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Crowcombe All Stars beat Doctors by 6 runs Having discovered at the last minute that
Crowcombe’s home ground had been taken over by the girl-guides, a hasty
search of Somerset fortunately found us a replacement pitch at Brompton
Ralph. Mike Watson’s
youthful team won the toss and elected to bat on a well prepared grassy
wicket which sloped towards the Northerly boundary at about 15 degrees, or so
it seemed when you came to bat on it. An interesting and lovely ground, the
Southerly and Easterly boundaries were invisible over crests on their
respective horizons, and what the fielders were up to down there was
concealed from the batsmen centre-stage.. Crowcombe’s
innings could not have begun more dramatically. At 6.05 Sedge bowled the
first ball and their high-scoring opener Tyrone Ash set off for a gentle
single after a well-placed shot into space in the covers. By one of those quirks of fate Tom Guppy
had been held up in traffic and we had borrowed one of their young fielders,
William Stansfield, who swooped on the ball and threw down the stumps at the
distant end with a rifling throw which found Tyrone stranded a yard short.
William and he returned to the Pavilion as Tom stepped forth to make up the
11. Five balls later it happened again as their other opener was brilliantly
run out by a direct throw from George Ruell. Hugh Ogle then bowled tidily for
two overs for just 7 runs. The fielding was magnificent; we held all our
catches including an energetic one by Jeremy Budd and at 28-5 they looked
dead and buried. Skipper-for-the-day John Ogle rotated 8 bowlers, with Imogen
finishing with 1-17 off 3 accurate and probing overs. But with J Arscott providing a late
flourish with 31, they reached a respectable 93. Doctors began
slowly with Roger Hake being bowled 2nd ball, Imogen 3rd
ball, and Jeremy Budd pouched in the covers for 4; Sedge lasted a long time
but could only manage 12; John Ogle was called for a second run to one he had
steered down to third man and was run out for 4, Tom Guppy adjudged LBW for
6, and the normally dependable Hugh Ogle played over a straight one for just
4; but for our in-form Chris Cullum
who carried his bat for another 26, and George Ruell not out for a lusty 16
we would have had an embarrassment. At the end of our 20 we were 9 down and
just 6 short. It was an enjoyable occasion. |
