Sunday 1s vs Club Tournament
Author:
Match Report |
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The club tournament returned to the Lower Common this year after an extended break of over 20 years and it returned with a bang! Inspired work from Wibbers, buying a cover for the pitch the day before, ensured that the overnight deluge would not be affecting the days play. The weather responded with the brightest sunshine seen in Putney for weeks. The stage was then set for what was proven to be an intriguing and enjoyable day... The first match up was GP's Red Stripes v Khanna's Pistons. The latter batted first with Mike Walker scoring an assured 31 before enforced retirement, aided by a scampering Sully. The bowling radar also proved rusty and an extravagant number of wides (6 in total counting 4 runs each) enabled the Pistons to finish on a very competitive 68 without the loss of a wicket. The first wicket of the day was Brooksie, committing a major error in getting bowled by the Blacksmith first ball. Who knows how long that will live in the memory... GP strived hard to match the run rate and survived two dropped catches in 35* however wickets fell round him including two when 14 was needed off the last. 12 off the last three proved too much of a task and the pistons cruised home by 10 runs. The fantastic banter during and this and following matches, from the sideline and on the pitch, ensured a cracking atmosphere that lasted all afternoon. The BBQ and the fact that 30 odd players were having a friendly beer or two pitch side no doubt helped... The first match in pool 2 saw the early favourites Hereford Bulls pitted against Chris Bailey's Clowns. Nick Lilja played freely finishing on 28* out of 61. Another memorable wicket was Adam Milton's c&b of Braveheart Harris who lamented on the fact that he would also be reminded of that for the rest of the week. Unfortunately Chris Bailey managed to get himself run out by Owen's runout from the boundary (in keeping pads!) prompting groans from the gathered support. The Bulls then decided they didn't want to hang around so Big D and Adam Milton smashed sixes all round Putney (some probably ending up in Barnes) finishing with 34* and 20* respectively. The bulls passed the clowns with ease and 4 overs to spare. The third match saw the introduction of Ridders’ Bitters for the first time taking on the Red Stripes. GP opened the batting and again set about the bowling to carry his bat for 29. Again however there was no support against the Bitters’ strong bowling attack and the stripes finished on 54. The unusual site of Ashworth filling in as keeper greeted Dez and Adil as they walked out to bat, not that it put them off and they scored quickly. However a magical piece of bowling from young Bertie Probyn accounted for Adil and left Dez to see them home with 24* Wibber's Zulus made their introduction against the fancied Bulls and promptly set about throwing the form book out of the window. In a massive total of 88 JP hit sixes at will scoring 35 in around 10 balls and Richard Keyes (not the presenter) weighed in with a powerful 22. Our old friend extras added 27 runs as the Bulls gave away unwanted runs including an 8 and 6. Faced with such a daunting total, the Bulls came out hard but despite quick 17s from Big D and Owen the run rate (13.8) was to prove insurmountable despite the Shaq Attack going for 24 in one over, eventually losing by 9 only runs although in reality the target was just too big. Richard Keyes one of Wibbs guest players not only showed himself to be an excellent bat but is possibly the best dressed player to grace the common in recent years. He turned with a striped blazer over his whites and wore what his wife later told me was a London New Zealand old style cap. Australians take note, this is how cricket should be played. Barry Wandgas finally turned up after 2pm to represent the Pistons in the group decider with the bitters. Ratch won the toss and strangely elected to bat first. The Pistons started slowly and could not gain any momentum which was not helped by the top three getting run out. 51 runs was never going to be enough. And so it proved, Joss took the opportunity to send out less recognised batsmen who promptly proved the value of strong hitting; Pete McWarne and Adil seeing the bitters into the final with ease. The final match of the pool stage saw the Zulus needing a win against the clowns to take them through to the final. Once again the a quick start from Wibbers (33*) and Richard Keyes (not the presenter) who also later took two wickets. The Zulus posted 63 for the clowns to chase. Chris Bailey took his first wicket in along time, an LBW that necessitated the appeal hooooowww-fortheloveofgodthatmustbeout-zzzzaaaattt. You can never accuse Krusty of being uncompetitive. However the clowns failed to fire and whimpered along to 44ao with every batsman making less runs that he gave away bowling. Enough said. The Zulus cruised into the finals. The Wooden Spoon playoff was between the Stripes and the Clowns, both desperate to record a first victory and avoid the ignominy of last place. The Stripes were deprived of Brooksie as an ill judged catch hit his ring finger shattering it above the knuckle. It would later prove to be the end of his season. The clowns batted first and Chris and Ben Fifield opened and took their chances while riding their luck. Aided by 26 extras CB scored 30 in 66 runs for the loss of one late wicket. The Stripes reply was nothing short of woeful and showed why they propped up the table. Helped by two wickets from Danish the Stripes were kept to 26ao with no batsman making more than 5 runs. A stunning running catch on the boundary from Bailey has put paid to the biggest threat in GP and the Clowns had pulled it out of the bag. The Stripes meanwhile blamed Brooksie. The third place play off saw a battle between the 2 Saturday VCs. First blood went to Ratch who won the toss and put the Bulls in. It is not often that you see JJ and Willow opening the batting but they did so in style hitting 23* and 20 respectively. The Bulls closed on 61. As soon as you start slowly in 6aside cricket you put yourself in difficulty. An absence of early fours meant that the Pistons were always behind the pace. Nick Hayes picked up his first wicket on debut as the Pistons disappointingly finished on 40-1 with the cardinal sin of wickets in hand. Perinperaja top scored with 16. And now the warm up acts were out of the way and tucking into a few beers. It was the grand final Wibbers Zulus vs Ridders’ Bitters. Throughout the tournament it was suggested that strong batting won you matches but Ridders Bitters had used their very strong bowling line up to good effect whereas the Zulus had destroyed the opposition with the rapid scoring of JP, Wibbs and Richard Keyes (not the presenter). It was going to be an interesting final. At the outset bowling won. The usually dynamic batting line up crumbled to 56 all out. The big names and Shak all got starts but never saw a big innings through. No bowler went for more than 13 an over. Amazing in the context of the day. It should also be noted that despite an entire season behind the stumps in 2006 Mike Oliver took his first catch as a keeper for the club during the 6aside tournament - he no longer keeps for the Suns. The final score of 56 would require a massive bowling performance to hold onto victory. Jade and Ridders opened the batting and set about the Zulus attack. The site of Ridders striking a six back over the bowlers head will live long in the memory. Another notable moment way Richard Keyes running under the ball on the boundary only to lean back and grab it one handed. To be honest the Bitters never looked in trouble despite needing all the overs and a victory was earned for the bowling union as a side with only one recognised batsman won the day. After the celebratory shaking of a cheap bottle of Cava we repaired to the bar for the awards of the day and a few beers to end a successful day. Putney Tournament Awards 2007 Winning team – Ridders’ Bitters Joss Ridley (Captain) Dez Telfer Steve Milosz Peter Hill Adil Ijaz Jade Willis Player of the tournament - James Peters Catch of the tournament 1. Chris Baileys running/catch to dismiss GP in the wooden spoon playoff 2. Richard Keys one handed effort in the final 3. Mike Oliver first catch behind the stumps Champagne Moments 1. Ridders Six in the final 2. Brooksie's golden duck at the hands of Ashworth Harry Fernandez Moments 1. Steel trying to give a wide when it hit the batsman's pads. 2. Chris Bailey's ridiculous appeal 3. Barry Wandgas throwing his bat further that a ball after getting out. Biggest Six 1. Adil crashing one into the trees Moment of Chivalry Seeing the ball careering towards Holden Bailey and mother Danish sprinted like he has never done before and dived with a loud 'Nooooo' to stop the ball hitting them. Top marks Danish. Quote of the day Upon our return to the bar Owen Hereford was heard to say to Dez 'Don’t be such a Prima Donna'. Fantastic! And now recorded for posterity… Making days like these tournaments enjoyable for all take a lot of hard works and I would like to thank Wibbers and Brooksie for their help in the preparation, all the skippers for taking some of the day's organisational weight and rule arguments and to Chris Bailey and Jon Steel for manning the Beefmaster. Once again Rachitt and Nidi Khanna provided some excellent food to give the BBQ a touch of class. Thank you all for the part you played in making the day work. The Blacksmith |
Date | Time | Team | Opposition | Location | Putney | Opposition | Result | Scores | Points | Toss |
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29/07/2007 | Sunday 1st | Club Tournament | H | 0 |