15th August 2004 vs Mansfield Road
Lost by 29 Runs

Mansfield Road batted first and scored 113. Eynsham replied with all out for 84

Scorecard

Match Report

At last, an opposition. OK, they beat us by ten wickets last year, so victory may be too much to expect, but at least they turn up. (The Fixture Secretary’s patent team-tracking device is now fully operational, I gather). I say “they turn up”, though in fact only 10 of them do: the eleventh is still driving round Oxfordshire and presumably getting pretty cross…………….We however are over-subscribed for the second week running; fortunately, Dave Hanson pleads a groin strain or something and we field the traditional number of players.

Dave Harris is skipper this week….at least he can’t complain of having no notice of this honour, as he is appointed the week before but lacks a team to pit his strategy against. Today, in true Sunday captain style, his first act is to walk to the pitch with the opposing captain and lose the toss. We are fielding (where do I remember reading this sentence before?)

With what Macca describes as a “massive” bowling attack – no-one even bothers to count the number of Sunday front-line (let alone back-line) bowlers – we open with Gully & Khan, who makes a rare & welcome appearance. The start is propitious – Khan’s steady first over goes for just 2, Gully’s first is a maiden &, in his second, he teases the no. 2 bat into skying a catch to deep point, where Sam J., running back, takes a remarkable reverse left-handed catch with almost criminal casualness. Accused of “showboating” he retorts “I couldn’t have got to it with my right hand, so I had to use the left”. You cannot fault his logic.

Somehow the new batsman manages to slice Gully over cover for a 6 the next over. This turns out to be a bit of an aberration, in contrast to tight off-peg bowling at both ends, backed up by keen fielding. (Point is a bit chatty, but quietens down a bit after letting a single turn into 2.) The throwing is above average too – at least Dave Keeper makes no visible complaint – except about the ceaseless “entertainment” offered from 1st slip for what DK says has been going on longer than Sonny Ramadhin’s record-breaking 93-over stint in 1957. Luckily Gully is not distracted by this & follows with a fine wicket maiden, clean bowling the other opener – 22 for 2. The pressure is maintained: the admirable Khan bowls 2 maidens in a row and will surely have a wicket but for the excessive caution of the batsmen. When finally rested, his figures are an impressive six overs for only 12 runs.

Ben A replaces him and, in his first over, his whirlwind action (there appear to be twice as many arms as legs) he confuses the new bat into splicing a catch to t’other Ben, who judges it nicely. The no. 4 is trying hard to run either himself or his partner out, and a neat throwing double-act (Ben C to Head then sooo-nearly onto the stumps) almost helps him on his way. Somehow the new pair add 20, but at fewer than 3 an over. Spirits are high in our camp, even among the argumentative Keeper & slip. Gully has finished his spell – 2 well-deserved wickets for 25 from 8 very steady overs in the muggy heat - and a bit of Lady Luck would have provided him with a couple more as he induces a number of mis-hits.

To replace him, the skipper first turns to Ben C. Now Ben has evidently not made friends with the umpire, so a number – it would be cruel to say exactly how many - of his carefully-slanted deliveries are given as wides. But in between he nips in a dead-straight one to catch the dangerous no. 4 on the back foot and the umpire cannot find an excuse not to allow the lbw appeal. When t’other Ben, wobbling the ball about a bit, clean bowls no. 6, Mansfield Rd. are 50 for 5 and in real trouble – which is nice………doesn’t happen to us very often on a Sunday. The skipper walks from mid-off to mid-off with a (for him) very contented expression. And it gets better. Andy Mac, now banished form the slips to extra cover (did DK have a word with the skip?) moves a giant stride or two, picks up & hurls accurately to Ben A, who flicks off the bails with the batsman well short; then Andrew teases out the last (we assume) of the decent batsmen with a ball Boycs would have praised with a “naaaacely flaaayted, soon”.

At this point, with MR 62-7, we should be going for the kill, but unfortunately tea is not ready yet, so there is a bit of Stepping Off the Gas Pedal. Whether by accident or design (I hardly know which would be more culpable), Sam J. strays in both line and length, and the bats, who are no mugs as it turns out, do not miss out. By the time Hughes, at the other end, has his leg-trap working, Khan beautifully placed to take a smart catch behind square leg, we gift away 20 runs. And the 9th (and last) wicket (the no. 11 still driving round the back lanes in increasing dudgeon) add a further 30 with increasing confidence, before Keeper holds onto a ski-ed top edge (“MY BALL!!” he bellows sergeant-major-style, not that anyone else is volunteering). 113 is the final total – doesn’t sound too much of a challenge, but it is 30 more than they ought to have………..

Tea is now ready, and consumed, digested and praised with Gusto (the secret ingredient). Between mouthfuls, I attempt to discuss the match situation. “Should get them”, I say to Dave K. “What do Muslims eat at Christmas?” he responds. I can only assume he does not share my confidence but is too polite to say so. MR’s X1th man now arrives, looking, I have to say, fairly fierce. In contrast to the chirpy South Africans who seem to make up at least half the side, the latecomer is a Tough Aussie, we gather.

Generally however confidence seems high as Head & Skip stride in to open our response. Then we discover that the tough Aussie is a sharpish bowler with what you might call an “appealing” manner. (I think you know what I mean.) When Ben A has the temerity to decline a couple of his appeals, his manner changes markedly – and not for the better, either. Ben stands his ground, bravely it should be said, as the behaviour is not Sunday best - indeed it is a certainty for Jones Snr’s disciplinary board if it happens in an OCA game. Meanwhile, back at the cricket, Head is given out lbw to one that he probably gets some bat on (allegedly). Dave & t’other Sam now play sensibly, with style & some brute force – the skipper hits 3 boundaries & nearly sees off the Angry Aussie before he tries one too many off the front foot & is caught for 18 – 36 for 2 & a good captain’s knock. No cause for alarm as far as we can see………..With the skipper gone, Dave Keeper enters. We are confident, with Macca , both Bens and Khan to follow…..Sam is playing very seriously, judging the good balls well, playing a neat late cut to move into the 20s. The running is incident-free (unlike their namesakes, the famous soul duo, who famously do not speak to each other offstage in 30 years, our Sam & Dave do communicate when going for quick singles). The MR fields are defensive, their appeals grow fewer and quieter, and the batsmen double the score without fuss. Then MR’s second change bowler, who bowls a bit like Ben A but looks at least twice his age (& height) beats Keeper, who inside-edges onto his pad, gets another 50-50 decision and strides off waving his bat in admonishment & petulance (I guess). There is still No Need To Panic. At the other end, a youngish twirler bowls a quiet over, then, unaccountably, gets one almost under Macca’s bat as he aims a full drive to what he thinks is a luscious half-volley – and bottom-edges it to the keeper for a duck. Ben C also finds the twirler more than he bargains for, pads up &, for once, gets a pretty fair lbw decision, he admits somewhat ruefully. Now we are 74 for 5.

Now the mutterings begin………..what’s goin’ off out there, as Trueman might grumble. Khan joins Sam, who has looked unmovable but now drives low only to see the twirler grasp the ball & raise it high. The appeal is deafening, & Sam walks. Khan is befuddled and bowled. The pitch is low & a bit variable but not treacherous; the bowling, from the boundary, seems unchallenging….but no-one now stays in long enough to prove it. All too suddenly we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Andrew is the only man below no. 4 to score a run (2 in fact) but succumbs to a sort of hoick very similar to those displayed by Ben A & Gully moments before. A hypnotist will have trouble competing with the spell that MR cast over the cream (and the rest) of our batting…………….we lose by 29 runs. Hard to know how to conclude………..Mansfield Road (minus one, no prizes for guessing who) return to the Queen’s, and it comes as no surprise that the telly shows South Africa pulling off some unexpected victory in a swimming pool………..it is, you might say, written in the stars