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Wield vs RNA Sports, Sunday 11th May

Weather - Amazingly dry and not amazingly very windy!!

Match summary – Thrilling cricket from both sides!!

Mid afternoon on Sunday 11th May a set of highly trained professional athletes, driven by their inner desire to achieve for club and fellow band of brothers, took centre stage on a day promising to be full of passion, emotion and intrigue. No one knew what the next few hours would bring. Perhaps controversy? Perhaps a poor decision that could change the course of the game? Perhaps a missed opportunity to close out the opposition? Perhaps a band of unruly drunk supporters shouting abuse from the sidelines?

And so ended the Premiership Football season for 2013/2014….

Meanwhile at Wield, a set of chaps more resembling a band of misfits than a Band of Brothers gingerly emerged from pubs, cars and homes, squeezed into whites that had not been worn, or washed in some cases, since the final game of last season. And so began the first game of a packed 2014 calendar. There can be no purer smell on planet earth than the odour of cricket kit coming out of hibernation. If only Dolce and Gabbana could harness the essence of the Wield dressing room then they would make a fortune…. or, more realistically, go bust…

The first visitors of the year to be given a warm Wield welcome were RNA sports. The weather was overcast with periods of sunny intervals and very blustery, to say the least, but dry! Considering the weather over the previous weeks it was an absolute miracle that a pitch could be prepared at all and a special mention and thanks must be given to all those involved in getting the pitch and ground picturesque and playable.

Skipper Andrew Yorke lost the first toss of many to come and Wield were asked to bat. Openers Tony and Jack Robson gamely strode out to the adulation and support of all three of the crowd. Batting on a wicket softer than a tea-dunked digestive biscuit and an outfield slower than a Celine Dion song proved tricky. An early run rate at a glacial pace slowly edged up to a pedestrian rate. (Note: Only if the pedestrian in question is an arthritic, one-legged Octogenarian wearing ankle weights)

Not for the first time in Wields’ history did M.R. Extra prove to be a useful addition to the side. His swashbuckling wides and delicate byes nudged the score along during the early mini collapse. Beautiful little cameo’s from Robson J, H-Tanner, Glass, Simeon and Stewart all delighted the enthralled onlookers at this crucible of dreams. However, it was the superb partnership of Tony Robson and Wade Sowman, 61 Not-Out and 47 Not-Out respectively, that stole the show. Robson in particular played a cautious game at first, but after the new hip was warmed up there was no stopping him. His beautiful pull behind square bringing up the first boundary of the game, some 12 minutes before Tea. History and the records will show that Robson took 6,424 balls and 2.5 days to reach his 61 Not-out, but those lucky enough to be present will undoubtedly count themselves as the fortunate few. Sowman’s well timed and elegant 47 not-out was simply breathtaking to watch. With more dodgy and opportunistic singles on view than in a backlog of Cliff Richard albums he raced to a solid 47 Not-out. With plenty of time to spare and more than enough deliveries in hand Sowman proceeded to block or miss every last shot. It was sublime, poetic and majestic jug avoidance at its best.
Well played Sir!

Wield finished their innings on a respectable 149-5.

The wonderful and famously renowned Teas of Wield (Thanks to all!) provided succour and respite to the wind battered players from both sides. Talk was of strategy. Talk was of tactics. Talk was of motivation. What to do? How to play it? As usual Skipper Yorke was instrumental in providing guidance on these topics. Definitely go for more savoury at first. Always better to go for Cheese and Pickle before the cream cheese. Always follow a sausage with a flapjack.

Team tactics resolved and players refuelled, Wield took to the field. Stewart and Sowman opened the bowling with a fiercely hostile spell.

With the away side bogged down, unable to move the scoreboard along it was only a matter of time before frustration crept in. An inspired bowling change saw Skipper Yorke bring Hunt on for the tiring Stewart. Cutting his run up shorter than usual, due to the stiffening breeze (officials measured it at 4 inches) Hunt delivered a spell of mesmerising slow bowling. A rare stumping by the keeper of the day, Jack Robson, broke the deadlock. This was followed by yet another stumping in Hunts’ second over! Seeing a pair of Snow Leopards in the wild is more likely than two stumpings’ in a Wield game! Unfortunately the standard of fielding did not remain at this high level throughout the remainder of the game. Only one other animal-like reference could be used accurately to describe the Home sides prowess. …

Bambi-on-ice….

One superb moment that epitomised the afternoon was a touch of class by the birthday boy Simeon. Fielding at shortish fine leg he produced a Ronaldo-esque double step over of a ball coming his way. Not since Michael Flatley and Riverdance have legs moved so quickly and so adeptly. Pure genius.

With the bowling economical and the visitors unable to match the scoring pace of Wield the game fizzled towards an inevitable draw. Not even spells by Harry Robson, new boy Johnston or the skipper himself could make in-roads through the stalwart defence. With RNA finishing on a score of 122-6 the match was declared a draw.

Steve 'Debbie' Glass