Grange 4ths v Preston Village Cricket Club 1st XI on Sat 20 Aug 2005 at
Preston Village Cricket Club Lost 75 Runs
Saturday saw the Village People motoring to Edinburgh Academy’s well appointed playing fields at Newfield to meet Grange 4 in their penultimate gig of the 2005 East League tour. The 2 sides were diametrically opposite each other in terms of recent results with the Villages seeing their fine run from mid May unravelling with a winless August whilst Grange who like the “People” had flirted with relegation early in the season but who had put a 6 win run together to pull themselves out of danger.
The Villagers were still without a holidaying King, a working Skelton and a rugby playing C Dixon which robbed them of 2 frontline bowlers and 3 top order batsmen, but they did have the returning Ramzan jnr fresh from his successful tour of Surrey with the East District Squad. Some tour he comes back with tales of fifty and thirty but no booze or women. I’m not sure that the young man has got the gist of what a tour is about.
With neither team having any real hope of advancement Saturday on a beautiful batting wicket in glorious weather turned out to be the perfect opportunity to enjoy a game without the added pressure of needing a result. The outcome 100 overs of quality cricket and almost 500 runs.
S Dixon won the toss (at last) and gambled on his opening bowlers attack making inroads into the Grange top order. Given the temperature was in the high 30’s and the wicket was a belter, his call brought some interesting comments from a number of older (unfit) members of the squad, However when Ramzan snr bowled Radford with the first ball of the match this gamble looked a good call but when the next wicket fell 122 runs later it was clear that it had backfired. First change Wright (most people never thought they’d read that) eventually snared Ditchfield for 41 that it seemed that normality had been restored to the Villagers effort. Wright was his usual parsimonious self but neither he nor Russell could stop Forrest as the number 3 eased to a superb 111.Ramzan returned to remove the centurion but rapid 40’s from Mullins and Milroy set the final total as 281 for 5.
Perhaps it was the fact that there was no real pressure on the “Village People” or that it was rather hot but the fielding was poor. A couple of chances hit the floor or weren’t moved for whilst the ground fielding was also a little wayward. C Patterson is exempt from criticism with a superb display. He also as the thermometer rose got the best position on the park, deep square leg from one end and sweeping the cover boundary at cover point for the other. In total he moved 3 trees (around 10 metres) at the end of each over. In between volleying chestnuts around he made 3 or 4 superb stops and almost pulled off the catch of the season with an amazing attempt which saw him sprint 20 metre before diving full length only to miss the catch by inches. However it was a little perverse that the youngest and fittest member of the team got to wander around in the shade whilst the rest fried.
JP in comparison normally one of the soundest fielders in the team had a nightmare and in one spectacular over managed to successfully allow 4 boundaries and a dropped catch as the ball followed him round the sun baked outfield but always seemed and was 2 feet out of his grasp, The final scene of the over was pure horror movie stuff when he charged in for an attempted catch, sensibly pulled out about 2 metres short when it became apparent that he would not make it even with a dive and set himself to stop the ball. The ball promptly bounced over him for 4 leaping 7 feet and clearing him comfortably. As it went over the boundary other fielder rushed round to remove all sharp objects from within the range of the now distraught fielder.
The Village reply badly (there’s a surprise after 3 hours in the sun ?) with Patterson and Dobie only putting on 15 before Dobie gloved at lifter to the wicket-keeper for 3.It was a good effort really to upper-cut a straight ball was pure boxing skill, pity it was cricket . Then young Ramzan learnt the hard way about the perversity of cricket. A couple of good innings on a District Tour last weekend followed by a duck this to make matters work it was a tour colleague who benefited from his loose stroke as he was caught at slip. Perhaps he should have tried the drink and women on tour, it probably would not have helped on Saturday but at least he’d have something to talk about.
McMillan tried to up the ante but only succeeded in holing out for 9 leaving the visitors on 34 for 3. Russell joined Patterson to begin the rebuilding job with a stand of 25 before Patterson was caught behind for 22. Black and Russell then raised the faint hope of a victory with a century stand for the 5th wicket with Russell in his debut season posting his first fifty for the club before opening his shoulders and rattling on to 84 before being trapped in front. Patterson was at this point offering 2 to 1 on on his century when McMillan reluctantly raised the finger to an LBW appeal, after an innings that was a master class of driving as he consistently found the boundary with blistering on and off drives in an innings which contained 14 fours.
Black had played the junior partner in the stand but he quietly eased his way to a classic fifty before departing for 54. Where Russell had shown the art of driving Black had as most left-handers tend to do scored principally with pulls, hooks and cuts as he posted his maiden 50, and to at last after numerous 40’s to secure a individual place on the honour board.
After the partnership the “People” innings ended quietly, Wright and Ramzan snr had followed McMillan’s example and both disappeared hitting out and it was left to Brouson and C Patterson to end the 50 overs with the Villagers on 206 for 8.
Face in the Crowd
Comments of the day
“ “, Total silence as Dobie drops a simple skier behind the stumps
“I heard Kenny calling for 2 honest” – Shiraz buts into a conversation on Kenny’s non-running ability
That’s cause he was taking his guard “– Dixon and Barrie in unison
Preston Village Cricket Club 1st XI Batting
206 for 8
Grange 4ths Bowling
Grange 4ths Batting
281 for 5
Preston Village Cricket Club 1st XI Bowling