Theale & Tilehurst Friendly XI vs RUASCC Friendly XI

23rd May 2010

Dear Dr Mehta

It is with some regret that I find myself writing to you in your capacity as club welfare officer. However, I do feel that I need to bring to your attention a rather unsavoury incident that happened in our game against RUASCC today.

It was the final ball of the first innings that I need to draw your attention to in particular. Mike Orriss was bowling and had just missed out on his hat-trick after seven years of waiting. He beat the outside edge of young Rahul’s bat, and when I say young we’re talking about 10 years old, and our wicket-keeper shamelessly threw the ball at the batter striking him a nasty blow. It was a completely unnecessary act as the batters were not attempting a run and quite why James felt the need to indulge in such brutality remains a mystery to all of us. It is an event that I hope is not repeated.

It is possible that the foundations of the incident were laid in the fall of the first wicket in the game. Michael was in the process of bowling his best spell of the season and had bowled an absolute cracker at Ward. The batter was still trying to work out quite what the ball had done when James launched an underarm shy at the stumps for the dismissal.

Dicko followed this up with a couple of wickets, a fine caught and bowled off one of many full tosses to dismiss Eagle, and at an early stage it looked like we might take control. However, the RUASCC skipper Dip Patel and Baker both batted well to take the RUASCC score to a competitive 219-7 in their 44 overs (in what was an 85 over match). James had picked up a second stumping from Michael’s bowling and I think it’s fair to say Michael’s figures don’t reflect how well he bowled.

I know how much you enjoy your teas and with Grandma Dixon on tea duties we were done proud. As ever there was some very fine millionaire shortbread on offer; I know your deep love of pickle but I’m pleased to say that she had gone for the traditional caramel filling in the shortbread.

Needing five an over we suffered a couple of early setbacks with the bat as Paul and James B both went early. Fortunately Hammad and Aygzz were able to steady the ship with a fifty partnership for the third wicket before Hammad tamely chipped a full toss to midwicket in the over after drinks.

When Aygzz went for a fine 68 to leave the score 138-5 we looked some way from the winning line. However, I have some more positive news about our youngsters as between them Harry, James and Mikey scored the 82 we needed to win the game in fourteen overs. Harry was very much to the fore with an outstanding 71 but James and Mikey also played important parts.

If you believe in natural justice this happened when the young Rahul came on to bowl and soon dismissed his tormenter from the first innings; James’ mother and younger brother leaving the ground shame faced shortly after the dismissal.

We ended up getting the winning runs from the 3^rd ball from the final over of the innings and fittingly it was Harry playing what is becoming a trademark back foot drive through extra cover that got the winning runs. It was, bar one incident, one of the best Sunday games I have played in for some time.

I will leave it to you and your abnormally sized brain to decide if natural justice has worked its majestic course or whether further action needs to be taken over the above incident.

Your humble servant

Fingers

THEALE AND TILEHURST CC SCORECARD
Home Team		Theale and Tilehurst						Away Team		RUASCC
Date of Match		23rd May 2010						Played at		Theale

		Team							Result	Team
Result		Theale and Tilehurst							beat	RUASCC

1st Innings of		RUASCC
	Name	How Out			Who			Bowler		4's	6's	Score
1	Ward	st			J White			M Holder		3	0	14
2	Eagle	ct			M Dixon			M Dixon		4	0	19
3	Dip Patel	st			J White			M Holder		12	1	77
4	Brenand-Carter	bowled						M Dixon		1	0	5
5	Stewart	lbw						B Cooper		3	0	17
6	Baker	run out			H Osbon / J White					7	1	65
7	Griffiths	bowled						B Cooper		0	0	6
8	Rahul	not out								0	0	1
9	Main	not out								0	0	1
10	Ashman
11	Withers
							Byes	3
							Leg Byes	3
							Wides	5
							No Balls	3
									Extras			14

							Wickets	7	Total			219

Bowling			O	M	R	W
1	M Holder		11	1	70	2
2	M Dixon		11	2	45	2
3	J Bozarth		1	1	0	0
4	H Osborn		10	2	52	0
5	B Cooper		10	2	38	2
6	M Orriss		1	0	8	0
7
8

Fall of Wicket
	Score	Outgoing Bat				Stand of
1	26	1				26
2	34	2				8
3	50	4				16
4	93	5				43
5	141	3				48
6	202	7				61
7	213	6				11
8
9
10




2nd Innings of		Theale and Tilehurst
	Name	How Out			Who			Bowler		4's	6's	Score
1	H Ali	ct			D Patel			Baker		6	2	46
2	P Osborn	ct			Main			Withers		0	0	0
3	J Bozarth	ct			Main			Ashman		0	0	0
4	P Ager	ct			Baker			Stewart		11	1	68
5	B Stroud	bowled						Main		0	0	1
6	H Osborn	not out								10	1	71
7	J White	bowled						Rahul		2	0	15
8	M Holder	not out								1	0	7
9	B Cooper
10	M Orriss
11	M Dixon
							Byes	0
							Leg Byes	8
							Wides	4
							No Balls	2
									Extras			14

							Wickets	6	Total			222

Bowling			O	M	R	W
1	Ashman		5	0	33	1
2	Withers		11	1	50	1
3	Main		8.3	2	34	1
4	Baker		9	0	58	1
5	Stewart		4	0	20	1
6	Rahul		3	0	19	1
7
8

Fall of Wicket
	Score	Outgoing Bat				Stand of
1	10	2				10
2	23	3				13
3	86	1				63
4	99	5				13
5	138	4				39
6	185	7				47
7
8
9
10