SCORECARD

Fine effort from Fitmen fails agonisingly (for some)

The cricketing gods served up a treat at Aldridge CC, for the opening game of the season. Beautiful Spring day, 18 degrees, sunshine and a gentle breeze. HPA on draught at £4 a pint. With a youthful looking opposition and large outfield on the 1st XI pitch, the first toss of the season (heads obvs) looked a good one to win and the Fitmen were in to bat 1st on an April strip with a slight green hue.

Two overs later with very variable bounce and Harry Eames back in the changing room out bowled to a devilish shooter, perhaps batting 1st wasn’t the right call? Time for Fitskip Martin and Ralphie to steady the ship with a 72 3rd wicket partnership. Neither batsman found the going particularly easy early on. The same ball either rearing or keeping low off a good length, kept these 2 very watchful. Martin indeed changing he’s new bat for the older model, thinking this would improve matters, Ralphie feasted on some loose stuff from the first change leggie with the 1st 6 of the season and 7 boundaries in a well crafted 39, before an error of judgement led to his demise.
Billy and Skip added another dozen runs, before Martin succumbed to another low shooter to be out bowled for 27. 96 for 3 at drinks a decent effort. Billy hasn’t had the best of weeks with all his cricket kit being stolen and the aforementioned cricketing overlords have no time for sympathy in the Fit world. A nicely struck shot brilliantly taken by the bowler to be out C&B. Unlucky.

Stevie Nicks and Bicey added a useful quickfire 33 in 5 overs before Nicks received a delivery that bounced so low, it went subterranean, under his bat, appearing back above ground just in time to rattle the bails off. Unplayable. Bicey looked in nice touch, keeping the scoring ticking along. Sharif in at 7, smacked a nice boundary and faced some excellent bowling off a lad E.Andrews (4-1-9-1), a Derbyshire U18 quick, told to bowl spin at the Fitmen, but still quickest of anyone else all day off 3 paces. A top spinner thwacked into Sharif's pads? Howzat!!!! Ralphie umpiring : “Sherif, did you hit that?” The ever honest (numpty) Postie: “No”…well then, your out! Hilarious. Razor sharp Sharif…Razor sharp.

Turning point of the match came when our arch nemesis, the Fit Sniper shot his first victim of the day. Biceys calf taking the full brunt. Do you want a runner? No, I’ll be fine. Next ball painfully clipped to mid wicket, out for 27. Just when he was set, 10 overs to go 145 for 6, just when we needed him to stay around. Kev (6) and Rameez (9) found it hard to time the ball off decent bowling. When Lockyer decided to go full Kamikaze and Run himself out for just 1, the innings was over. Nutter left stranded without facing a ball. 176 A/O, when only minutes earlier 200 was looking on, the balance of the game had changed, but a decent effort all round.

Homemade packed lunch again. How long can this lack of communal tea go on? We are so post Covid now surely?

Rameez and Kev C opened the bowling with the Fitmen introduced to a “new” concentration-based fielding technique called “Mirroring”. Lance Corporal Ralph the instigator. Apparently if the batsmen hits it one way, all the fielders on the other side, have to position themselves “diametrically opposed” to the fielders on the other (other) side, thus preventing overthrows, when fielders (mainly Ralphie) hurling the ball in, trying to run the batsmen out. I think it’s a new form of old school backing up. Problems lie in the fact some Fit fielders generally seem to play their own personal game of (silent) musical statues. Some have concentration spans of gnats. Others can be seen staring wistfully up into the clouds at any given moment. Keen to see if the Mid-week team take the new way on-board.

The Fit fielding, on the whole was good. Nicks and Nutter, as always in inspired form, putting bodies on the line stopping countless boundaries. Ralphie chasing down lost causes. Sharif trying to join in with his characteristic dive/fall technique. Rameez (2-22) and Kev (0-26) were excellent. Rameez dismissing both openers in a superb display of controlled bowling. Kev at his parsimonious best.

Sharif struggling for control was replaced by Billy who showed why he was so sorely missed last season. 8-4-27-2 was a top performance. The fact his last over went for 14 makes those figures even better. The Aldridge Number 3 was a class act and pretty much won the game himself with an excellent 100 and retired. Nutter on after drinks bowled with guile and cunning and was unlucky to remain wicketless in 5 good overs. With Lockyer in full “loop” mode, the Centurian had surely never faced anything like this in his short career. Often he would just drop his bat on a particularly sloppy vegetable product of a ball, with a look of such disdain, it brought a tear to this reporter's eye.
At 155 for 4 in the 32nd over with Aldridge just needing 22 to win in 8 overs, the game was seemingly up. Not so fast there you young whipper snappers! Let me introduce you to Dr Death, the harbinger of pain. The most reluctant of bowlers, Edgbaston indoor bowler of the Winter, Stevie Nicks. 3 x crushed smurfberries, 1 rattled helmet, a beamer, 2 x inner thigh bruises all packed into 25 higher entertaining deliveries…in 3 overs. One of his victims, limping back to the pavilion nursing a bruised ball bag made for the image of the day.
Fit Drama number 2 of the day, the sniper was at it again. This time taking out Kev’s calf with a shot more accurate than Trumps would be assassin Tom Crooks. Gently rolled over the boundary ropes to contemplate life, the game continued.

With the Centurian retired (Nicks also getting one into his family jewel compartment), suddenly the tide turned. Lockyer produced what can only be described a spell of utter horrid filth (2-22) with 2 spooned up catches. Nicks concentrating on bowling leg side wides grabbed a 2nd wicket with a good catch off Sharif. Suddenly the oppo were shaken. 8 down and still needing a handful of runs with 3 overs to go, what was needed was to bowl at the stumps and win the game. Improbable? Impossible? You got it, even more leg side wides and a half tracker and the game was done.

Still a great finish, played in good spirit. A round of drinks for all. I wonder if that sniper had stayed at home, things could have, should have….