Roydon 21 July 2019
Roydon - 21 July 2019
There were questions in the air as we prepared to travel to Roydon. Would we start at half one? Would we continue our habit of very close draws? When we took to the field, it was five past two. The day did not end in a draw.
We batted first, and our innings began doubtfully, hesitantly: both their opening bowlers found regular lengths, and the pitch was spongier than it appeared. Mikhail and Tim, for all their attempts, could not raise the scoring rate: when the former was dismissed, the score was 22 from 10 overs; when the latter, 50 from 18. James joined a watchful Shomit, and the pair took us to drinks, carefully. It was a slow start.
Then things started to change. The first over after resumption went for 6; the third, for 10. Their spinners were on, and both batsmen looked intent, James darting forward, Shomit hanging back. It was a stirring, but no suggestion of what would follow. Shomit drove hard at a straight delivery; it sailed over long on. He did it again. And again. And again. Ruthless, unstoppable hitting, in the arc from straight mid on to wide mid wicket: a bonanza of boundaries, piling up giddily.
We were exultant; Shomit characteristically unpeturbed. "He looks the same when he's hitting sixes as when he's blocking," Mike noted. It was true: Shomit was startlingly calm as he dispatched ball after ball to the boundary. James continued to score fluently, eventually out LBW for a well-made 44 in a crucial partnership worth 129. But the focus was on Shomit, who brought up his second hundred of the season with another long six. By the time he walked off, retiring to allow Ellis a short knock in the final over before our declaration, he had 112, with six sixes and eight fours. Off 44 overs, we'd scored 215, including 100 off the final 10. It was a brilliant effort of acceleration.
Our defence of the total began well. Daniel drew a false shot from the better of their two openers and Mark, on debut, took a good catch, approaching the ball with the vigour of the converted. But their number 3 quickly found rhythm - and the boundary. They rattled along at six an hour, an unpleasant inversion of our sedate start. Tarek settled nicely into his spell, dismissing in all but deed their other opener - reprieved by an appalling decision from square leg: the keeper was not happy - before snaring, crucially, the big-hitting 3. Another shift: Tarek and Hugo delivered 12 parsimonious overs, staunching the runs. Hugo, looking very determined, snared their opener with a straightoner, and at the start of the final 20 overs, they had 104-three: all results tantalisingly possible.
The last hour began. James, willing himself into a spell at a crucial juncture, replaced Tarek. His first ball was on a good length, wobbling in the air, nipping off the pitch -- and hitting the top of their number 5's off stump. That was Chris Gooch, former captain, perennial run-thorn, dispatched, Atherton to James's McGrath: a joyous moment. We now had an end to attack, which Hugo, clean bowling number 6, did expertly. With ten overs left, they needed 80, we four wickets (they only had ten). A partnership built, but Mike had other ideas, trapping number 7, by repute their last batsman, in front. Their captain now started to attack in earnest, quite effectively - nine here, twelve there - and number 8, 'Elbow', swung lustily. Hugo continued steadily, cunningly; but with six overs to come, 40 were required. Could their captain swing them to victory?
Hugo intervened: their captain, who had developed a sweep-at-all-costs method, was deceived by a flatter, quicker, slightly wider one. He tried to work to leg, but spooned into the air. Hugo settled under the catch he'd extracted, and took it. Much shouting. To Roydon's credit, they continued to look to score -- but Jack, returning for his second spell, proved too good, taking the edge of a would-be attacker. That left one to get. Hugo, unerring, whirled away; the ball hit a pad, they ran headlessly; Tim swooped and threw very badly to Hugo -- who collected calmly, and took the stumps. Run out, all out: 197. A close, hard-fought win.
Hugo, who finished with figures of 15-1-62-3, and Shomit, the day's heroes, led us off.
(from the pen of Tim Schneider)
