Wield vs Dummer, Sunday 11th September
Weather – After avoiding the forecasted monsoon we were just left with Hurricane Katia blowing down the hill!!!!
Match summary – Wield cling on for another losing draw!!!
With Jack R, Sam T and Aidan B playing, Wield resembled an u13's team until I realised there combined ages didn't make it to half of Max's grand old age!!!!!!
Skipper for the day Dougie won another toss and with no thought for tactics but an eye on not fielding second in the freezing, windy conditions we put Dummer into bat.
Claiming seniority, Ken opened up down the hill and down wind with Aidan bowling into the hurricane. A few tidy overs later and Ken bowled Dummers opener, Aidan finally bamboozled the other with a cunning double bouncer!!!
Dummers young ringer George came in at 3 and played a few shots before Dougie dropped a sitter off Aidan's last ball!!!! George took over from Ken and preceded to bowl some half track nonsense. Feeling slightly left out Robin replaced Aidan and did the same!!!!!
Robin finally pitched one in the batsmen's half and was rewarded with the easiest catch of the year..... even Robin couldn't drop it!!!! Sam replaced George and removed Dummers number 3 after a great catch by Aidan.
With the wind strengthening and the bowling getting shorter somehow we managed to get Dummer 50/5 with an hour to go.
A score of 120 was a figure our skipper suggested we could keep Dummer to and with another inspired piece of captaincy he brought himself on and replaced the economical Sam with the "Long Hop King" (Johnny).
Dummers middle order powerhouse of Andrew and Dan then preceded to smash every pie served up, every ball bowled outside off stump went to cow corner as did every other kind of ball!!!!! Half way through this onslaught another cultured hoick flew towards George at cow corner, in one of the bravest bits of fielding at Wield in years our hero backed away from the catch and stopped the ball going for 4 only to find himself 2 yards over the ropes..... Dougie was his usual calm and collected self!!!!
Sixes reached double figures as did the amount of fielders on the leg side!!!! but to no avail, Andrew finished on 85* and the score had been flogged to over 200!!!
Another stunning Wield tea was well received and we waited for the batting order from the skipper!!!!
I opened with my son for the first time ever and we walked down the hill into the ever increasing hurricane!!!! Much to the amusement of our entire team Jack almost ran me out in the second over!! We settled down after that and the runs started to trickle. With George bowling at full pace to my 12 year old, Jack stood up to that and the sledging really well and the partnership grew.
In a repeat of last years game Jack and I put on over 50 until Jack missed timed a pull shot and departed for his top score of 19. Matt B strode to the crease oozing his usual self confidence!!! Not!!! This self doubting was well placed and he soon trundled back up the hill with a lot less than 2 to his name!!!
Johnny joined me at the crease owing the team a few after the pie sale and after a quick chat we decided that 10 an over was slightly beyond the Wield stellar batting line-up!!
With plenty of chat from the opposition along the lines of "10 an over is that not difficult" and "get on with it the pub is open", Johnny and I played out the final overs and to our delight the pub was open!!!!!!
We finished on 130/2 and sneaked a losing draw.
Tony
