Whalers Tour of
The 2009
Whalers tour led the club to the delights of
After a
selection process lasting several months the squad was chosen according to
those who had actually been bothered to pay for the hotel and was as follows:
Retained from last year’s
Finally for
the Sunday game we were kindly leant a 13 year old Lymington colts
player Kieran Moors. Shrewd analysts of Whalers tours may have already worked
out who would be the only player to score a half century during the weekend,
but more of that later.
Game 1 vs. Martinstown CC T20
After a
lengthy afternoon drive the Whalers arrived in the depths of
Matt and
Rob opened the bowling and Rob made an early breakthrough with Simon taking a
catch to dismiss Lewis for 10. Thereafter the wheels rather came off for the
Whalers as Nicholls (60) and Ross (29) put on runs at a decent pace, and we
looked like a team that had not played a T20 fixture in years and had just
fallen out of a car after a two and a half hour drive. Which
was pretty much the case. Just as tempers in the field were rising the
introduction of Simon to the attack proved important as he took two wickets in
two balls (finishing with 2-33) and the new batsmen couldn’t quite keep the
rate going at it’s previous levels. Dan picked up a
wicket and a run out and Pip bowled the penultimate over conceding just two
runs as Martinstown were pegged back but still finished on a very respectable
134-5 from their 20 overs.
In response
the Whalers started briskly but lost Al for 6 and Ads for 17 to opening bowler Flello. Thereafter the middle order got very bogged down as
Ben compiled a 6 ball 1, Kamal an 8 ball duck and Pete just 9 and we were 49-5 after
11 overs. At this point Rob provided some much need impetus to the innings
hitting consecutive fours and then an enormous straight six before being caught
for 15. At the other end Pip was doing well keeping the score ticking over and
when Dan joined him both started swinging the willow effectively including two
sixes from Dan and the game turned quickly with the Whalers suddenly looking
like they would coast home. However Dan was determined to instil panic wherever
possible and managed to run out Pip for 28 and then Si without facing a ball to
leave the Whalers 9 down for 122 with 16 still required.
With Matt
coming in at number 11 a succession of fraught singles nursed the Whalers
closer with 6 required off the last over. With the Martinstown captain missing
a clear run out chance in the final over the scores were tied after the
penultimate ball and it was left to Matt to edge the ball backward of point (or
delicately place the ball with a late cut according to who was telling the
story) for four as the Whalers triumphed with a one wicket win, spared Dan’s
(42*) blushes and left the opposition wondering how exactly we had managed to
pull this one out of the bag.
MOM: Dan
Osgood 42* and 1-14
Champagne
moment: Rob’s straight 6
Muppet moment:
Dan running out Si without facing a ball.
After the
game the team were kindly invited to Mr and Mrs Whistler’s nearby residence
where they laid on an excellent BBQ including some superb lamb and kept us all
entertained and very well fed. Thereafter we headed to the excellent Hotel
Royale in
The next
day dawned brightly and after a hearty breakfast for those that made it up
before the midday meet time we headed down to the mini golf course just back
from the front. A highly competitive game ensued with Pip eventually defeating
Ads at the second play off hole. Confusion over the start time with our second
game against Swanage Veterans had resulted in a 4pm start, which gave us time
to watch the British and Irish Lions nearly come back from the dead against
Game 2 vs. Swanage Veterans CC T20
The Whalers
again found themselves fielding first against Swanage. The ground had a very
long boundary on one side and a very short one on the other. As is traditional
when faced with such imbalances the opposition proved very adept at finding the
short fence while it seemed a million miles away for the visiting Whalers.
The Whalers
made some excellent early inroads with Clippy claiming one early wicket and
Matt two (4-0-22-2) including a very sharp catch by Ads at short backward square
leg, where he had just been placed. The immortal phrase ‘a proper cricket
wicket’ was even mentioned. From 20-3 however Swanage proved to be very strong
as the King family dominated the Whalers attack with several sixes and lost
balls over the fence on the short boundary. During one extended and fruitless
search for a ball this correspondent took time out to have a nap on the
outfield and had to be awoken before play restarted. Rob chipped in with a
couple of wickets later on (4-0-27-2), and Pip one but Swanage finished on a
commanding 152-6 that included 24 extras – another disappointing effort in the
field.
In response
the Whalers got off to a tricky start as Al was run out for 4 trying to tempt
Si into being run out without facing twice in two days, only for Si to depart
for a duck a few balls later. Ads and Ben scratched around for 7 and 8
respectively, but the rate was again slovenly and when Pete was bowled for 10
the Whalers were 48-5 after 10 overs – a remarkably similar situation to the
previous day’s events. Could we redeem ourselves again?
Duncs, who
had travelled down that morning, sought to up the ante with a lively 26 and Pip
again did well with a quick 17 and Whalers were back in the hunt (sorry) but
both departed to the bowling of Hector and with Rob dismissed for three and
Clippy 1, we were staring down the barrel at 106-9. Dan came in at number 11 to
join Matt and amidst some frantic running kept the score moving, but boundaries
proved hard to come by and 16 off the last over proved too much as Matt was run
out for 26 and Whalers lost by 11 runs. The Whalers stopped for a social drink
in the evening sunshine before heading back to the bright lights of
MOM: Matt
Lucas 2-22 and 26*
Muppet: Dan
At this
point the squad divided briefly with most going for a curry and some sticking
to the culinary excellence of KFC before meeting Gibbo and Mrs Gibbo and some
of their friends at O’Neills just down from the hotel for a few light
looseners. Once kicked out of there we headed back to the Walkabout for some
team rounds of drinks. As the kitty was passed around the rules were no beer,
can’t be a drink we’ve had before and everyone must have the same. Cue all the
old favourites (tequila, WKD) and some new ones (summer fruits cider) and all
the usual complaints about whatever had been chosen. And onwards we continued
with some of the Whalers even attempting ‘dancing’ until a few retired home and
others moved onto the next door club Camel where they stayed until well into
the early hours. I’m not quite sure how late, but it had been light for a while
when we finally left and we still had time for a quick pizza on the way back.
Game 3 vs. Lymington CC
By Sunday morning an increasingly tired and mostly drunk assembly of
‘cricketers’ headed down to the seaside town of
Dan won the
toss in a losing it but we’ll let you bat kind of way, and we were, well,
batting. The new opening partnership of Rob and Pip started off well against
some accurate bowling, including a youngster coming in off about a 50 yard
run-up. Rob was out bowled, soon followed by Al who found the prospect of
facing a 15 year old actually turning the ball just way too much to deal with
and Ben went for a quacker and we were in familiarly
dispiriting territory at 32-3. Pip (42) and Duncs continued their good tour
form against the mostly spin attack. Duncs had already been granted a life in
the most bizarre circumstances when having neatly dollied
a catch up to cover was recalled as their wicketkeeper had sneezed when he is
in the process of making the stroke! He went on to make 22 before a head in
clouds moment brought Lymington’s Kieran to the
crease.
Kieran had
significant advantages over most of the Whalers – being young, fit, sober and
having something resembling technique for starters and he compiled an excellent
partnership of 77 with Si who scored his first runs of the tour to a cheer and went
on to make 38. Lymington continued to vary their attack using 9 bowlers in
total, and with some late hitting the Whalers managed to squeeze past 200
finishing on 203-9 with man of the moment Kieran making his debut 50 to the
appreciation of both of Whalers and the sizeable home crowd.
After an
excellent tea the Whalers started well in defence of their score with Dan, Matt
and Clippy making early breakthroughs and keeping the run rate down. Simon also
picked up a wicket in his first spell and at drinks Lymington were 73-4 and the game was finely balanced. Two of the
younger members of the Lymington team had set about building an innings though
and both progressed well despite them having to face Al’s bowling which
apparently hadn’t featured in any recent coaching manual. Both batsmen were out
just short of their half centuries prompting some tears but no sympathy from
big bullies Andy and Rob who had got them out. It was left to some big hitting
from Stevenson to take Lymington close to their target and despite three late
wickets from Rob and some very tight death bowling from Matt the home team ran
out deserved winners by 2 wickets with just two balls to spare.
MOM: Kieran
Moors 55
Muppet:
Duncs for being called back after being out because their wicketkeeper sneezed.
Big thanks
to all three clubs who hosted us, and to Gibbo for
handling the local arrangements so expertly. Thanks also to all the drivers,
Simon’s parents for hosting us on the Friday evening, and everyone who played.
All in all a fantastic tour with all three games going to the final over, and a
great time had by all, at least until we had to go to work on Monday.