RNVR Cricket Club

Scorecard

Maori Oxshott CC v RNVR Cricket Club on Sun 26 Jul 2020 at 13.30
RNVR Cricket Club Lost by 4 wickets

Match report

So to match four of the truncated season. What the current circumstances do bring to the match managers organisational tasks is a rare RNVR thing, that of being over-subscribed, even having to negotiate appearance fees… well, not quite. The initial line up saw a statistically compelling range of club members representing debuts from each decade starting in 1980’s, Crichton, 1990's Buckland and Dale, through to the current new decade and the excitement of new found youth in Max Vallance. Unfortunately with younger years, when work says “your shift is on Sunday” not even the name RNVR holds any sway for paid leave. Depending on your outlook, problems present opportunities and a timely announcement that doctors had given V Kumar the all clear to resume cricket meant the disappointment of Max’s news switched to the satisfaction of Vinay’s return.

Arrangements, reminders and travel plans all in place, we were set. A small hiccup on pre-match meet location, Dale puts it down to covid-19-pre-book-pubs-and-download-apps-please situation but actually it was more likely just one of the longer standing side-effects from having been an "early adopter" of said virus for Dale. Fish and chips and a beer consumed, liaison at MOCC with remaining team members and we were ready to go.

Buckland, having cycled from Ealing, was re-introduced to his modern day team mates each one being met with a cordial “keep your distance” - being sharp with maths, probability theory and a few years bullying Public Health England into shape, he wasn’t risking close interaction with the RNVR’s vectors of disease, a wise move in normal times let alone these.

At this point, and with the benefit of hindsight, Dale (match manager, skipper for the day and author) suspects he may well have been played by the opposition captain: ‘we’re week batting, full of youngsters and haven’t played yet… you should bat… when you get to 220-240 declare… that way you’ll have all had a game…. hmmm a sharper processor of information or a more cynical observers might have smelt a rat. Dale, however, happily agreed to the pre-agreed outcome of the toss. At least this time he’d agreed a time game, phew!

Reza and Priddle got off to a fine start with Priddle looking in control from the off, his calm demeanour easing 22 runs of the first 30. He then feel to a flash - at the ball - which resulted in the flashy 2nd slip taking a blinding catch high above his head at pace. Maroof and Hewens locked in for further controlled batting, with Maroof clicking into gear and the ball crossing the boundary rope 6 times until, at 30, he was cleaned up. Hewens saw us through a further 60+ runs, the main partnership being with Massey until he was out himself for 23. Hylton and Club Captain Charlie Crichton really didn’t do anything that appeared in this authors note book, there were rumours of the wrong batting cap and an upside down jock strap but the net result was 2 runs for Hylton and 0 runs for CCCC.

Massey 27 and Pepler 22 both revived the over all accumulation with Buckland and Bamford chipping in support. Kumar added an important 17 batting in the penultimate batting slot - hitting the sides only 6 of the day. Which left the last effort to be for the skipper to twang his hamstring swishing at a ball he didn’t get and frantically stretching to not be stumped. An injury of athletes and old men, they’ll be an Instagram stories poll to vote on which one of these seems appropriate in this instance, just as soon as Hewens can stop laughing and post the video of pirouetting/collapsing Dale…

Having had a couple of breaks for showers the end of the innings and Tea coincided at pretty much the agreed time. Our total of 180 represented a number of good starts but with only Extras pushing on… something to defend but would it be enough?

home made and packed teas were taken. Use of the one-way system through the changing rooms-no-longer-changing-rooms to use the remodelled facilities was negotiated smoothly and Buckland selected a new ball from the box of balls without touching anything – a new skill for the CV surely.

Vinay opened from the far end and did err slightly with a few full balls that were gratefully steered to the boundary by the opening bat. Completely forgivable since he had neither picked up a ball for 9 months nor long since been signed off by a bewildering number of doctors who had questioned his sanity in wanting to play cricket, or was that cricket for the RNVR? He was soon back in the groove and bowled a tidy spell. Welcome back. Of which, Buckland rolled back the years with a miserly opening spell of 7-0-14-1 and it included two things: 1. A ball that pitched middle and leg then promptly jagged away over the top of off, leaving the batsman ’squared up’ bemused and grateful not to have got a touch, the keeper and slip cordon in amazement and this author being taken back to the early 1990’s with a flash back to… well, a long time ago. 2. Like Chris Woakes in the other cricket match going on, having the opening bat caught at square leg off only his 2nd ever recorded no-ball (maybe).

Massey had been brought on for Vinay and Bamford replaced Buckland. Massey’s first 5 overs went for only 6 runs, he had them tied in knots. Bamford's 5 overs included two wicket maidens and finished 5-2-18-3 a cracking spell and well worth the drive from the New Forest but maybe not the locksmiths fee for opening the boot to get the car keys back? Between them they had put the lid on MOCC’s run chase and things, if not under control, were certainly looking good at 61-4. Things then began to swing - easier to say in hindsight - in MOCC’s favour and a 100 run stand was patiently ticked off by Depree and Stephen, despite the best efforts with the ball by Phillips, and the unfortunate-not-to-have-taken-3-or-4 Priddle. The introduction of Pepler and Hewens offered a glimmer of hope as two wickets fell in quick succession with the score on 167 and 168, but ultimately Depree smote a 6 over long on for MOCC to cross the line.

The weird elbow bumps ceremony negotiated and with degrees of having changed on the edge of the pitch or in the car park out of whites, the team were instructed by skipper Dale to go find a ‘buddy’ in the opposition and buy them a beer. Dale had considered this a friendly gesture as no ’teas’ were being charged and we, after all, were the guests. However after one player declared “where’s their young school boy?” there was a degree of concern as to how the instructions had been received.

*To be clear, and on the advice of the club lawyers, the phrase was intended as a means to purchase a cheap non-alcoholic drink. As an under eighteen could not legally have a beer purchased for them, beer being more expensive than pop. And no, under no circumstances is the name of that person being released. Ever.

The tidy up left this author with several photographs of score books (correct pages this time!), two team members climbing aboard their bikes to cycle back to the big smoke and Reza, Hylton and Pepler to slope off for an Italian steak with Jamie Rednapp, what?

Next, the Sussex Tour.

RNVR Cricket Club RNVR CC Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 8w 10b 2lb 
for 10 wickets
21
180		        
Nick Priddle ct b Gibson 22 3 1
Reza Maroof b Gibson 30 6
Ed Hewens lbw b Steven 23 2
Hylton Phillips ct b Stanley 2
Charlie Crichton b Steven 0
James Massey b Steven 27 3
Mark Pepler st Burns 22 2
James Bamford ct & b Burns 6
William Buckland ct b Harper 5 1
Vinay Kumar Not Out  17 1
Ben Dale b b Steven 5

Maori Oxshott CC Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Murphy S6.0128128.004.67
Gibson8.0227213.503.38
Miles S 4.0020120.005.00
Stephen W6.202145.253.32
Hanson R3.003000.0010.00
Burns J8.0032216.004.00
Harper G5.0011111.002.20

Maori Oxshott CC Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
4nb 7b 6lb 
for 6 wickets
17
181 (41.2 overs)		     
Barnes O b Bamford 32 4
Kahn S b Buckland 14 2
Miles S b Bamford 13 1
Barrand T b Bamford 0
Depree G Not Out  46 4 1
Stephen W lbw Pepler 59 11
Harper G ct Priddle, b Hewens 0
Burns J Not Out  0
Murphy S  
Gibson  
Hansom R  

RNVR Cricket Club RNVR CC Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Vinay Kumar7.003000.004.29
William Buckland7.0014114.002.00
James Massey8.022800.003.50
James Bamford5.021836.003.60
Hylton Phillips4.002500.006.25
Nick Priddle4.001900.004.75
Mark Pepler5.0024124.004.80
Ed Hewens2.2013113.005.57