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'Graveney narrowly fail to secure 8th win of the season at Brasted
Chart'
By Nick Goodburn after a
somewhat scant attempt by Rob Davies
Graveney 234 - 8 (from 42 overs)
Brasted Chart 161 - 8 (from 36 overs)
Match Drawn
The Graveney
players, with the exception of Jez, KC and the skipper, who went
directly to the ground, met at The Bull Inn in Brasted where there was a
welcome return to the fold for Rob Davies, after weeks of holding the
baby, OD after two weeks kicking his heels, Tim Bunn and Paul Fanning
after a week off, and Tristan Johnson - cleverly prevented from bowling
at us by the skipper rearranging the fixture for this week and the
subsequent moving of the Occasional Wanderers fixture to next week!
Needless to say
Howard and KC were immediately in good voice telling everyone we could
do it, although Howard refrained from the 'cosy' changing room until
some space had been cleared for him to place his hat. Following the
toss, Graveney were tasked with making first use of the wicket. The
Brasted skipper had declined the offer of an overs game, a decision that
became more understandable once Graveney had exposed the middle order
later in the game. Knowing he was unlikely to be required for some time,
Jay promptly made the acquaintance of Tim Bunn's travelling supporters,
and proceeded to eat his way through most of the picnic they had brought
with them, while poor Tim himself watched anxiously, stomach rumbling,
during his umpiring stint.
After his first
fifty of the season batting at three, Nick was persuaded to retain the
position in the GCC order, and so Rob, on his return to the side, opened
with the in-form Paul Fanning, who was looking to set a new run scoring
record for the club. Amidst many calls from our West Indian contingent,
there was some early playing & missing but Paul managed to get after one
of Brasted's opening pair & they had put on 46 before Rob mistimed one
to mid-off for 9. The FoW brought Nick to the crease & the skipper
produced another solid innings, with one or two delightfully played
lofted straight drives, while Paul played many quality shots at the
other end. Both batsmen were dropped during their excellent partnership
of 76, before Paul eventually fell for 77, not making the opposition pay
with a ton for his being dropped on 58, but having played an innings
which eventually won him a deserved MoM award. He had also achieved his
aim of passing both the previous best runs total in Graveney's
"statistical" history, and 500 runs in the season.
As so often seems
to happen with GCC, from a commanding 142 for 2, we slumped to 171 for 7
with Howard (11), Nick (43), Jez (12), KC (1) & (0)'D(!) falling in
rapid succession. OD's dismissal gently lobbing the ball to mid off was
particularly lame, and he turned and almost ran back to the pavilion in
embarrassment. Such was the combined length of KC's (mind your language
at the crease, KC) & the Chairman's innings' that there was a chance
that Tristan (34) could have been timed out. Thankfully he made it to
the crease just in time, and, courtesy of more than a few lusty blows,
he & Tim E. (26*) took GCC to a very competitive 234 for 8 from 42
overs, with Tristan caught attempting one more big shot off the last
ball of the innings after a partnership worth 63 for the eighth wicket.
Tim Bunn, the next man in, was slightly miffed at not having had the
opportunity to whack a six or two over one rather short boundary, as he
had had visions of finally winning the "Tapas Challenge".
At tea, Tim Bunn's
mum had found herself commandeered into acting as tea lady, and she did
a fine job behind the counter. An apologetic skipper chastised himself
for failing to remember it was Tim Bunn's last game of the season, which
should have guaranteed him a higher position in the order. Jay moped
about at tea following the departure of a nice young lady who he had
been admiring during the Graveney innings. He got over it by indulging
in another decent helping of food from the tea trays.
After tea, Howard
- the new club photographer, took plenty more shots to block up
everyone's inbox with, before the Brasted reply began steadily. With
Jez, Barry and Tim Bunn all locked together on 20 wickets for the
season, the bowling shield was very much up for grabs. Barry's
unavailability and Nick's desire to give Tim a decent bowl on his last
appearance of the season meant that Jay was both fortunate and mightily
relieved not to be asked to open the bowling after his mammoth banquet.
Tim Bunn was thus asked to open the bowling with KC, and he got off to a
flyer when he removed the Brasted skipper, LBW, for not very many. His
final figures of 9-4-22-3, in two spells, made Tim the pick of the
Graveney bowlers, and included a wicket with his last delivery of the
season. Jez, meanwhile, had been getting paler by the minute, watching
Tim potentially moving out of sight in the race to the bowling trophy.
How he managed to congratulate Tim three times after wicket taking
deliveries remains a mystery to him just as much as to the rest of us.
KC (9-2-41-2)
bowled with venom, although the short boundary was found frequently when
the Brasted batsmen played some lovely drives and cuts off his bowling.
He should have had Powell caught at slip but Paul Fanning misjudged one
which was really travelling & will still have the bruise to show for it
(or as others saw it, dropped a sitter that probably contributed to a
failure to get enough early wickets to make the pressure count!) Powell
eventually played on to Jay (6-1-32-1) for a rather threatening 45, and
at this point, 2 down and just short of a hundred runs on the board, and
for some time afterwards, it appeared Brasted might well challenge the
Graveney total.
However, after
opener Scott (35) departed, Tristan Johnson provided his usual
aggressive spell, and once he had removed the big hitting Shuttleworth
(25), Brasted looked very vulnerable. A
spirited late effort saw Graveney come up just short, however, when
bowlers, finally listening to the captain's pleas to bowl at the stumps,
took wickets. Ultimately the Brasted team was relieved to see the overs
run out having rather limped to 161 for 8
from 36 overs by the close. Graveney were left to rue a couple of
dropped catches & some other less than accurate bowling during the
endgame. Generously given the last over of the day, Jez took his
customary wicket of a ten or eleven year old, to put himself back in
with a sniff of the bowling award with one game to go, ending with 1-13
from 4 overs.
Rob had a curious
day in the field claiming the Champagne moment for an outfield
face-plant & also spilling a straightforward chance behind the timbers
off Tristan (6-0-24-1) having just taken the gloves from O'D in the
fading light on the basis that he would see it better. Special mention
should go to Tim E. (2-0-17-0) who gamely attempted to prise the
Champagne moment from Rob's grasp but disqualified himself by drawing
blood on a barbed wire fence!
With everyone having
enjoyed a good spirited game, most players from the two sides made their
way to the Fox and Hounds nearby, where a good few beers were sunk again
this year. Brasted showed their appreciation of Maureen's fine work at
tea in reducing the fee for teas by £5 so that a box of chocolates could
be bought for her. The skipper has, I am assured, sent a card to thank
her, along with a promise of the chocolates next season.
Man of the match:
Paul
Fanning - an excellent knock at the top of the innings
(even if he did drop a catch at slip which may have meant we failed to
win!)
Champagne moment:
Rob
Davies. In attempting to chase down the ball near the boundary,
Rob's legs finally gave out, and he went arse over tit, smashing face
first into the ground!
Moments of disgrace:
1. OD's second ball dismissal, gently lobbing ball
to mid off!
2.
Paul Fanning dropping a catch at slip off Tristan, which, being one
of the more stubborn batsmen,
could have meant we would have gone on to win the match! |
