Sunday 1s vs Elsted
Author: AJ
Match Report |
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On a scorching hot Sunday with temperatures well clear of the 30C mark, Putney made the long trip down south to Elsted village in the South Downs to take on a friendly village side…all except for this writer, who made his way to…Elstead – 30 miles away from where he needed to be. Stranded in the middle of nowhere and spending in excess of 80 pounds on a taxi to reach the right Elsted was certainly not the best start to a sultry Sunday afternoon. All for the Putney cause! Still, getting to the ground was well worth the journey as we were treated to a terrific view of the South Downs, and possibly one of the best away grounds we’d played at this season. Captain Brook of course lost the toss and we were sent in to field, where the shady trees at long on and deep point were easily the most on-demand fielding positions of the day. Despite the flat pitch and fast outfield, Putney’s bowlers performed creditably after a difficult start, running in hard for long spells against tough opponents. Despite obligatory fielding mishaps, we even managed two runouts, and had some luck when a Jarmola grenade went straight up for an easy catch. Elsted could have more than just 184 in 35 overs and at the halfway point we felt confident of a successful run chase. Opening the batting, Wibberley did his best Virender Sehwag impression by carting the opening bowlers initially – his brilliant straight six in the first over a work of art and putting shivers down the spines of Elsted’s young opening bowlers. However, wickets soon fell regularly, with Wibbers unable to carry on his great start. Several batsmen, including Hector and Jarmola, were very unfortunate victims of evil jinxes at the boundary from Ajay and Hoggy, and all hope seemed lost at 120 for 9, last man Ajay going in with more than 60 runs still needed in about 9 overs. The oppo, however did not know that a Stokes/Perera and Leach/Fernando partnership was on the cards, as club newbie Jack Waldouck took complete charge, showing a range of strokeplay rarely seen at Putney Sunday cricket and adeptly farming the strike, seeing Putney home in the last over with four balls to spare for a sensational win and delirious scenes in the Putney dugout. He was ably supported by Ajay who made just 4* but was rock solid against everything Elsted threw at him. A memorable day overall for many reasons but a great game of cricket in the sun. Credit also to the very friendly Elsted team who hosted us in a wonderful Sussex pub for a beer and chat post game. |
Date | Time | Team | Opposition | Location | Putney | Opposition | Result | Scores | Points | Toss |
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09/08/2020 | 1.30pm | Sunday 1st | Elsted | A | 185/9 | 184/4 | W | 0 |