Surrey Slam vs Nasir Knights
Author: Calpol
Match Report |
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Putney’s suboptimal preparations for this Surrey Slam opener were disrupted by a South West trains emergency – at the toss we only had 4 players on the ground, so of course the opposition chose to bat first. Moments later, a rash of taxis arrived carrying the Super Vikings and we were ready to take the field. Choosing to start from the “Roehampton End” due to the position of the sun, we commenced with Beedle and Brian running a tight ship. Beedle’s 3 overs yielded just 16 runs and, crucially, no boundaries. It could have been even better for the Beerdick as he saw a chance dropped and then a catch taken off a no-ball. Brian castled the opener and would have had further wickets but for some suboptimal fielding – including yours truly failing to cling on to a sharp diving catch at backward point. Our first change bowlers came on to much encouragement. Between Charlie and Hugo they conceded 65 runs in their 5 overs; thanks to further dropped catches, some loose bowling and much grumbling about 10 yard run ups. As we changed ends after 10 overs, it became apparent that our initial end selection had been suboptimal. Bowling from the “Barnes End”, we managed to locate a dead spot in the pitch which turned a good length ball into a shooter, and extracted several wickets by this method. Sheva and Scott dragged us back into the game, and helpfully one of the oppo batsmen retired having reached 50. Unfortunately as we entered the final 4 overs we were suddenly robbed of our ability to bowl a good length, and a succession of full tosses and half volleys were smote over the leg side for 6. I doubt Scott has ever bowled to a 6-3 legside field before but it didn’t much resemble cricket. A potentially controversial moment came as Scott appealed for a run out when the batsman had innocently gone for a stroll, and was promptly called back. Nasir Knights 183/9. Gus and Dez strode out to bat. With Gus fresh from a Sunday knock of 29 from 21 overs, he was exactly the man we needed to chase down 9 an over. The opposition must have had the pitch scarified during the innings break as they immediately found prodigious seam movement. It didn’t matter where they pitched it – it seamed miles. Although, crucially, they managed to land the ball on the wicket. Dez was bowled via an inside edge and possibly his pad, bringing Tush to the crease. Tush perished to a ball that seamed and kept low, and Sheva received the same treatment the very next ball. So that was a suboptimal start. Scott Good joined Gus at the crease and forced the issue by frequently running twos to the infield, helped by some rather questionable fielding and throwing. Even after we lost Gus, it looked like we might make it a contest, as Sam Hampson took up the mantle. Ultimately though, we were unable to come close to the Knights' huge score, as Scott, Charlie and Hugo’s brave attempts to hit boundaries ended with the death rattle sound of bails being dislodged. Finishing on 111/7, we were soundly beaten. Dropping eight catches didn’t help our cause, but the general consensus was that the pitch was… ‘suboptimal’. Man of the match was Scott Good for a strong performance with bat and ball, but a special mention for the oppo whose shirts were emblazoned with slogans such as "love for all, hatred for none". They certainly loved our bowling. |
Date | Time | Team | Opposition | Location | Putney | Opposition | Result | Scores | Points | Toss |
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14/05/2019 | 6pm @ SW15 5BW | Putney Super Vikings | Nasir Knights | A | 111/7 | 183/9 | L | 0 |