Theale & Tilehurst Friendly XI vs Hurley Friendly XI

30th May 2010

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Report by Sunny.

A Chapter from my Autobiography in a few years time....

The game with Hurley was an absolute beauty.

Hurley won the game with 4 balls to spare in the final over with one wicket in hand. Overall it was a great exhibition of cricketing talent by both teams. Both teams had a good mixture of young and not so young talent and hats off to the T&T team who played with great spirit and enthusiasm. It was one of the most spirited performances I have seen this year with every team member keen to fight till the last over.

Hurley had a tough outing with T&T last year and they played with conviction. Although we were a bit short on bowlers this game I was sure people in the team were capable of playing a level higher than they are used to and boy they proved me right!

I lost the toss and was put in to bat. It was a brave move by the opposition given that we beat them convincingly last year batting first but with strong winds blowing across the wicket I could see where they were coming from.

Charlie and Ian started the innings with a bang and scored runs at will. Charlie especially looking comfortable against the leg spinner but then Charlie got out to a superb catch at gully. I then joined Ian at the crease and believe me I felt like Lawrence if Arabia, not just because of my helmet but the howling wind that I could hear in my helmet and every now and then dust flying off the pitch.
Ian was looking in good form scoring 7 boundaries for his 30 but then got out to a pull shot he skied up in the air to be caught and bowled.
Harry then joined me in the middle. After a slow start Harry got going and keeping up with his form over the last few weeks looked in supreme touch. One of the best shots was his backfoot punch and drive for a couple of boundaries. We both tried to score at a good rate and with the sun beating down the track it was a tough ask. Harry was brilliant in his running between the wickets and with 10 more overs to go we decided to up the ante. Once we reached our fifties it got difficult for us to get going as the bowling became a lot slower, so slow that you could have a quick single before the ball pitched and still you would be waiting for the ball to land on the pitch. After a partnership of 129 I was the first to go trying to clear mid-on and picked the tallest fielder of their club for a simple catch over his head. Harry too trying to score quickly got out caught. It was a superb innings where he scored 64 valuable runs. Aslan and Spikey then had a tough
ask. They had just 4 overs and boy did they run in between the wickets. Spikey showed off his batting form by scoring a few boundaries and with Aslan they put on a partnership of 39 runs. Both of them
ran brilliantly between the wickets and Spikey showing all the youngsters how to do that in style.

Two words summarise Spikey's tea; absolutely amazing! It's one of the best teas both in terms of quantity and quality. After filling our stomachs more than they are supposed to given the fact that we had to field for 40 overs I decided to give the newish ball to Bobbie and Matt. Bobbie got the first breakthrough by picking up their left handed opener with Spikey taking a low catch at gully. I am not sure anyone else in the team would have caught that after that heavy tea we just had but he looked at ease.

After that first breakthrough we had to wait for a long time for the second one. Bobbie had gone through his spell and Matt gave way to Barrie who had a very good first. Given that the batsmen were set it was tough for any bowler but then guess who came to the rescue, Charlie!! Yes you read that right , Charlie Cooke. There were a lot of eyebrows raised when I gave the ball to Charlie, ESP given the fact that he had never bowled in a match before. And man he bowled beautifully! I am always impressed with anyone who is willing to rise up to the challenge and prove everyone wrong as each individual has talent that comes out only when given a chance. With Charlie on one side I gave the ball to Harry. He was tired after his batting but he showed no signs of fatigue. Must be something in Spikey's tea but hey we were loving this. Harry particularly showing aggression against the batsman who was not able to read his spin and finally got the most awaited
breakthrough, a superb caught and bowled.

After Charlie’s short spell I took the ball and both Harry and I bowled in tandem. The runs were beginning to dry up and suddenly it looked like a different ball game altogether. I got their number 4 batsman and Harry got the most prized wicket of all, the only centurion of the match. Matt took an amazing high catch at deep extra and finished it off with his usual grrrrr!! Loved it.

Andy Shotter kept wickets like a pro! Phil Jenks, sorry mate your days are
now numbered. This lad is brilliant. He took an amazing catch diving to his right and before that took a catch off Charlie. Yep, don't go back to read it again, Charlie got a wicket. Matt and Charlie were able to continue with the same pressure that Harry and I were able to exert.

Charlie had to replace me after my spell and he took 2 wickets in quick successions. The second wicket was only possible because of Ian's best catch of the season. Running backwards from mid on towards long on and in the process of taking the catch made a hole in his trousers around his knee. It was a catch which turned the game to our side.

Wickets were tumbling at both ends and suddenly Hurley needed around 8 runs an over. Matt took centre stage and got their number 9 clean bowled and suddenly we felt we could win the game.

The defining moment of the game came when Oz chased a ball from first slip, caught the ball, turned around and threw it straight onto the stumps. It was a stunning run out.

It all came down to the last over now. 11 needed of 6. I had a quick team huddle and asked the team who was the bravest of all. Aslan was the keenest of all, I do trust this guy but I wanted someone who could just bowl stump to stump with no real pace. Sorry Aslan, we would never know how the game would have panned out if you had taken the ball but I decided to go with Ian. With just one wicket remaining just one good ball could finish the game for us.

First ball, no ball and boundary. 6 off 6 now. Another no ball and this time a bye.. 4 off 6 now. Dot ball. 4 off 5 now. Next ball, no ball and one bye. 2 off 5 now. And then a shot over the fielders and Hurley run 2 to finish the game.

It was a great end to a nail biting game and I think everyone enjoyed the game.

Hats off to all who made this a wonderful Sunday cricket game and especially to the team who till the last over didn't give up.

A special thanks to Charlie’s Mum and Bobbie’s Dad who supported us through the game and to Oz who is always there to chip in by umpiring, helping in the kitchen and doing everything that a club supporter must do.

On a finishing note, Charlie, I think I have found a very useful bowler in you and make sure you keep that skill fine tuned.  It's not long when an opening first XI batsman would need to turn his arm to be the man with the golden arm.

Looking forward to the next chapter in my autobiography next week...