As I pack up my new baggy green, two things spring to mind; will he wear it… or will he use it to smack a few nurses on the toosh with it??? I can't help but wonder how much of a kick my Pop will get out of receiving it. The bloke loves his cricket!

He's survived the war, lost a lot of mates, not to mention family, has a list of dirty jokes longer than Col Elliot (an Aussie larrikin!!), has seen, if not listened to, Bradman bat, BODYLINE happened about the same time he discovered beer and he is flying like a banshee towards a century himself.  At 95 not out, he is still sharper than Dicky’s last 3 matches. Heck he doesn’t need glasses!! He has no idea who the Village Greenies are but soon will. He would have loved to have seen this match fellas. I also know he would relish the heart and spirit running through the veins of the Toos. Last Saturday it was used admirably… for it felled a giant.

Passion; the state of being acted upon or effected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior.

Team spirit; willingness of each member of a team or group to work together with loyalty and enthusiasm.

Red's text message to Jacko the night before the game on disappearing from the pub; Sorry for leaving early - but tomorrow defines my life in Cayman. It means everything to me. I want to make sure that I give the game the respect that the game has given to me...

How does one find words to describe what happened down here today? Surely one of the most spirited and memorable of matches in the widening history of the Seconds. With the First Grade back in the shed this season, only one game now stands before our battle hardened heroes of the Toos and the Knockout Cup Final!!!!!!!!!

With similarities akin to war, a battle proven enemy threw all its experience and might at the Toos. In the fall out, a captain shall come of age, marking a defining moment for all privy to witness, his thunder turning the match fair on its noggin.  One will yet again confirm his deserved legend and new title (all while wearing his girl’s knickers!), while another is headed for a panel beater.  And a team, who takes to the field in prayer, shall crumble into descent...

Match Report

Greenies Two V West Bay - Knock Out Semi Final. Saturday 4 August 2007.

With tropical system I-99 threatening to blow away the covers and douse the semi-final, we awoke to blueish skies as the system deviated westward to bug the Mexicans.  A slightly delayed match to get the pitch set, sees the overs reduced to 35.  With Tommy ripping a knee late on, the quality of the Toos' firepower has Alex on the blower on a late call up.

Greenies march on to the field.

1ST INNINGS

Play is under way with Dicky and Texas missing... apparently thay went off to the bakery!? 12th man Shan is brought on to field.  West Bay draped in orange make their intentions clear - they are out to nail a big total and they don't muck about.  Scoring freely - Sicard and Robinson are off to a blazer. Red's bowling like the wind with a few dug short to keep the bast#rds honest. Sicard takes a swipe early at a Big Red special aimed somewhere near his ear on the up, he gets a nick that's thick... it's flying... Watto's up... dropped! Watto's wonky groin prevents him reaching Red's rocket.

Dicky and Tex back. Shan off, field back to eleven. Dicky behind the stumps. West Bay still going at it. Gordon bowling from the southern end having no luck. Red's doing his best... Tex shows character as he throws himself at a belter and a bloody elbow as Red is smacked out through mid off.  We needed a wicket. And we got one!!!

Caught! Dicky you little terror!!! Robinson's out.

Cato. How big IS this bloke, looking like he could strangle a bear, he takes to the Greenies attack, belts the first of many sixes that this day shall see. He and Sicard shall continue the onslaught...

As the lads come in for a breather at an early drinks break, West Bay has made their intentions clear. No dicking around batting here friends, they are going at it from the word go! To the Greenies' credit, their attitude is a heads down get on with it one, a quick drink and the lads are jogging back out for more!!

1/85 from 13.

Dave McGrath. You just know when he’s bowling something will happen. The bloke plays with a do or die like attitude… smash one off of his bowling, he will surely give you that “you just shot my dog" glare!!! Smart captaincy sees two first class spinners thrust forth to jam a stick in the spokes of a runaway West Bay. With Watto bowling from one end, Dave from the Southern, the Greenies unleashed some of their own firepower but West Bay starts laying into McGrath too!

It was only a matter of time before something broke. It was Cato. Big Cato gets a thick edge onto pad (which Beefy and I standing at the clubhouse can hear!) and the Ump has given him out!!! Cato is rightfully royally pis%ed!!!!

2/97 from 15.

The spin twins have slowed the run rate with tight bowling, Ifill to the crease. Sicard makes a well deserved 50 as he belts one out to long on and straight down Timmy Hepburn’s throat! McGrath has two!!! Next over Watto pings one into Ifill. Got him trapped! Out!

New batsman Higgins isn’t around long, belts a nice four off McGrath, then goes for broke, mis-times... Raja takes a fine catch at deep point. McGrath now has three!

5/134 from 27.

With Watto and McGrath bowling their last, there will be no more wickets. Brooks and Dawes went about posting a total beyond the reach of most. Danger man Brooks managed to hit the boundary five times, two of those clearing the ropes as he fast tracked his way to a slick half century.

End of Innings. 5/205 from 35.

Required run rate: 5.86

2ND INNINGS

Chasing a run rate close to 6, openers Wetherell and Gordon make headway through West Bay's attacking swing. The going's harder than it appears, with the boys doing their best. Gordon cops a belter on the foot, felling him. But the Ninja is back up and fighting, a bloody sock his reward. With a partnership of 40 odd, Gordon is tightened for room from an in-swinger... the bails fly! 

One down.

Watto on deck. Regretting his decision for a few ales the night before, he knuckles down to apply some needed scoreboard pressure. Wetherell has batted well, hits a nice boundary out through leg. Next shot has Wetherell driving straight... sweaty gloves roll the bat, the ball flies out to mid off... caught!

Texas on board. He and Watto slowly building the run rate nicely.....

 

Drinks.

 

2/60 from 13.  (West Bay 1/85) 

Iffil to Tex… Goes for it, missed! Stumps are down! Bowled!

3/67 from 15.

Porter and Watson will swing the momentum. In a blazing display of batting, the pair adds 58 runs from just 48 deliveries. Alex was back to his strapping, slugging best belting a pearler of a six off of a full toss beyond square leg. Watto also nailing one of his own! The pair had evened the keel, we were now at the very least in with a shot, we still needed 6 an over, but it was there... if we wanted it.

With Alex in full flight, there was a decisive hush amongst the team as the big fella had his stumps removed by Sicard. Well Batted. That hush only grew louder as Steve Smith is headed for Wetherell’s vomit-inducing fine bottle, bowled cheaply by Higgins.

It gets worse. Raja’s to the pitch. In the space of a couple we lose another set of stumps. To the dismay of the team a gallant Scott Watson, whose innings of 35 from 40 - in typical Watson class - is headed for the clubhouse.

In the space of 4 runs the Greenies have lost 3 vital wickets. 

6/129 from 26.  

Please - in the best 20 Appleton fuelled “Steve O’Connor” accent you can muster - imagine…

LLLLaaaaaadddiieeessss ….AND …….Gennnnntlleman!!!!!

Richard… THE - SAWLE….... Terrrrrrr…OMAS!!!!!

Dicky running onto the ground. Raja greets with a familiar smile...


Last week, these two jokers made a mockery of Team DTA - the week before that their partnership saw the resurrection of a lost match. Known throughout the lands as “the pair that worked”, their running, spirit and ability to share the workload is an inspiration to all…

Can they raise their bats to salute the finish????

One will.

The tempo is fast, the pair plies on the runs, and Dave belts a cracker out to the boundary at deep mid-wicket!! Brimming with confidence, he tries it again… hits high… it’s... it’s... short… sh*t... caught by Gray!!!!!

7/141 from 29

With a purposeful gait, the affable Big Red is rolling the bat and loosening shoulder blades as he walks into the middle. With West Bay entrenched in our line-up's tail, they could, and rightly so, be feeling somewhat confident in the game's current position… and outcome.

What happened next, or to be precise, the next 27 minutes, surely must be, given the circumstances, one of the best knocks witnessed ever at Smith Road. No getting the eye in today. He knows this bowler knows where he will pitch it and he knows where he will hit it...

CRACK……..!!!!!!!!!

The ball's high... it's coming out to the clubhouse... it's going... still going…

It’s gone!!!!! Off his first ball…..!!!

It missed the clubhouse… but not the bonnet of big Tex’s car… there’s a fair old dent!!

Tex is cheering!!!!! All the boys are cheering… go Red!!!!

Dicky is batting like a tiger; the blokes are running on everything. Big Red swings again… four!! Swings yet again…

“No way!”… SIX!!!!!!!!!!

Red's going off like a frog in a sock!! Sh*t… he’s hit another four!!!! With a strike rate of 166.67, the captain scored an incredible 35 runs from just 21 deliveries.  Along with Dicky, they stole the game from West Bay. It was cricket at its best, Red's spirit truly untouchable.


It was inevitable, another lash of fury from Red sees him caught deep by West Bay's sub. But it didn’t matter. He knew, as we did, that his job was done. The lads gave him a deserved standing ovation on his return. The game was ours... nearly!!

8/204


Dave McGrath must have been somewhat nervous as Timmy Hepburn took to the field to fight West Bay's last ditched efforts to snatch 2 late wickets. But with Dicky there to see the game out, the “Closer” did what he does best, hitting the shot that would send our lads onwards and upwards to “Knockout Cup” nirvana…

THE FINAL…!!!!!!

Godspeed Men…

Play of the Day - Goes with out saying!!

Man of the Match - Red.

COTD - Can’t remember though it should have been Wetherell for one bas%$rd of a fine    bottle. Haven’t seen that much spew since Watto came out in the tinny!!

Passion Award - Big Red for his text message. Onyacobba…


Knockout Competition Village Greenies Too v West Bay XI

Saturday, August 04 2007 (12:40) at Smith Road Oval

 

Village Greenies Too Won by 2 wickets 

 

Village Greenies Too won toss and decided to field

 

West Bay XI

Village Greenies Too

205 for 5 (35.0 overs)

206 for 8 (0.0 overs)

 

 

 

 

 

West Bay XI

 

Batsman

 

 

Runs

Balls

Mins

4s

6s

S/r

U Sicard

c T Hepburn

b D McGrath

50

0

0

4

0

0.00

Z Robinson+

c R Sawle-Thomas

b S O'Connor

26

0

0

3

0

0.00

W Cato

lbw

b D McGrath

25

0

0

3

1

0.00

A Ifill

lbw

b S Watson

9

0

0

0

0

0.00

A Higgins

c D Rajaratnam

b D McGrath

9

0

0

1

0

0.00

A Dawes

not out

 

12

0

0

0

0

0.00

M Brooks*

not out

 

51

0

0

3

2

0.00

Extras

0nb 18w 2lb 3b 0pen

23

 

 

 

 

 

Provisional Score For Innings

205

 

 

 

 

 

Penalties awarded following Innings

0

 

 

 

 

 

Total

205

for 5

 

 

 

 

 

Bowler

O

M

R

W

Wd

Nb

S/r

Econ

G Rajamohan

7.0

0

36

0

0 (0)

0 (0)

0.00

5.14

S O'Connor

7.0

0

50

1

2 (2)

0 (0)

44.00

7.14

S Watson

7.0

0

25

1

1 (2)

0 (0)

43.00

3.57

T Hepburn

4.0

0

33

0

4 (6)

0 (0)

0.00

8.25

D McGrath

7.0

0

33

3

1 (1)

0 (0)

14.33

4.71

D Rajaratnam

3.0

0

23

0

2 (3)

0 (0)

0.00

7.67

 

Batsman

Fall of Wicket

Partnership

Batsmen

Z Robinson

41-1

41

Z Robinson (26) U Sicard (41)

W Cato

97-2

56

W Cato (25) U Sicard (56)

U Sicard

117-3

20

U Sicard (-47) A Ifill (117)

A Ifill

122-4

5

A Ifill (-108) A Higgins (122)

A Higgins

134-5

12

A Higgins (-113) A Dawes (134)

 

Village Greenies Too

 

Batsman

 

 

Runs

Balls

Mins

4s

6s

S/r

G Rajamohan

 

b W Cato

9

25

32

0

0

36.00

S Wetherell

c U Sicard

b W Cato

24

33

41

1

0

72.73

S Watson

 

b A Higgins

35

40

67

1

1

87.50

M Walker

 

b A Ifill

9

14

14

1

0

64.29

A Porter

 

b U Sicard

24

29

35

2

1

82.76

S Smith

 

b A Higgins

2

6

6

0

0

33.33

D Rajaratnam

c S Gray

b U Sicard

8

12

19

1

0

66.67

R Sawle-Thomas+

not out

 

25

23

47

0

0

108.70

S O'Connor*

c(sub)

b A Ifill

35

21

27

2

2

166.67

T Hepburn

not out

 

0

5

4

0

0

0.00

Extras

11nb 20w 4lb 0b 0pen

35

 

 

 

 

 

Provisional Score For Innings

206

 

 

 

 

 

Penalties awarded following Innings

0

 

 

 

 

 

Total

206

for 8

 

 

 

 

 

Bowler

O

M

R

W

Wd

Nb

S/r

Econ

W Cato

7.0

0

28

2

2 (3)

1 (3)

22.50

4.00

U Sicard

6.0

0

46

2

8 (10)

1 (1)

22.50

7.67

M Brooks

5.0

0

28

0

0 (0)

0 (0)

0.00

5.60

A Ifill

6.0

0

33

2

1 (1)

3 (4)

20.00

5.50

S Gray

4.0

0

22

0

0 (4)

2 (0)

0.00

5.50

A Higgins

4.0

0

30

2

1 (1)

1 (1)

13.00

7.50

A Dawes

1.0

0

14

0

1 (1)

1 (2)

0.00

14.00

J Powell

0.1

0

1

0

0 (0)

0 (0)

0.00

6.00

 

Batsman

Fall of Wicket

Partnership

Batsmen

G Rajamohan

32-1

32

G Rajamohan (9) S Wetherell (14)

S Wetherell

46-2

14

S Wetherell (10) S Watson (1)

M Walker

67-3

21

M Walker (9) S Watson (9)

A Porter

125-4

58

A Porter (24) S Watson (24)

S Smith

128-5

3

S Smith (2) S Watson (1)

S Watson

129-6

1

S Watson (0) D Rajaratnam (1)

D Rajaratnam

143-7

14

D Rajaratnam (7) R Sawle-Thomas (7)

S O'Connor

204-8

61

S O'Connor (35) R Sawle-Thomas (17)

 

Match Report 

 

 

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