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2nd XI Away
13th May 2000
Against:  Brook 123-7

Result: 

 Losing Draw 
Batting Bowling
1  Ryder P Caught  3  
2  Marchant P Bowled 1 5-0-15-2
3  Thomas R 76 1-0-2-0
4  Patel M LBW 2  
5  Norcross D * Bowled 2
6  Kibriya N 11
7  Walker N Caught 9 6-1-17-1
8  Dingwall I 26 9-1-26-1
9  Baker R Bowled 1 12-4-28-1
10  Cannon A Not Out 7 9-0-38-2
11  Eyles A † Bowled 1
Scorer:  Lynda
Total
153
(55)
All Out
overs
    Remarkably the Old Alleynians arrived only one short and with 45 minutes to spare at Brook following the “Grey No Show” at Old Walcountians the week before. The sky was a deep Tory Blue and the OA’s had been further inconvenienced by late call ups to the hapless 1st XI, losing their wicket keeper Caspar Branson, all rounder Sachin Patel and opening bowler Will Sharp. Ansbro was playing in a charity invitation tournament in Oxford and Kane and Khan were still recovering from long term knee injuries. In their place came old lag Mikshu Patel, debutant Nabil Kibriya, and back behind the sticks, former inspiration and fag cadger Alan Eyles. A long hot and tough day against the odds was looking likely.
    For the first time this season the toss was lost (incorrect call of tails thwarted by royalists), so Ryder and Marchant responded to the inevitable at 1 p.m., well 1.02 after Marchant had been squeezed into a pair of dwarves’ incontinent pants as replacement for his lost jockstrap. The opening over revealed the immense size of the task in hand as Marchant was twice beaten and once dropped at first slip. Brook had a full compliment of first team bowlers (as ever) for their home fixture, and before long the openers had been shot out; Marchant by one that came back 3 feet off the seam to clip the top of middle stump, and Ryder to a spectacular diving catch at second slip that confirmed our worst suspicions. Norcross was undone by hopeless technique, bowled once more behind his legs trying to remember if Ansbro was available the following week, and Patel was given LBW by Eyles. It was 34-4 and the OA’s’ chances looked as bleak as the whole pig roasting on a spit by the boundary’s edge. It was then that Ralph Thomas in partnership with Nabil Kibriya turned things round. Thomas took the attack to the bowling with some fantastic flicks off his legs and powerful driving, while Nabil gave everyone kittens by playing back to yorkers, but drove with authority and class. Following Kibriya’s dismissal for 16, Walker kept Thomas company until the twin exertions of running the odd two and not trying to slap every ball from the “tossy spinner” over the ropes got too much for him and he holed out at long-on trying to clear the hill. At 84-7 the OA’s were back in the mire but a fifty partnership between Dingwall, showing a similar disdain for the quick single but a superior technique with the slog, and Thomas dragged the score up to 153 all out after exactly fifty-five overs. There had been time for Ramon Baker to be bowled by a 13 year old, Cannon, to show encouraging form with the bat, and Eyles to be castled off the last ball for a single. The total was disappointing but competitive and Ralph had got his highest score for the OA’s with a marvellous 79. It was clear that we needed wickets quickly if we were not to be steamrollered.
    After a perfectly fine tea, Norcross opened the bowling with Cannon down the hill and Ramon. Things were not looking pretty as the openers dealt comfortable with the opening overs, punishing anything wayward and defending the rest. Then Ryder reaped his revenge. The worryingly muscled Brook number one was looking settled and the score was 31-0 off eight overs. Then Cannon threw one in a little quicker, it bounced and, cutting, he was unable to keep the ball down as Ryder swooped with both hands at gully to pull off a blinding catch. We were in it but only just. In Cannon’s next over we got our first bit of luck. A quickish long hop was totally misjudged by the number three and back went his middle stump in a dismissal reminiscent of Bradman’s first baller off Bill Bowes in 1930; 34-2. A left hander was next in and this fatally broke Cannon’s rhythm. Fortunately Ramon was on fire from the sight screen end and after 8 niggardly overs he got his reward with an LBW verdict against the other Brook opener, the ball swinging in and catching him full on the toe; 51-3. At this juncture and with the Brook opening bowler and first team destroyer arriving at the wicket Norcross brought on Nigel Walker for his first spell. He had clearly spotted something in the way he had handled Cannon’s last over, because after a discreet word in his spinner’s ear, a dreadful long hop was delivered. The burly Brookian shaped to leather the ball out of the ground, missed it by three feet and the ball bounced a second time onto the base of off stump; 55-4. The Brook skipper now arrived and, after surviving being bowled when the bails failed to dislodge, put on a dangerous 40 with the left hander before succumbing to another piece of genius from his opposite number. Clearly comfortable against the dobber Dingwall and the less than accurate but awkward Walker, Norcross called up Marchant who was looking for one of his hairs in the outfield. Within an over he had a stumping missed, and a stumping taken. It was 90-5. The left hander was now joined by the other opening bowler, a South African with a devastating record in league cricket. He lasted three balls before being caught behind off a leg side full toss that didn’t get to him in the 8 seconds he had allotted and instead ballooned off the back of the bat to provide Eyles and Marchant with their second victims; 91-6. With 12 overs remaining and 63 left to win the OA’s were definitely on top, but Brook sensibly shut up shop, content only with the winning draw which was achieved with three overs to spare after Cannon returned for a one over spell of 11 balls and 8 wides. There was time for us to be frustrated by another 13 year old who was better than all of us, and for Dingers to get the boy’s father out to a decent in ducker. Brook ended on 123-7.
    Honour had been satisfied and after the early collapse in our innings we were pretty happy with the draw. The batting generally needs to improve in the absence of Hardy, Ralph notwithstanding, and the bowlers need to be more accurate and full in length, but all in all, and considering the circumstances the performance had been gutsy and encouraging. Next week against Streatham we will again be suffering from absences in the shape of Branson, now a fixture at number nine in the 1sts, Ansbro, Thomas and Marchant, but if we can guts it out the picture looks brighter from June onwards.
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