Fleet Street Strollers

Peter Simmonds

The headlines:

WCC on top but unable to seal victory - match vs Fleet Street Strollers

drawn.

Mr Hogben will send on stats in depth for those of you who would like to see

them.

But in slightly more depth...

WCC on upwards curve as last week's starting line-up of 9 is turned into a

10 by the time the coin is tossed.

Venue at Chessington survives week's worth of downpours - and no care from

groundsman. Emails promising flat batting strip and glassy outfield prove

hopelessly optimistic. Large clumps of grass on square preclude prompt

start - opposition manage to borrow small push-along lawnmower, and raze the

strip to a slightly more manageable condition.

Stand-in skipper (hope the fingers are fine again soon Mark) follows up

series of sleepless nights in preparation by losing toss - WCC bat.

Ball does not zip through. Hussain's promising start cut short, Hogben &

Harvey M take up the challenge of hitting the ball off the square (overgrown

strips make this harder than you might expect).

Pytches & Lyons pick up the middle order cudgels, and as outfield is also in

need of a trim, find themselves running more 2s than they might have liked

to. Increasingly red complexions provide pleasant contrast to overcast

surroundings.

Tim Marlow shines briefly at end of innings - Webster paces awaiting chance

to inflict damage on the cherry before taking his end of season break early

- but declaration with one ball of innings left before he gets to middle at

fall of wicket leaves him itching for action. Stand-in skipper calls off

run accumulation at 172.

Tea reveals England streaking ahead in test match and generous appetites

among WCC old guard.

Opening burst by PJ Harvey knocks over castle of opener and keeps

wicket-keeper Crown Jules busy - ricochet ends up in second slip's hands,

and he is eventually withdrawn from attack with four. Webster also picks up

one, and opposition, having been set 4.5 run per over target, look unlikely

to win, in face of committed fielding performance.

Flat twirls, but ultimately inneffectively. Jon Nail enters attack, and

manages to hit cut strip with third ball. Radar improves thereafter, and

one ball snicks off stump on way through to Jules without removing bail.

Two overs later, off-stump is removed for real, and Nail retires from attack

at end of over, citing back ache. Ball proceeds to chase him around

outfield henceforth, and team-mates enjoy demonstration of "nothing below

the knee" fielding.

Marlow puts in tidy burst, and then Mike Harvey removes sticky tailender -

WCC 2 wickets short of victory with 8 overs left.

Stand in skip indulges attacking fields, but second P Harvey burst doesn't

quite do the trick, and when Webster is turned to for "two last good overs",

he delivers almost all of them in one go - glut of extras in opening 11 ball

over not enough to persuade oppo they still have a chance of successful run

chase.

In the end, WCC fall those two wickets short of victory - though as one of

them was the woman who fielded for Fleet Street Strollers, and who

ultimately was not called on to bat, we did at least manage to avoid the

shame of getting some tap from Tanya.

FSS, who end on something like 113-7 (they only had ten players too),

promise to investigate a new venue for next year, ruling out the "bring your

own gardening implements" style of this contest.

The WCC story continues next Sunday, when the greatest show on grass (long

or short) heads out to Little Missenden in Buckinghamshire - Rich Maloney

once again heads the selection committee, and you can contact him or even me

to display your willingness.

Stats:

Graham Hogben

Very bizarre start to the day - "lawnmower episode"

WCC 172-5 dec

Pytches 41, Lyons 40*, Hogben 32, M.Harvey 24, Extras 20+

FSS 112-7

P.Harvey 4-47 (first wkts for the club)

Match Drawn

Pytches too heavy for chair in clubhouse afterwards