Team: Elliot D (capt.), Cameron M., Adam B., David W., Liam H., Adam F., Callum B., Ben M-J., Jamie C. (w/k)
On a cold, overcast day 9 of us turned up at Wickford to play a friendly. Only when I got there did I realise that the team we were playing was their A team making the challenge of 9 against 11 a bit harder. Losing the toss we were told to field first, something Elliott – the captain appointed with no notice on the morning – would have done anyway.
Since it was a friendly we decided to play pairs cricket – 4 overs a pair, runs deducted for loss of wickets.
Everyone (apart from Jamie, the ‘keeper) was happy to bowl so got two overs each with Elliot and Liam taking extra to make up the 20 overs. All the bowlers were a mixture – good in parts. Possibly the cold, the cross wind and the Wickford slope hindered accuracy. Possibly it was early season rustiness. Either way it was good to get this friendly under our belts before a League / Cup game. Thanks to Wickford for offering us the chance.
Wickford also gave us two fielders for the innings so the gaps in the field were less than they might otherwise have been. Wickford’s opening batters were very good – pushing ones and twos, running assertively and generally looking to get on with things without taking many risks. Wickford’s opening bat retired on 25 not out. Later on a couple of bigger hitters came on but didn’t fair too well since the ball was low and slow. Playing across the line generally meant that one missed the ball totally.
By the end we had conceded 107 runs and taken 4 wickets.
At the break I was distraught to find that the lady doing the bacon rolls and hot drinks was leaving early so there was nothing available. I had broken my fast earlier with a bacon roll but after standing in the cold for 20 overs another one was eagerly anticipated. But it was not to be.
When we resumed it quickly became apparent that, unfortunately, our batting was not quite up to the job. Wickford bowled straighter than we did, taking wickets regularly by the sneaky tactic of hitting the stumps.
They fielded more closely making it harder to run quick singles and, as I say above, trying to smash boundaries was not very successful on the day for either side. We lost our 8th wicket in the 17th over with 36 on the board. Wickford let us bat on, Jamie was given a second chance and he and Adam F played through to the penultimate ball of the last over.
So, if we had had 11 players we may well have completed the innings – losing on runs but not being all out.
The next game is home on the June. See you there.