SCORECARD

Bruising encounter with Ricks Bowel

A T20 with our old foes, The Village is always a tough affair. A talented bunch of all-rounders with a first XI ringer thrown in for good measure and tonight was no different.

Lady Ade Dawes was back from Achilles injury and chucked straight under the bus, skippering for the night won the toss and elected to bat. With his bowling days over, Martin joined Jones opening up on the far pitch. Waseem’s mate Imran opened the bowling and found swing and lift to trouble both batsmen. I’m still nursing an inner thigh bruise a week later, but much worse was to come later. In form Jonesy played very nicely for a 31 ball 31 with 3 boundaries and a maximum. Martin out caught for a run a ball 15.

Stevie Nicks was in the middle of his week from cricketing hell. Following a Goldie on Sunday, he got a beauty from the young Village bowler Aleem who also accounted for skip. In sailed the good ship Howarth who you can always rely on to drop anchor and steady things down. Jonesy was out caught much to his frustration, feasting on the 1st change slower bowlers. A definite 50 missed out on. Sunny on his debut midweek appearance played some sumptuous shots before again getting out bowled to one he should have blocked.

Howarth out bowled for 18 and Tony T missing a looper to be out first ball and things were looking gloomy. However Billy played a super innings of 41 not out off 25 balls with 5 boundaries and a huge 6. Abely supported by Harri and Waseem who smashed an equally large maximum, meant that the Fitmen scrambled to a half decent looking 169 for 7. Probably would have taken that at the start.

However, opening up for the Village was a gentlemen called Usamal who plies his trade in the Notts/Derbys environ. Sweet jesus, this kid could time the ball. No one found batting easy on a 2 paced pitch apart from this lad. Sunny’s first ball was dispatched onto the scorebox roof and decent balls then went 4, dot,4,4,2. Twenty off the over. Hmmm..Waseem bowled really well but he too took some stick and after 5 overs they were already on 60.

Billy in between getting smazzed for 34 runs did manage to get the other opener out and Raj finally bowled the talent for 70 off about 33 balls. Not really much else we could have done. The game set at 136 for 2 off 14 overs, only needing 34 off the last 6. Fair play to Super Kev and Hari who kept things really tight and at least made more of a game of it.

There was still time for things to get worse though. After searching for lost balls most of the evening, it was getting seriously dark. Pushing 9pm with 3 overs still to go, Harri bowled a beauty, got the faintest of outside edges and just enough to avoid the gloves of ‘Keeper Sunny Singh drafted in to replace Harri! Ouch. It was a good job he got some glove on in, but straight into the cheekbone was not great. An evening/night at Accident and Emergency for his troubles. Luckily no long term damage, but it did swell up like a good ‘un.
Super Kev got a wicket, Harri bowled a maiden, but with just 2 needed off the last over, it was all in vain.

Onwards and Upwards. Walsall away at the week-end. Surely Stevie Nicks’s week can’t get any worse? Big thanks to Waseem for bringing a quite superb spicy chicken wrap at start of play and a weird blue drink. That’s a benchmark for future captains!!!