Not Playing but Still Cricketing

The strange machinations of the universe meant there was no second team game today, so I nominally had a day off cricket. But of course, I can't stay so found myself watching our first team at home as they played Farndon on a blustery day where blue skies alternated with black clouds dropping their dirt on us.

I got there with Newark wobbling a little on 65-3 after 20 overs and two new batsmen in on a wicket that was typically slow and hard to score on, and a lush slow outfield well fed by rain. Happily a fair few of us second team vagabonds were down there watching the match too, to make sure there was as much support as possible. Turned out it was needed.

Our middle ordered struggled to get the ball away for the next ten or so overs, but luckily when our first tteam skipper and our new bandana wearing Sri Lankan recruit - I noticed no-one took the piss out of him for wearing one, or calling him "Mr Miyagi" like they did me - found some power and timing, and added a good 50 or so runs in the last 6 overs with string hitting, swift running and much cheering from the NRM Ultras.

This was in between sharp showers that resulted in "good Clubman" me helping wheel the covers on and off. This made me feel less guilty about eating tea leftovers. A rainbow graced the ground as ducks flew over. The long shadows cast over the ground reminded me of how the end of the season is not far off.

We ended up on 158, a good score that would be hard to chase on our big ground with a damp outfield, and initially it looked like Farndon would indeed struggle, being reduced to 50 odd for 4 with their gun batsman back in the hutch. But they got a partnership going that began to get more and more fluent, and eventually our expert spinner got put over the rope a couple of times. With 30 required in 4 overs, it was still on, but the aforementioned spinner then castled their 50 scoring bat, and that was game ball.

They needed 19 off the final over, and that was far far too much, to the joy of the well lubricated supporters.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 10.08.19