Whalers CC lost by 8
wickets
The omens were good as the
Whalers gathered at Chiswick at the weekend. The tour hangovers had worn off,
it was the club President’s birthday, and we had a strong batting line-up
including no less than five Whalers centurions. The good news continued as Dan
won the toss and in conditions resembling a sauna in
Unfortunately, the afternoon
went rapidly downhill from there, as the KCCC openers proved to be fast and
accurate, and we were 2 wickets down for no runs after the first over. Pip and
Al consolidated, but the first runs off the (edge of the) bat didn’t arrive
until the sixth over, and the KCCC change bowlers also turned out to be very
good. Each time it looked like we might be about to throw off the shackles, we
lost another wicket, with Pip falling for 14, Ben for 8 (including a glorious
cover drive for four), and Ollie and Stu joining Oz and Andy Nelson in showing
that, whatever else the 2001-era Whalers might now be too old for, you’re never
too old to score a Whalers duck.
After 21 overs
we had crawled to 47 for 6, and things were looking pretty desperate. However,
Rob carried on his excellent form with the bat with a series of well-struck
shots (including 4 fours in consecutive balls) and, once Al had gone for 21, he
was joined by Matt in bringing some respectability to the score. Unfortunately,
both of them fell (for 44 and 24 respectively) just as things were looking up,
and when Dan and Ed Kay got into another Whalers run-out tangle, we were all
out for a mere 142 – with almost 4 overs from the
KCCC 5th/6th choice bowlers still unused.
To defend this, we would
have to bowl well and take our chances. And Matt bowled superbly, taking two
early wickets, and being denied a third in controversial circumstances when
most people were convinced that the KCCC number 3 had gloved one to Ollie down
the legside. Unfortunately, this belief was not
shared by either the batsman or the umpire, and with the Whalers managing to
drop a few catches and both batters dispatching anything short or over-pitched
(of which there was quite a lot) to the boundary, the darkening clouds overhead
were reflecting our chances.
And so although the ground
fielding was tidy and Ollie kept very well throughout, with lightning piercing
the skies and north
Whalers – 142 all out from 34.2 overs
(Rob 44)
KCCC – 144 for 2 from 25.5 overs
(Matt 2-9)
Champagne moment: Rob’s 4
fours in consecutive balls
Muppet moment: Dan’s water
strop
Man of the match: Matt
(honourable mention for Rob)