It was a long time ago, what with the
benefits of a loving gal and exciting discoveries like lube, but the Greenies
Toos' fight for the cup had me comparing this match to that pivotal occasion in
every young fella's life. That first wet dream. My first one probably lasted
about as long Wetherell's stand at the crease. My Auntie Fay aside, this game was
one and the same. It had all the makings of a fantasy... with a climax of
biblical proportions!!
Surely this season's barrel of
showdowns was empty...
It wasn't. Would there be yet
another match to smash and crash its way to another final over outcome? One
thing's a certainty...
There will be no draw this
week.
In the first round of the
2007 Knock Out Tournament, the lads yet again displayed gallons of fortitude,
putting on another thriller for the masses on a soggy but playable Smith Road. In
a match where fortune see-sawed, both sides played their hearts out in a gutsy
all-round display of cricket.
Thankfully most of the lads
ignored Big Red's "She'll be a wash-out lads for sure... might as well go and get
c%*ted" advice and showed up in a reasonable state (bar Wetherell who was a
little vague on whether he did or didn't see Shaggy...!)
With Karen's promise of a
bus load of big-boobed beer-ladened groupie/cheerleader types a no-go, skipper Groves
finally took to the field for a toss. In a suprise call, and to our glee, DTA
win the nod and elect to field.
All seven of them...
1ST INNINGS. (40 over match)
Openers Wetherell and Gordon to the crease... Game
on!
Most of us standing inside SRO's kitchen reacted with a
yell of panic - more a reflexive duck, as 300 quid of wood hurtled at speed from
at least 30 yards, straight on through DTA's changing room door. Wetherell's
lost it! Felled for a golden!!!
With patience, the Ping Pong Ninja
Gordon knuckles down to tick over the runs. Craig Scott's bails hit the deck
on 3, as young Will Quin's potential is put on diplay with the first four of the
game.
2/45 from 10.
DTA find a couple of ringers, numbers swell to 9. Quin's
out! LBW for 7. The Ninja's caught! Hail that hero
of last week, Sir Alex, who struts to the crease once more to save the
day.
F&%K!! Sir Alex is strutting back to the
clubhouse...!!!
5/55 from 14.
Steve Smith and the wily Dogga at the crease. Both blokes
batting well. Smith steadying the ship, Demon Dogga's scoring to all parts...
the lads are taking it to them.
5/86 from 24.
Dogga's caught!! Captain's on deck. Smith and Groves. Add
nine to the board, Smith's caught!! DTA's not dropping any - their fine
bottle must be worse than ours!!
7/94 from 29.
An in-form Dave Raja strides to the crease. This bloke's
class. A deserved "Man of the Match" last week, in a wink he's scoring at will.
He and Groves forcing overthrows with fantastic running between the sticks. A
handy 26 between them sees ANOTHER grab in the field... skipper's caught on
13.
8/120 from 35.
If there were ever a batting combination that "worked" it
was this pair. Both with pace between wickets and a bent for run-a-ball cricket,
the Dickie & Dave show ensured the Greenies would post a competitive total.
Both lads were flying, strike rates both beyond 120, they averaged 10 runs per
over. Dave belted a massive 6 out over mid-on before losing his stumps in an
effort to stick another somewhere near Cuba. A sensational knock of 36 from
29.
9/150 from 38.
With 2 overs left, Dickie and Shan add 8 more to the score,
before Dickie gets robbed by a dodgy run out call. All Out!
TOTAL - 10/158.
2ND INNINGS.
As thundery weather drifts north of the pitch, the Toos set
out to defend their 158. DTA, limited to nine batsmen, are pinged 3 overs for
earlier procrastinations to the start of play. Dogga Dean and Gordon are given
first crack as Craig Scott somehow assumes the skipper's roll and sets the
field??!!
It didn't take long... both Gords and Dogga keeping it
tight. Dogga's bowling like a fein, first over's a maiden, into his second,
bangs one to Thomas in the leg... Howizzat??????!
Out!!!
The big Kiwi's line and length is outstanding - DTA
struggle to even make contact with Dogga's attack. Charging in 3 overs later,
Moore drives straight down the ground... into the big brute's hands!! Dogga's
got a C&B!
2/24 from 6.
Craig Scott, bowling from the southern end, replaces the Ninja. Scott mentioning he hadn't bowled a match
in 3 years. You could imagine the dumbfoundedness on us fellas' heads, when he
takes the ball and bowls in all truth... quite well! That look went onwards to
shock as opener O'Conner smashes a drive back to the bowler that we all lose in
flight. I was sure it was heading towards the boundary. Scott had made a lazy
old stick-the-arm-out to stop it move, which never looked like anything but for
aesthetics... hence we thought it looong gone. When we couldn't find the ball,
we all looked at Scott, who is grinning like an idiot!!! Wow.
3/28 from 7.
Young Facey enters the fray. Batting along side Hunter,
they survive Scott and Dogga's barrage through to drinks. Dogga has Facey
continuously missing with some brilliant bowling but just couldn't snag a nick
through to Dickie. In frustration, young Facey makes a move and charges Dogga...
the ball's wide! One of only 2 from him all day. I'm standing at mid-off, it's
rattled the Kiwi, he's shaking his head and talking to himself. Young Facey will
be around for a while.
DRINKS.
3/50 from 15.
It was back to business, with Scott continuing from the
Southern end. The break broke DTA's building partnership, 5 balls after drinks,
Hunter skies a well caught catch to the Ninja. At
4/54, with only 5 more blokes to bat, we could be excused for feeling pretty
comfortable at this point.
What we DIDN'T see coming were the next three partnerships.
20, 18, 27 respectively. They were quick, that 20 in 18 and the 27 in 24. DTA
are motoring. Steve Smith taking two great catches from Gordon and Will's spin
to lead us into the break. Facey still playing good determined cricket, joined
by Bryan who is looking a tad too dangerous...
DRINKS.
6/109 from 30. (Greenies 7/97)
Needing 7 runs an over from the seven remaining, DTA threw
the Toos a timely surprise... they had found two more blokes, DTA is now at full
strength. Back in familiar territory, the Toos hit the field for
possibly the last time for 2007. Here we go...!!!
Facey and Bryan are bent on sending the Toos into oblivion.
Facey's not a big hitter, but this Bryan is, the field's yo-yoing to suit. They
are running on everything. There are shies and shouts at the stumps, but it was
Smith who threw better than the rest... Facey's gone!!
7/118 from 31.4.
(Greenies 7/105)
Bryan's not hanging around, it's like deja-vu. Last week
Welly's Howell seized the game by the throat, this joker's following suit! With
Buchanan at the other end, they belt 27 from 24. We had a direct hit that the
lads reckoned was out from Shan, but the umpire was too busy getting his fat
A$%E out of the way to see... idiot.
If there was ever a time for the captain to make his stand,
and lead his men to glory, it was now.
And he did.
There is no mop this week, no horn blowing and still no
bl&^dy cheer girls!!! But the humm was getting louder. Jamaicans in their
droves had filled the stands yelling God knows what. For the 2nd week, it is
again... ON! And so was Groves!!
Into his 6th over, the 34th of the match, fatigue sets on
the skipper, a couple go wide, the boys go quiet, and that bas%*rd Bryan's
smiling. Bryan goes for broke... he's smashed a boundary out over my head at
mid-off. Another couple are taken. Last ball of the over. The captain fires it
in......
BOWWWWWLED!!!!!!!
8/145 from 35. (Greenies 8/120)
It's not over friends. 14 needed from 12, a wicket to
spare. Gordon takes the leather and heads to the southern end. DTA fight on,
they have made 5 off the over, no extras given, good tight bowling, pure
desperate batting, running on anything, forcing errors in the field. Ninja's final ball...
HE'S BOWWWWWLED!!!!!!!
9/150 from 36. (Greenies 8/136)
FINAL OVER.
As shadows cast long, 9 runs stand between next year and a
berth in next week's semis. The vibe on the field is electric!! Out in the
stands the crowd has swollen, boy oh boy... this is cricket!!!
Captain Groves will take the ball... sets his field,
patient. OK...
1st Ball...
Grover drops it short... Buchanan swings wildly... cracks
it out through mid-off, they've taken a single...!
2nd Ball...
Prince on strike... Groves pitches this one up... Prince
blasts it forward of point, they take another single...!
3rd Ball...
Groves tweaks his field, here he goes... pitched perfect,
Buchanan nails it! Heading for the boundary, grass pulls it short, take two
more...
4th Ball...
Buchanan is scanning Grover's placements, needs 4 to draw,
5 to win. Seems happy, sets a stance. Here comes Grover, tosses it just short of
a length... smart! Buchanan's all over it, jets out from the crease, eyes rolled
back, he swings...
MISSED!!!
He's out of his ground, PANICS!! There's a little
bloke behind the stumps, heart of a lion, in a world of his own, snatches the
ball......... CRASH!!!!!!! Stumps splinter...
Dickie... you... you didn't...????!!!!! Not
again..!!
OWWWWWWWWWT!!!!!!!!!
Man of the Match - Raja's 36.
Play of the Day -
Raja's 6. Dickie's stumping... I think!! Fine bottle was quality, supplied by
the Ninja...
COTD - Blokes I'm vague, maybe Wetherell's dummy spit,
I remember he had is ar%se fined to the hilt though!
A fantastic all-round effort from the team. Bring on the
Cup!!
| Saturday, July 28 2007 (12:24) at Smith Road
Oval |
| Team DTA XI won toss and decided to
field |
| Village Greenies Too |
Team DTA XI |
| 158 all out (39.4 overs) |
154 all out (36.4 overs) |
| Revised Target 0 |
|
|
| Batsman |
|
|
Runs |
Balls |
Mins |
4s |
6s |
S/r |
| G Rajamohan |
c R Moore |
b C West |
19 |
43 |
57 |
0 |
0 |
44.19 |
| S Wetherell |
lbw |
b L Smith |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| C Scott |
|
b C West |
3 |
13 |
32 |
0 |
0 |
23.08 |
| W Quin |
lbw |
b P Facey |
7 |
19 |
19 |
1 |
0 |
36.84 |
| A Porter |
|
b P Facey |
0 |
6 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| S Smith |
c C West |
b D O'Connor |
18 |
53 |
57 |
0 |
0 |
33.96 |
| A Dean |
c B Thomas |
b D O'Connor |
19 |
28 |
35 |
1 |
0 |
67.86 |
| D Groves*+ |
c R Moore |
b P Facey |
13 |
28 |
36 |
0 |
0 |
46.43 |
| D Rajaratnam |
|
b B Thomas |
36 |
29 |
35 |
1 |
1 |
124.14 |
| R Sawle-Thomas |
run out(sub) |
|
14 |
11 |
21 |
0 |
0 |
127.27 |
| S Richards |
not out |
|
2 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
40.00 |
| Extras |
0nb 20w 4lb 3b 0pen |
27 |
| Provisional Score For
Innings |
158 |
| Penalties awarded following
Innings |
0 |
| Total |
158 |
all out |
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Wd |
Nb |
S/r |
Econ |
| L Smith |
4.4 |
0 |
27 |
1 |
8 (8) |
0 (0) |
36.00 |
5.79 |
| R Moore |
2.0 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
6 (8) |
0 (0) |
0.00 |
5.50 |
| C West |
8.0 |
0 |
20 |
2 |
1 (1) |
0 (0) |
24.50 |
2.50 |
| P Facey |
8.0 |
1 |
26 |
3 |
1 (1) |
0 (0) |
16.33 |
3.25 |
| D O'Connor |
8.0 |
0 |
17 |
2 |
1 (1) |
0 (0) |
24.50 |
2.13 |
| H Osborne |
7.0 |
0 |
28 |
0 |
1 (1) |
0 (0) |
0.00 |
4.00 |
| B Thomas |
2.0 |
0 |
22 |
1 |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
12.00 |
11.00 |
| Batsman |
Fall of Wicket |
Partnership |
Batsmen |
Over |
| S Wetherell |
1-1 |
1 |
S Wetherell (0) G Rajamohan (0) |
0.4 |
| C Scott |
34-2 |
33 |
C Scott (3) G Rajamohan (9) |
7.2 |
| W Quin |
50-3 |
16 |
W Quin (7) G Rajamohan (8) |
12.3 |
| G Rajamohan |
52-4 |
2 |
G Rajamohan (2) A Porter (0) |
13.3 |
| A Porter |
55-5 |
3 |
A Porter (0) S Smith (2) |
14.3 |
| A Dean |
85-6 |
30 |
A Dean (19) S Smith (9) |
24.0 |
| S Smith |
94-7 |
9 |
S Smith (7) D Groves (1) |
29.1 |
| D Groves |
120-8 |
26 |
D Groves (12) D Rajaratnam (14) |
35.0 |
| D Rajaratnam |
150-9 |
30 |
D Rajaratnam (22) R Sawle-Thomas (8) |
38.2 |
| R Sawle-Thomas |
158-10 |
8 |
R Sawle-Thomas (6) S Richards (2) |
39.4 |
| Batsman |
|
|
Runs |
Balls |
Mins |
4s |
6s |
S/r |
| B Thomas |
lbw |
b A Dean |
1 |
10 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10.00 |
| D O'Connor |
c and b |
C Scott |
10 |
19 |
32 |
1 |
0 |
52.63 |
| R Moore |
c and b |
A Dean |
8 |
13 |
17 |
1 |
0 |
61.54 |
| P Facey |
run out (S Smith) |
|
42 |
72 |
106 |
1 |
0 |
58.33 |
| G Hunter* |
c G Rajamohan |
b C Scott |
7 |
22 |
42 |
0 |
0 |
31.82 |
| L Smith |
c S Smith |
b W Quin |
13 |
24 |
17 |
2 |
0 |
54.17 |
| C West |
c S Smith |
b G Rajamohan |
4 |
11 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
36.36 |
| E Bryan |
|
b D Groves |
30 |
31 |
44 |
1 |
0 |
96.77 |
| P Buchanan+ |
st R Sawle-Thomas |
b D Groves |
14 |
16 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
87.50 |
| H Osborne |
|
b G Rajamohan |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
50.00 |
| D Prince |
not out |
|
1 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
100.00 |
| Extras |
3nb 15w 5lb 0b 0pen |
23 |
| Provisional Score For
Innings |
154 |
| Penalties awarded following
Innings |
0 |
| Total |
154 |
all out |
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Wd |
Nb |
S/r |
Econ |
| A Dean |
8.0 |
1 |
22 |
2 |
2 (2) |
0 (0) |
25.00 |
2.75 |
| G Rajamohan |
8.0 |
0 |
46 |
2 |
4 (4) |
1 (3) |
26.50 |
5.75 |
| C Scott |
8.0 |
0 |
30 |
2 |
2 (2) |
0 (0) |
25.00 |
3.75 |
| W Quin |
5.0 |
1 |
19 |
1 |
2 (2) |
0 (0) |
32.00 |
3.80 |
| D Groves |
7.4 |
0 |
32 |
2 |
5 (5) |
0 (0) |
25.50 |
4.17 |
| Batsman |
Fall of Wicket |
Partnership |
Batsmen |
Over |
| B Thomas |
6-1 |
6 |
B Thomas (1) D O'Connor (5) |
2.3 |
| R Moore |
24-2 |
18 |
R Moore (8) D O'Connor (3) |
6.3 |
| D O'Connor |
28-3 |
4 |
D O'Connor (2) P Facey (1) |
7.3 |
| G Hunter |
53-4 |
25 |
G Hunter (7) P Facey (17) |
15.5 |
| L Smith |
73-5 |
20 |
L Smith (13) P Facey (5) |
22.5 |
| C West |
91-6 |
18 |
C West (4) P Facey (8) |
26.1 |
| P Facey |
118-7 |
27 |
P Facey (11) E Bryan (13) |
31.4 |
| E Bryan |
145-8 |
27 |
E Bryan (17) P Buchanan (7) |
35.0 |
| H Osborne |
150-9 |
5 |
H Osborne (1) P Buchanan (4) |
36.0 |
| P Buchanan |
154-10 |
4 |
P Buchanan (3) D Prince (1) |
36.4 |
| Weather: Sunny Pitch:
Hard |