The match started with the normal chaos, Spirit legend from another time, Graeme Bond had flown in for the match. Also Ralston had crossed the border from JB to join the side, a little bit fitter than last week as the flu had worn off.
Graeme Bond was not on the team list so we had 12, with only 11 to play in this Official League with umpires and scorers. The game was to start at 1pm according to Amar and the email, British Club wanted 2pm as per the rules but Amar negotiated 1.30pm. Good thing as most were not there at 1 pm including the captain. Sean and Charl were on the early shift at work so were a bit delayed, as was Sandeep who went to the wrong ground but first prize was to newcomer Ross Broun who got out of the taxi at the turf city grandstand. The taxi driver said the ground was around the corner so he put his bag over the shoulder and started walking, when he got to the golf course he stopped and turned around, little was he to know the ground was only a few hundred meters further around the back straight. Ross then walked beck to Swiss club road then walked up the steep hill to the British club, not a mean feat with a bag on the shoulder. After 90 minutes of walking his spirit gave up and caught a taxi home. The non arrival made the selection a bit easier – imagine sending Graeme or Ralston back having come so far, or dropping Ross after walking 90 minutes carrying his bag... The British club had their own problems with one of their better batsman having a substantial drinking session the night before and throwing up some blood so didn’t take to the field so they only had 10. They didn’t ask for a substitute and we didn’t offer...And of course we had an official scorer with no scorebook, both Spirits and British Clubs had IPAD’s but the umpires did not allow it, luckily British club has a spare scoresheet!
Anyway John won the toss, tails never fails, and elected to bat first. John and Dave got off to a flyer with 60 off the first 6 overs and Dave was first to retire with 32 off 20 balls. John took the shine off the ball to retire with 31 off 26 balls. Ashok made 1 off 6 and the first wicket fell at 78 off 9.1 overs. Graeme and Sandeep kept the scoreboard going, as did the wides, and at drinks we were 1/124 after 15 overs. Sean Brown claimed the target needed to be 300 to enable him to bowl, so Graeme was told to hit out and did so going out the next ball for 23. Martyn Towle was 50 today but the umpire didn’t care and gave him out lbw to a ball that was clearly missing leg stump 3/128 and a mini collapse. Sandeep kept the score going to 150 then Graeme went for 2 off 5 and Sivan another lbw for a duck means we had plummeted to 153/5. Sandeep had retired with 31 off 25 balls and Sean Brown, the 300 man, was in with Ralston. Sean claimed none of the batters had hit a six and he was destined to be the first but Ralston beat him to it pulling a six over square leg. Sean tried but only scored 4 off 10 deliveries when he was out and Ralston went soon after for 24 off 27 and the score was 7/181 off 26 overs. Charl who volunteered to be number 11, maybe due to 4 golden ducks so far the year, was next in. The Zaffers have been fighting over the batting order all year and Charl knew he only had to survive the first ball as once he gets going he can be dangerous. Charl got 34 off 23 balls and the retirees came back with Dave going out for 43 off 29 and John getting 35 off 27 with the total being 235 off 30 overs and 34 wides from the British.
Turf City has just being redeveloped with a new green wicket but the manufactures made the wicket above the rest of the ground. With a small run up there was a hole right where Sean landed his foot, anyway that is his excuse for the two wides and two no balls in the first over. Graeme was bowling from the other end and the short ball was punished. Dave replace Sean but the flow of runs continued and British club had raced to 43 off 6 overs but we had two wickets, Dave Hosking caught by Martyn at backward point and Simon Bignell caught very well by a diving Graeme Gardiner in close. After the catch Graeme got another wicket from the short ball and British club were 45/3 of 6. Sean replaced Dave 1/19 off 3 and was able to land the ball on the wicket from the other end but the helped the batmen and he ended up with 0/24 off 3. There might have been a wicket if Sean didn’t start bowling as Ashok was still walking to this position. The ball passed over Ashok’s head as he watched it go for 4. Graeme did a bit better with 23/2 off 3 and Charl finished with 0/20 off 3. The opening 12 overs conceded 14 wides and 2 no balls and British Club were 93/3 off 13 overs, only 14 runs behind Spirits at that stage, especially after Simon Bignell’s 12 off 4 balls. Sivan come on and tightened it up a little and Martyn got his 50th Birthday present with an LBW that was out. Prakash, the replacement of the vomiting Gary Smith, came into bat and took 10 off Martyn’s next over (17/1 off 2). Prakash also welcomed Graeme Bond’s first ball for 6 and he soon retired for 32 off 18 balls. Sean did a brilliant throw on his knees to get a run out, Paul Twine confirmed his “run out king” tag. The retirees came back and Mark Sandy’s went from 31 to 51 in only 10 balls to get to 51 when John took a catch off Sandeep’s bowling 31/4 off 5. Graeme Bond had bowled 18/1 off 3 and the match finished when Sean Brown took a good catch inches from the boundary to get Prakash out and British club were all out for 177 of 26.5 overs. Spirits 9 pts British club 1pt.
Man of the match Sandeep with 31 off 25 and 31/4 off 5.
Worst player – Sean’s good fielding kept him out as did Sivan’s good bowling, Ross Broun for not walking the extra 200 metres, maybe Ashok for not moving quickly enough from Third man to third man each over, or maybe the captains fault for making him go so far!
No worst player awarded as too close to call.
In the other game misfits were all out for 87 and SCC got it in 17 overs
Ladder or Log in Zafferland.
Spirits 2 games 18pts
SCC 2 games 12pts
ANZA 1 game 8pts
British Club 1 game 1pt
Misfits 2 games 1pt
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