21st August vs Wytham

Wytham won by 1 wicket
Eynsham 151-8; Wytham 153-9

Scorecard

Match Report

FOW:23,32,54,54,66,84,84,96Wytham bring a full team to this return fixture, including the legendary "Chuck" Berry, Aunt Sally dolly knocker-over extraordinaire and also renowned for his control of line ‘n’ length over several decades. For our part, yet another father-and-son pair, the Coes, make their debut. Sam wins the toss for an unprecedented second time this year, and there are mutterings about pacts with the devil and that sort of thing. Mercifully he elects to bat first and let the visitors swelter. Ollie and the Professor stride out to open. Their partnership is rather stop-go, like the British economy of the 60s: some balls behave very curiously, spitting up off the dusty surface or scuttling along at ground level. Many are slanted down the legside, especially from the slower opener. Between bouts of forced inactivity, both batsmen attempt to dominate, Olly with a brace of fours to leg, and Nigel with what will probably be the shot of the day, a classical front-foot cover-drive. As happens with the best of these shots, the scene is frozen in time for a few moments, batsman poised in aftershot, fielders like statues – until one of them realizes that he has to go and fetch the ruddy thing…………Ollie soon succumbs to the scuttling type of ball, to which the only true defence is a groin-tearing forward lunge, and Butts joins Nigel. Olly’s role in this innings is not over, however: he returns shortly to umpire, and, after an interval that makes Steve Bucknor’s decisions look positively hasty, raises his finger in response to an appeal for a catch. Nigel is Not Pleased; when asked to comment on the controversy, he declares: "It is only controversial in the sense that I never touch the ball", a statement with which no-one is arguing. We only manage 8 scoring shots in our first dozen overs, but that is lightning compared to the next dozen: Sam, who replaces the Prof., manages only two singles in 8 overs, and Butts and he score at little more than one an over until, mercifully, a skier from Sam is caught. "I was bored", says our skipper – I think he speaks for us all, and certainly for his Dad, who barracks all and sundry unmercifully.Coe junior gets a nasty popper first ball and is now eligible to join the Primary Club. Hughes attempts to gee up the pace, but succeeds only in a) spooning one between bowler and mid-on for a single, b) slicing another between mid-wicket and square leg for another single, c) edging between ‘keeper and slip for two before finally d) middling one and driving it straight to cover – 66 for 5. Dave H. certainly middles the next four balls - 4, 4, 6 and 4 are the results. The spectators cease to heckle and cheer hysterically. With only a dozen overs to go, we need some more overs like this. But we reckon without Chuck B., who in 6 overs so far has snared only Sam. He now dismisses Butts, caught for a dogged 26, and Gav, bowled by a ripping off-cutter – and we are 84 for 7. Head takes brief revenge before Chuck deceives him, too, to finish with 4-15. With only Coe senior ("I prefer bowling", he confides, "you get more than one go") to follow, Adam joins Dave in a desperate mission to raise the hundred and see out the last 10 overs. The field soon spreads as Wytham realize they are not bowling at tail-enders. The quicker bowlers come back, and the "interesting" variations of bounce re-appear. Dave settles down after his opening assault; Adam plays with due care and attention (or is it just the hangover he confesses to that slows him up?). The rate picks up – 5 an over is racing along compared with earlier in the game, and we reach the giddy heights of 6 an over for the last 5, the pair raising the 50 partnership, and, off the last ball, the 150. Adam has only 2 boundaries and Dave 3 after his first over, but their stand has given us a fighting chance of enjoying Murray’s (and his Mum’s) enormous tea………….Wytham bat. Coe senior opens up and bowls a full length, trying to get a bit of wobble. Now and again he gives his wicket-keeping son some exercize diving down the legside, but only concedes 3 scoring strokes in 3 overs. Then, in his fourth, he fools the Wytham no. 2 into what looks like a caught-and bowled, except the ball loops over his head and straight into the trembling hands of Hughes. At the far end, Adam has been experimenting with a slower ball, under the close supervision of Gav, but it is his orthodox yorker which rips out no. 1’s stumps with only 4 more added – 23 for 2. We are feeling a bit cocky; unfortunately, no-one tells us that the no. 4 is still smarting from being carted by Dave H earlier………Adam & Nigel C are replaced by Head and Gav. Head is the target of a number of very unoriginal jokes about Italian food (my advice is never reveal to your team-mates where you go on holiday) and looks less than 100% enthusiastic. This may be on account of what he calls an "old" ankle injury, but somehow "Head’s ankle" does not quite have the ring about it of "Compton’s knee". Despite the jibes and the pain, he bowls with some real pace and has the ball flying past the nose of both batsmen, soooooooooo nearly getting an edge almost every over. The no. 4 meanwhile secures a measure of revenge by carting Gav’s first over for quite a few; suddenly the stand passes 40 and we are looking a bit ineffective and feeling a lot less cocky. The odd misfield occurs: Head gets his body, sore ankle and all, into the perfect "long barrier" position at long-off; we hear the no. 4 shout to his partner: "Keep it to one, he’s got an arm on him"; the ball trickles through some minute chink in Head’s defence and over the line. The 3 Hecklers (Els, Muz & Gull) find it all terribly amusing.Slowly we start to regain control. The Professor comes all the way up from long-off to proffer advice; the Skipper adjusts the field carefully to get the big no. 4 off strike. Finally Gav, now getting some appreciable swing, induces the other batsman (who has 11 out of a stand of 62), to loft to deep cover, and Dave H takes the catch. But the no.4 is not through with us yet, and shields his new partner while another vital 30 are added to put them clear favourites. A run-out is very nearly achieved, with the no. 5 well short but the ball evading ‘keeper Domininc’s glove en route to the bails……but no. 4’s come-uppance is just round the corner. Sam bowls, beats him, and appeals confidently for lbw. No. 4, suspecting he may well be out, runs forward and loses footing; Gav collects the ball, ensures it falls cleanly into Dom’s gloves, and there is no doubt – gone for 74 scored out of 94 – 35 to win now with 6 wickets left. Still looks in their favour, but we have the psychological edge (or so we think!)Immediately our grip tightens. Adam comes on and bruises no. 5’s toes for a plumb lbw decision. No.6 is out a run later to a sharply-snaffled c&b by the Skipper, now skipping around giving orders and moving the field with authority. A pair of suicidal run-outs follows, Olly taking no prisoners with a direct hit from extra cover, and Adam firing one in to Dominic who is faultless in finishing off this time. 132 for 8, and the impetus right with us. Olly pockets a catch off Sam to get them nine down, with 8 to win. The sun sinks. Coe senior is called on for a last over. No time to loosen up, no time for a loosener……….his first is tickled down to long leg for 4. Striving to keep the ball up, his second is also leg-sidey, and slapped in the same direction – Wytham defy the impetus and the odds, and are home by 1 wicket. Close, or what?

Most of their team (and a few of ours) repair to the Queen’s Head, where we are treated to an obscure Wytham post-match ritual that seems to focus rather excessively on the use of Nivea on the cricket field and mobile ‘phones off it. Still, I suppose, having got themselves in and out of jail, they are quite entitled to be a little eccentric.