do as the umps suggested but I promptly lost the toss and we were duly told you can have a bat.
Meakin and Straws went out to open the innings and both coped well early on in testing conditions. Straws was the bowled for nine as this sparked a collapse from 19 – 1 to 29 – 4 with Kuram, Matt Lee, and captain for the day fiddles all failing to hang around.
This bought Matt Moroney to the crease to join Meaks and he played a gem of an innings taking the counter attack to the Maltby bowlers crashing 3 sixes in an innings of 42 from just 39 balls. He and Meaks took the score to 94 before the later was caught at gully for a hard earned and battling 31 that had layed a platform for us to get a defendable total .
Zabe, promoted up the order to number 7 in the skippers absence batted sensibly for a long time running lots of ones and twos with Moroney and then Chris Pickford when Matt departed caught at long on. Zabe made 23 at a run a ball before taking a big swing and hitting the ball straight up the chimney and walking off. As he made his way back to the pavilion Zabe turned to his skipper and said “I’m not gonna lie to you, I was tired innit…”
Picko and Johnny were then together at the crease as Maltby turned to their secret weapon a Yorkshire junior ladies player who bowled really nicely and took the wicket of Picko for 2. Chris came off looking a little annoyed a mood probably not improved by everyone else’s favourite moment of the day, Sam Varley who had come to watch Alex with his granddad turning to his granddad as Chris trudged past them and with no irony what so ever piped up, “Granddad, that little girl just got a wicket!”
Goldy quickly followed Picko back to the pavilion and then Johnny and young Alex Varley batted superbly not taking risks and running sensible but quick singles to get us up to 168 – 9 Johnny finishing a really well made 28 not out.
Tea was not too bad although after ringing down to tell them to put chips on as they had asked no chips appeared, after some questioning we were told oh we thought you said cheese… needless to say neither chips nor cheese appeared.
Onto Maltbys innings and we opened up with Zabe who hurt his back after one over, and Picko. Moroney came on to replace Zabe in what turned out to be an inspired injury forced bowling change as Matt took a wicket LBW first ball and then 3 more as he bowled his first 6 over spell taking 3 – 23. Chris bowled a decent first spell to taking a wicket of the opener with a superb caught and bowled falling backwards over his head.
After those two we bought on our slower bowlers with Alex Varley and Goldberg coming into the attack, Alex bowled well and was unlucky not to pick up a couple of wickets with 2 half chances going down of him. Goldy didn’t quite bowl like his usual self although could have had a wicket early in his spell decided to bowl for a run out and the batters duly obliged both ending up stood next to Goldy as Johnny calmly gathered the throw from Kuram and took of the bails.
Ben and Matt Lee both had a go in that order from the top end and both went for next to nothing but failed to make that all important breakthrough.
We tuned to our quicker men again with Zabe from the bottom end and Picko from the top; Zabe bowled a great second spell taking 2 – 35 in an 8 over stint. Unfortunately Picko’s second spell wasn’t as good as his first and with 2 overs to go Maltby needed 14 with 4 wickets in hand.
The captain decided he would bowl the penultimate over as a pace off the ball option and it proved to be the right move taking 2 wickets in the over and conceding just two runs.
Zabe to bowl the last over 2 wickets needed, 12 runs. First ball a perfect yorker stumps everywhere!
5 balls to go… one wicket.. 12 runs…
Zabe bowls play and miss and Dobby behind the stumps lets through his only byes of the day 8 off 4 required.
Maltby decide to block the ball and play for 2 points so we crowd the bat but couldn’t take the final wicket. 5 point win which keeps us top by 8 points.
Final bowling analysis was;
C.Pickford 8 – 1 – 26 – 1
Z. Javed 9 – 1 – 36 – 2
M. Moroney 8 – 1 – 33 – 3
A. Varley 5 – 0 – 19 – 0
O. Hepplewhite 6 – 1 – 22 – 0
B. Fielding 6 – 2 – 13 – 2
M. Lee 4 – 0 – 6 - 0
Away at Doncaster Town next week, let’s see if we can keep this unbeaten run going.