Run fest at Broxbourne
HTCC 1st/2nd XI vrs Broxbourne
(Away)
HTCC 252 for 1 Declared
Broxbourne 136 for 7
This game was a little bit of a mismatch from
the start. Broxbourne fielded a weak 2nd team with one
Saturday 1st team player and HTCC fielded a reasonable 1st/2nd
team with a couple of new players (and only 10 men). Broxbourne,
like HTCC had a couple of players drop out Sunday morning, but
although the game was slightly uneven, it did provide some
interesting cricket at times.
The funny thing about when me and Faz bat
together, is that we always seem to put on big partnerships – I
think we put on 186 in 21 overs, before I hobbled off the pitch with
a hundred. Faz batted really well for his 74 not out and Boysie hit
a quick fire 40 before being Broxbourne's only victim
After an excellent tea, Tyrone and Commie
opened the bowling and worked well together – Commie broke thru
first to remove Broxbourne’s 1st team batsmen, after he
had looked like scoring a few. Tyrone then took a wicket and then
the race was on between the two young strike bowlers to see who
would get the most wickets. Tyrone won this race 4 to 2, and could
have had more with three catches going down off his bowling. Equally
Commie bowled a good line and length and was unlucky only to take
the two wickets. Of the other bowlers Tony bowled with hostility and
cut their better batsmen in two with some good bounce and seam
movement. Kojak was a little wayward to start, but started to cause
problems and Boysie handed the gloves to new boy Eric Williams and
bowled some tricksy legspin.
And while I mention him, Eric taking over the
gloves was a real eye opener – He hasn’t kept wicket for 5 years,
although slightly rusty, simply oozed class – It is great to see
another top wicket keeper in the club.
We also had another new player with us, the
second of the Bowlah brothers, Raymond. He has been to the nets and
bowled very well, but hasn’t played a great deal of cricket and
couldn’t quite get it together – however he has obviously got
ability, which needs to be worked on. Ray also provided an
interesting cricket moment. Ray bowled round the wicket to the left
hander and I could see from slip that he cut the side line with the
back foot, however the umpire didn’t – the next delivery, in obvious
compensation to where the previous one had ended up, he bowled from
two foot outside the side line! The umpire again didn’t spot it, but
the batsman certainly did and must have thought he’d bowled it from
the next strip!
Another incedent occurred where the opposition
had sent someone out to umpire who didn’t know the laws of cricket.
Kojak bowled a very wide delivery outside the off stump, the batsman
almost fell over playing a shot, but somehow managed to middle the
ball away for a single, but the umpire giving no regard to this
classic stroke, proceeded to call it a wide! And not long after,
when his side were holding out for a draw, he gifted a wicket to
Tyrone by adjudging his team mate LBW, to a ball which wouldn’t have
hit a second set of stumps down the leg side – The other umpire then
called out ‘who’s side are you on mate!’
Broxbourne managed to hang on for a draw, with
the valiant batting of young Chris Sargent, whose straight bat
blocked out all attempts to dislodge him for about 7 overs.
Although as I said a mismatch in terms of
strengths of team, the game ended in a draw (credit to Broxbourne
for that), we learnt a few things about our team, setting totals and
trying to bowl teams out (as I write this, I'm thinking similar
sentiments about yesterday's League game against Langleybury!).
Paul Hewitt
