RNVR Cricket Club

Scorecard

Oxted & Limpsfield CC v RNVR Cricket Club on Sun 21 Jun 2026 at 1.30pm
RNVR Cricket Club Lost by 4 wickets

Match report axiom – ˈaksiəm
noun
a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

"the axiom that sport builds character”

Cricket is full of them and whats more a lot of them materialised on Sunday:

A drinks break brings a wicket
One wicket brings two
Tails never fails (T Warnes)
Win the toss on a hot day, bat
Catches win matches

Others are less common but also showed up:

Spinners never shine the ball
Knees used for fielding equals pain
Long barrier can equal laying down

Finally a new one that is now being etched into RNVR CC Selection Committee T&Cs:

If it’s the Summer Solstice, the Opposition is Oxted & Limpsfield and the venue is Master Park you would be wise to NOT select Dale.


You almost have all you need to know about the day, but like any statistical summary it only paints a small, or select, part of the picture.

In the week proceeding another very hot Sunday things had been going relatively smoothly (warning flag ) a good number of ‘availables’, the oppo were contactable and all lined up to host. They had 10 when we had 10, they had 11 when we had 11. We had the welcome return of Bertie Vacher to look forward to, as well as the being delighted that Tom Badger was up for turning out again, Mriksh had finished exams and was persuaded to drag his father out as well, and there was a murmuring that Sir AB was bringing a bowler who would give Warnes Jnr a run for his money with the speed gun. The night before there were no messages of drop outs or concerns over location and match time and on the day trains and traffic was all running smoothly (warning flag).

For the last few years we have played this fixture at the ‘other’ ground while Master Park Pavilion underwent a dramatic upgrade. As we walked down from the station the splendour of the new one came into view. So new that it didn’t stir any memories of the fateful first visit here in 2012 (do, but don’t read that match report)... Skipper-for-the-day Dale (and match report author of both) found his opposite number, discussed and agreed an equitable format that allowed for the ever hoped for potential of ‘win, loose or draw off the last ball of the match’, not only that Tails Never Fails and on the second hottest Sunday of the year so far, we were batting. So pretty much everything had gone our way (warning flag).

Hardman T and Bhanushli M to start us off. It looked solid and promising until it didn’t. It wasn’t to be Mriksh’s day with the bat - opening batters have an axiom about good balls and names on… it happened. Bhanushali Y in at no.3. Yogesh definitely nodded in agreement to Dale’s wise words as he went out: “Plenty of time, no rush, build an innings, be there for a while”. Boom, wallop, keerbang… ball going to all parts of the ground, 6s and 4s galore… And I might draw your attention to the O&L bowling figures. This was no mean feat. At a strike rate (modern cricket language) of 180+ Yogesh made the foolish error of engaging in the drinks break. Straight after, gloved a pull to fine leg. A booming 44 had lit the fuse for an unassailable total in this heat, surely. (warning flag). Tom Badger joined the steadfast Hardman who was in the early stages of constructing a hill (match report The Guards) and contributed a healthy 22. The unfortunate Eason fell to axiom no.2, not a bowler, but that one brings two, and it did. That brought Narozanski to the crease. It’s convention when a new bat joins the established bat at the crease the established bat shares words of wisdom. I have shown the recording to a lip reader and the following message was relayed: “It’s a splendid day to build a hill, would you like to join me? What a lovely idea, it’ll be like sandcastles at the beach, it is rather hot after all”. Now as a tactic on a hot day keeping the oppo out in the field slowly roasting is a well established approach. There does come a point though when we also need some runs on the board for the exhausted oppo to falter in chasing… What followed in order to up the total was a little less than the T20/Bazball approach that us remaining batters had in mind. Tea arrived at the innings close with O&LCC needing to chase down 135. probably 50+ short of a realistic challenge.

Tea was once again a welcome rest-bite from the heat.

Ever the optimist Dale held out hope, belief in fact, that an opening spell from Sir AB and our guest Jospeh Badawi Cook might just provide enough doubt in the oppo’s minds to begin to crumble. And in a way it did. Cook was close to unplayable and Bertie’s knee will testify to the pace and threat he posed. At the other end Sir AB, having been asked at tea how old he was - pretty sure in the small print of his honour that’s a question that can send you to the tower - bowled like, well, a much younger man! The opening 10 overs brought about 2 wickets and not many runs. A game was beginning to take shape. Narozanski, needing a little encouragement, replaced Sir AB and Yogesh swapped out with Joseph. Things were going well with a further 4 wickets taken between them. Unfortunately the oppo were ticking away at the total. It was time to bring on, statistically, RNVR’s most potent weapon, Skipper Warnes. In meeting him you would never suspect that he is a cold hearted killer and there’s probably an axiom for that too. With the 6th wicket taken O&L sent out their NZ pro. Still about 40 needed. And our most lethal bowler holding the ball. Well he wasn’t, as axiom-for-the-day: spinners don’t shine the ball came into play and poor Tex was doing his best to revive the ball to have two distinct sides or what ever it is expected from a seam/swing bowler (he’s just sent a message: distinct from each other you buffoon Dale). Tex bowled like a dream, of course, and the NZ Pro decided he’d offer up some catching practice as he didn’t know what else to do with the ‘booming away swingers’ (Foulds, First Slip advice, A&A tour. Sorry you can’t look it up… nor is it true, I think). You know what’s coming axiom no.5 about catches and matches. The main instigator being new axiom no.1. Placed (by himself) in the same position, on the same line, as that fateful day in 2012, mid on with responsibility to do the thing his banana fingers still can do and catch the ball. Tex gives the knowing nod, take 5 back, be ready for the inevitable (warning flag). It’s up in the air, he certainly hasn’t middled it, that’s catchable. What followed was as lamentable as it was predictable. Sorry skip. “Oh don’t worry, it’s only the game you’ve dropped”… so that’s why he’s a cold hearted killer!

Character building anyone?

Lost by 4 wickets 2012. Lost by 4 wickets 2026. Common denominator, Summer Solstice, Master Park and er, well you know the rest. The ground has some sort of lay-line that is not compatible with his condition/conditions - leave Dale off the team sheet next visit!

RNVR Cricket Club RNVR CC Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 3w 3b 1lb 
for 10 wickets
8
135		        
Tim Hardman b C Read 22 85 2 25.88
Mriksh Bhanushali b R Pearce 3 7 42.86
Yogesh Bhanushali ct Unsure b G Moxon 44 24 6 2 183.33
Tom Badger ct H Ducker b B McCall 20 28 2 71.43
Rob Eason b G Moxon 0 2 0 1
Elena Narozanski Not Out  10 45 22.22
Sir Alex Beard b B McCall 13 15 2 86.67
Joey Badawi Cook st M Patel b D Southcott 8 16 50.0
Ben Dale st M Patel b H Cromartie 7 7 1 100 1
Tex Warnes st M Patel b D Southcott 0 4 0
Bertie Vacher ct M Patel b D Southcott 0 5 0

Oxted & Limpsfield CC Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Rafferty Pearce5.0124124.004.80
Henry Ducker5.02300.000.60
Cameron Read8.0130130.003.75
Gus Moxon8.0136218.004.50
Ben McCall6.011628.002.67
Dom Damesick5.021100.002.20
Harrison Cromartie2.00313.001.50
Duncan Southcott2.01832.674.00

Oxted & Limpsfield CC Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
2w 5b  
for 6 wickets
7
139 (26.2 overs)		     
Rafferty Pearce ct Eason b A Beard 5 17 29.41
Peter Hanrott b A Beard 5 4 1 125.00
Simon Wardley b Y Bharushali 21 38 3 55.26
Harrison Cromartie Not Out  54 58 8 93.10
Duncan Southcott lbw E Narozanski 1 2 50.0
Henry Ducker ct Dale b Y Bharushali 27 16 4 1 168.75
Meet Patel b Y Bharushali 0 2 0
Ben McCall Not Out  19 21 3 90.48
Dom Damesick  
Cameron Read  
Gus Moxon  

RNVR Cricket Club RNVR CC Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Sir Alex Beard5.02924.501.80
Joey Badawi Cook5.011900.003.80
Elena Narozanski5.0046146.009.20
Yogesh Bhanushali7.012739.003.86
Tex Warnes3.001400.004.67
Mriksh Bhanushali1.001500.0015.00
Ben Dale0.20400.0012.00