Salix CC won by 5
wickets
On what Michael Fish declared was the “hottest day on
record,” Whalers took to their cars or alternatively put faith in London
Transport and headed to the familiar Glaxo Smith Kline Leisure Club at
Greenford for the match against old sparring partners Salix.
The early arrival of the majority of the team showed the
requisite hunger for a match of this magnitude with several Whalers bowlers
using the opportunity for a net session, continually lodging some old balls on
the top of the net in an attempt to confuse the watching opposition.
Before long, a casual looking Osgood wandered out into the
middle and proceeded to return having won the toss and elected to bat –
obviously hoping that the searing heat would affect Salix’s fielding skills
during the 35-over showdown.
A tight opening few overs from Davidson and Kulasinghan
meant the score was 2-0 off 5 overs with Oz using the opportunity to practise
the defensive side of his game. However, Paul M soon felt he had spent enough
time playing himself in and hit three fours in an
over. Oz was less cavalier taking twenty deliveries to register his first run,
but a succession of quick singles interspersed by the odd boundary saw Whalers
to 45-0 off 11.
Paul M (26) was the first wicket to fall, bowled by a good
delivery by Lumsden and after a quick drinks break, Ben joined Oz at the
crease. After seeing out the remaining 5 balls of the over however (and then Oz
running a quick single off the first ball of the next), Manzi decided it was
time to play that all too familiar shot of his from this season, looping a poor
ball straight up into the air on the off-side where it was taken with ease for
a duck.
Si was the next batsman in, and together with Oz proceeded
to put on 24 for the next wicket before Oz (35) tried his luck one too many
times with a lofted shot to long-on off the bowling of Harvey who had grown
wise to Oz’s wagon wheel and had placed a fielder accordingly.
Channa came and went, hitting a great shot for 4 before
going for the big heave-ho and being undone by Dutta’s looping full-toss and
unluckily playing on. Ed was the next to be dismissed, also trying to hit Dutta
but getting a top-edge and giving an easy catch to the wicket-keeper for none.
Will didn’t hang around either, hitting a quick single before a
swing-and-a-miss facing Lumsden proved his downfall.
At this stage, Whalers were reeling on 85-6 off 20 overs and
after Gould decided to give the umpires practice in ajudging tight lbw decisions,
he too fell for just two off the bowling of Kulasinghan who had come back on to
complete his quotient of overs. Playing at Glaxo, a wag in the capacity crowd
suggested that some of the Whalers’ middle-order must have raided the drugs
cabinet before going out to bat.
Dan managed to steady the ship somewhat with Si, nudging the
ball around for some ones and twos and keeping us in the game. However, when Si
was bowled for Dutta’s third wicket for 33, his replacement Khalil soon pulled
Matt and Dan almost managed to see out the final five overs
with Dan hitting some much-needed boundaries and Matt not doing anything
extravagant, well aware that we needed to see out the 35 overs. However, it was
arguably Salix’s best bowler, Davidson who was to account for Matt, bowling him
for 5 to end up with figures of 6.1-2-9-1. Dan remained the not-out batsman on
23. Whalers thus finished on 146 in the knowledge that there was a lot of work
to do after the tea-break.
Refreshed and raring to go it was the tried and tested
Gould-Ahmed partnership that opened the bowling for Whalers. However, neither
Khalil nor Jim was able to make the breakthrough, Khalil unlucky on occasion as
balls dropped just out of the reach of fielders. Matt and Dan took up the baton
afterwards and it was Dan who finally made inroads into the Salix innings with
a ball that beat Dyson’s defences. Rickman soon followed when Ed got one to keep
low after a variety of deliveries beforehand had confounded the batsman. When
Paul trapped an irate Davidson lbw, wickets were beginning to fall although due
to a particularly generous amount of Extras, Whalers were facing an uphill
battle with 44 needed off 11 for Salix. Wickets for Si (trapping the dogged
Spillane for 20) and then Khalil followed but soon Salix had got the required
run rate down to 3 an over and were looking favourites.
With one run needed off the final two overs, it looked a
foregone conclusion but the return of a fired-up and miserly James Gould who
was determined to avoid a twenty-five pence fine for losing the game off his
bowling, saw six fast and accurate deliveries which the batsman found tough to
get away and some smart alert fielding allied to Gould’s line and length
resulted in a maiden over at a crucial time.
With pressure building on the batsmen, Dan, as captain, took
responsibility for the final over and after another two excellent deliveries
ended in dots, belief amongst the Whalers that a tie
could be snatched from the jaws of defeat grew. However, a good shot through
the leg side which Si was unfortunate not to stop meant Shaw (40*) running the
single they required and wrapping up a 5 wicket victory.
All in all, it was a close game with several “what ifs” and
“if onlys” being discussed in the changing room afterwards. However, with a few
exceptions Whalers’ batsmen did not fire and despite the Salix batting line-up
being tied-down a lot of the time through good bowling and fine fielding,
pressure was continually released with the addition of 47 runs to their total,
thanks to Extras – a far too high quantity when only defending 146.
Smiles were soon put back on faces though as Will and Channa
jovially frolicked around in the shower pretending to look for the shower gel
and ensured that it was not all doom and gloom following the defeat.
Man of the Match was awarded to Si for a resolute and classy
batting performance, holding the innings together for a large amount of time
when men fell around him and his tight left-arm over spin bowling which Salix
struggled to contend with.
Muppet went to Will for his antics post-shower when he
proceeded to don a towel the size of a cocktail napkin and the
Whalers are better than this and will hope to up their
performance next week against Roehampton.
Match
stats:
Whalers CC
146 – Oz 35, Si 33, Paul 26, Dan 23*
Salix CC
147-5
Man of the match: Si
for a resolute and classy batting performance
Champagne moment: Paul
M for his trapping of Davidson leg-before
Muppet moment: Will for
his antics post-shower when he proceeded to don a towel the size of a cocktail
napkin