A Victory for Swing and Seam

Today was our last game of the season on Sundays, against the jolly japesters of Basford Mill Sunday XI.

Now if you remember a couple of months back, we played this side at their home ground at City Hospital, where their batsman smoked dope under a tree while waiting to bat, and they deployed their fast bowlers at 13 year old juniors on a dangerous wicket. We lost, but performed heroically.

Expecting more of the same today, we were pretty apprehensive, only to be amazed to see that the team that turned up was completely different, without their star bat Shak, who scored a century in that other game.

However, when we batted first, we soon found out that they still had some very fast bowlers and once again they had us about 25 for 4. But a couple of our older heads batted sensibly to take us to 113 all out. I got 8 not out, which takes me to the amazing total of 100 runs for the season.

That's how good a batsman I am. LOL.

So, after an excellent tea, it was time to bowl. We were playing under cloudy skies, which is helpful for a bowler because as part of one of cricket's great mysteries, the ball swings in the air and deviates off the pitch under these conditions. My usual opening bowling partner on Sundays like me is a left  hander, but we are very different. He is a genuine fast bowler at our level, whereas I am a medium pacer.

Between us we reduced them to 30 for 6 off 16 overs.He blasted through and took 4 wickets, I swung and seamed the ball and took 2-14 off 8. Thing is, I've never bowled so well on a Sunday. I had lovely rhythym, good control, and the ball was doing tricks. Bit of luck too, but then you do need that.

Not long after we bowled them out for 50. Sadly, there was no dope smoking, which had encouraged one of our senior dignataries at the club to put no smoking signs up everywhere.

They just weren't needed.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.08.18