Won
| Batsmen | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Driver | Out | 11 | ||||
| Dave Allen | Out | 6 | ||||
| Naqash Tahir | Out | 0 | ||||
| Fred Travers | Out | 8 | ||||
| Steve Banning | Out | 30 | ||||
| John Talbot | Out | 33 | ||||
| Jamie Travers | Out | 16 | ||||
| Simon Brooks | Out | 0 | ||||
| Nigel Jackson | Not Out | 15 | ||||
| Richard Pownall | Not Out | 2 | ||||
| Ryan Pownall | DNB | |||||
| Extras | ||||||
| Bowling | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naqash Tahir | 8.0 | 1 | 25 | 4 | 3.13 | |
| John Talbot | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | |
| Jamie Travers | 8.0 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 2.25 | |
| Simon Brooks | 9.0 | 0 | 31 | 4 | 3.44 | |
| Nigel Jackson | 9.0 | 1 | 47 | 0 | 5.22 | |
| Extras | ||||||
| Fielder | Catches | Run Outs | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naqash Tahir | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| John Talbot | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Travers | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nigel Jackson | 2 | 0 | 0 |
August 4 v Goring Home. Won by 1 wicket
Chasing 140 to win, our innings had spluttered to 118 for 8, which was in reality 9 because Ryan Pownall had already departed for bar duties at the Bull. So, as Richard Pownall [Richard], in his first league season, and having had little opportunity to date to build some confidence with the bat, strode to the wicket a further 22 were still needed. Nigel Jackson [Jacko] was at the other end, a 1st team batsman in the making, but he had yet to face a ball. With the Goring players sensing victory, there was plenty of verbals as they did everything to unsettle our two young lads. Their response far exceeded expectation. I can see now the straightness of Richard’s bat, defiant in defence and a perfect foil to Nigel’s more cavalier style. To start with, singles were taken, good balls kept out, nothing in the air, not a hint of a chance. With great patience, they inched the score to 130, then a couple of twos and a stroked six back over the bowler’s head by Jacko secured victory! Life is shaped on defining moments, and so it is with sport and, perhaps, especially in cricket, where the ascendancy can swing back and forth several times in the course of a game. That last wicket stand of 22 was definitely one of the defining passages of play of the season and ultimately secured the runners-up spot in the league.
Removing Goring for just 139 had seemed to be an unlikely achievement earlier in the afternoon. We took the field with just nine players. I had spent the half-hour immediately before the start of play speaking to a number of the team on their mobiles as they roared back up the M4 from Cardiff. Judging by their appearance, a number of the lads had obviously not found a bed the previous night and, with the sun beating down from a cloudless sky, their effort and stamina in the field was commendable. This was equally so for John Talbot [Talby], making his first and only appearance of the season. The fact that he finished the match at all was amazing!. Naqas and Jacko had opened the bowling and, despite playing and missing repeatedly, Goring quickly reached 40 without loss, the wicket playing beautifully. More in hope than anything, I brought myself on, bowled a long-hop first ball, which was smartly hooked straight to Talby at backward square, where he took what should have been a routine catch: trouble was, it was at the expense of his right index finger, which immediately doubled in size, and later proved to be broken. Nevertheless, after a brief respite in the pavilion, he was back out on the field ready for more action. Almost immediately, he was chasing down a boundary and stopping the ball just inside the rope. In one smooth action, he stooped, swivelled and threw [well sort of, as his arm has long since gone!] the ball back to Dave behind the stumps, releasing a howl of pain as he did sol. Diagnosis - groin strain! Assigned slip duties, Talby bravely carried on. Meanwhile, Naqas had been nibbling away with success to the tune of four wickets, and Simon Brooks bowled unchanged through to the finish, and also took four with his well-flighted off- spin. Throughout his 9 over spell, Simon showed excellent control and will, I am sure, take a stack of wickets for the seconds and firsts in due course.
The atmosphere in our dressing room at tea was definitely sombre, and a few other things! 17 for 3, Ali, Naqas, and Dave Allen all deemed to be lbw by me, the skipper. Naturally, I was the toast of the opposition! Fortunately, the middle-order steadied the innings after tea, but each partnership was broken as it was promising more, leading to the heroics of our last pair. The dependable Banjo contributed 30, and the stricken Talby top-scored with a typically determined 33. However, this wasn’t without further injury, this time a ripped thigh muscle, which necessitated a runner! See you next season, Talby!
