Chippenham
CC (04/6/2017)
Result:
Weekenders lost by 88 runs
Chippenham
CC 240 for 7 (36.5 overs)
Rix
58, Rattley 46, Vaden-Peer
37, Heather 34, Bryant 27
Orwell 8-1-46-1, Mohsin
6-0-36-1, Dunne 11-1-46-2, Dibley 11-0-86-2, D'inverno 0.5-0-7-1,
Catches: Dibley,
NJ, Lee (wk) x 2
WCC 152 all out
(37.2 overs)
Hussaini
8, Shimoga 25, Lyons 6, Lloyd 47 retÕd
hurt, Hudson 2, Lee 21, Mohsin 0, Orwell 17, Dunne 4,
Dibley 13 n.o., DÕInverno 2,
Pearson 3-28, Hedger 3-21
After some election chat as a warm-up
at the Tharp Arms, Skipper won the toss (wtf?) and inserted Chippenham. The
pitch is such a delight for batting, that at least two Weekenders have a
picture of it as their phoneÕs lock-screen image; and the oppoÕs
openers seemed to share the affection. Both clattered the bowlers when anything
loose was served up, but also unusually offered a number of chances.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Bryant, sporting a pony-tail (a
cricketing rarity in these enlightened days), eventually skewed Mohsin to NJ in the covers. It was the last moment of
fielding joy for NJ, as he would soon release a contagion of dropped catches
and fudged pick-ups throughout the team. Not the big beasts of the team, mind.
For a period, deep extra cover brought to mind the Tanzanian savannah, as Dunne
and Lyons galloped round the boundary like the big prize game they are.
Tea was superb; a tressle-table
groaning with an eclectic confection of watermelon, hot sausage rolls,
buttered-maltloaf and cream scones, catering for
athletes, gourmands and Steve Dunne.
We started our chase with Husaini and Shimoga, and Chippenham opened the bowling with Charles Rattley - one of the most loquacious cricketers anyone had
ever encountered. In between his turns as a sort of South-African Jim Carrey,
he bowled sharp seam-up, and when joined by the chillingly-named
Vaden-Peer, both bowled at speeds to which the
average Weekender is not accustomed. However the sphincter-twitching pace only
sharpened the senses, and apart from Husaini (who saw
his off-stump cartwheel into the distance), the ÔEnders weathered the storm, to
tuck into the high-lobbing morsels offered at the harbour's
inn. But the ravenous cramming of tasty goblets can be a hazardous business and
a choke could be round the corner. Chas Lloyd stood firm and rattled up 47 to
put us on schedule to surpass the target at the end of our allotted overs.
Disaster struck when, like a nasty question on Trident for a Labour leader, his achilles
tendon twanged and with it, twanged our chance of an unlikely win. There was
some late whacking from Dibley and the
batting-bowlers, but in the end, like HusainiÕs
off-stump, this one went with the poles.
Political discussion in the Tharp
Arms
Calm before
the twang