Match Report: Madehurst - 8th June

Madehurst CC v Southwell Ramblers CC – Sunday 8th June 2014
Result: SRCC lost by 86 runs

“Other than that, how was the play, Mrs Lincoln?”

Mrs Lincoln’s response was never formally recorded, but generally speaking one imagines it’s hard to concentrate on the narrative structure of the 2nd Act when your husband’s been shot and killed in the seat next to you.

“Other than the 86 run defeat, how was the opening game of the Ramblers Season?”

Unlike Mrs Lincoln, I think we can all agree that Sunday was a wonderful way to spend a summer’s afternoon – even if our run chase went the same way as the 16th President of the United States, and was stone cold dead long before the curtain came down.

It had started so promisingly; Warner and Bagnall put together a fearsome and frugal opening burst. Ball beat bat on countless occasions and aside from some robust but risky boundaries Madehurst were becalmed. A change of bowling brought an immediate change of fortune as Ryan Pope, capitalising on Pete and Tom’s groundwork, produced a beauty in his opening over to send their lefty back to the sheds.

Their righty continued to smite merrily, aided by a three dropped catches: one hard, one impossibly hard, and one impossibly easy – but with drinks imminent he played around an off-cutter and was clean bowled by your typically undemonstrative skipper. 80 for 2, and both sides reasonably happy. 

The cat and mouse continued for another 10 overs, but as the mercury rose, so did the run-rate. Another right-hand/left-hand combination gave Madehurst momentum, but Darren Mckay’s first Ramblers spell for nearly a decade kept their middle-order honest and with Ali Turner performing heroics in the field the scoreboard never ticked too quickly. Ali then picked up a crucial wicket with his heavy ball off-breaks, before he and the tireless Tom Handley combined to run-out their dangerman. With the slog now on, Warner and Bagnall returned to apply the brakes. Pete, somehow, went wicketless but an outstanding running catch from Russ Jones put a notch in Tom’s final column and restricted the hosts to 194 for 5. Again, at this stage both teams were reasonably happy. From here the path forked.  

Three ducks and only three double digit scores tells its own story. Andrew Cadge, untroubled by the bowling and unfazed by the situation, looked well set before fatally failing to clear mid-off. Tim Stansbury started as his finished 2013 with a flurry of boundaries and the Ramblers dared to dream, but when he and Ali fell to fine catches behind the wicket in successive balls reality returned with a bump. Popey and Pete threatened briefly, but with only 10 men the end was nigh. From out the shadows come heroes: Stansbury Snr strode purposefully to the crease. With Pope swinging freely at one end, and Joe calmly and stylishly repelling all comers at the other, the Ramblers crept past 100, secured a modicum of respectability, and gave the crowd the finish to remember. 

Team in batting order:
Andrew Cadge, Russ Jones, Tom Handley, Tim Stansbury, Ali Turner, Ryan Pope, Darren McKay, Pete Warner, Gus Williamson(c), Tom Bagnall, Joe Stansbury

Toss: Won by Madehurst

Yellow Jersey: Joe Stansbury

Madehurst CC v Southwell Ramblers CC – Sunday 8th June 2014
Result: SRCC lost by 86 runs

“Other than that, how was the play, Mrs Lincoln?”

Mrs Lincoln’s response was never formally recorded, but generally speaking one imagines it’s hard to concentrate on the narrative structure of the 2nd Act when your husband’s been shot and killed in the seat next to you.

“Other than the 86 run defeat, how was the opening game of the Ramblers Season?”

Unlike Mrs Lincoln, I think we can all agree that Sunday was a wonderful way to spend a summer’s afternoon – even if our run chase went the same way as the 16th President of the United States, and was stone cold dead long before the curtain came down.

It had started so promisingly; Warner and Bagnall put together a fearsome and frugal opening burst. Ball beat bat on countless occasions and aside from some robust but risky boundaries Madehurst were becalmed. A change of bowling brought an immediate change of fortune as Ryan Pope, capitalising on Pete and Tom’s groundwork, produced a beauty in his opening over to send their lefty back to the sheds.

Their righty continued to smite merrily, aided by a three dropped catches: one hard, one impossibly hard, and one impossibly easy – but with drinks imminent he played around an off-cutter and was clean bowled by your typically undemonstrative skipper. 80 for 2, and both sides reasonably happy. 

The cat and mouse continued for another 10 overs, but as the mercury rose, so did the run-rate. Another right-hand/left-hand combination gave Madehurst momentum, but Darren Mckay’s first Ramblers spell for nearly a decade kept their middle-order honest and with Ali Turner performing heroics in the field the scoreboard never ticked too quickly. Ali then picked up a crucial wicket with his heavy ball off-breaks, before he and the tireless Tom Handley combined to run-out their dangerman. With the slog now on, Warner and Bagnall returned to apply the brakes. Pete, somehow, went wicketless but an outstanding running catch from Russ Jones put a notch in Tom’s final column and restricted the hosts to 194 for 5. Again, at this stage both teams were reasonably happy. From here the path forked.  

Three ducks and only three double digit scores tells its own story. Andrew Cadge, untroubled by the bowling and unfazed by the situation, looked well set before fatally failing to clear mid-off. Tim Stansbury started as his finished 2013 with a flurry of boundaries and the Ramblers dared to dream, but when he and Ali fell to fine catches behind the wicket in successive balls reality returned with a bump. Popey and Pete threatened briefly, but with only 10 men the end was nigh. From out the shadows come heroes: Stansbury Snr strode purposefully to the crease. With Pope swinging freely at one end, and Joe calmly and stylishly repelling all comers at the other, the Ramblers crept past 100, secured a modicum of respectability, and gave the crowd the finish to remember. 

Team in batting order:
Andrew Cadge, Russ Jones, Tom Handley, Tim Stansbury, Ali Turner, Ryan Pope, Darren McKay, Pete Warner, Gus Williamson(c), Tom Bagnall, Joe Stansbury

Toss: Won by Madehurst

Yellow Jersey: Joe Stansbury