For the benefit of those who don’t know (or can’t remember) let me just explain that I play this game on my computer, inserting the names of the various bloggers who (quite literally) make up the team. I then report, entirely faithfully, exactly what went on – I have not added to, or taken away from anyone’s scores (mine, for instance, are well below par – perhaps it’s the cold weather). Even the cliff-hanging ending on the final day really happened – but you will have to wait until Saturday to read that.
So, then, on to the match:
We have too many players in the squad now, so as I looked around the hung-over faces in the dressing room, I knew that sadly a pair of them would fall, as I had to tell two of our players that they would be in reserve for this match.
I then marched onto the pitch, lost the toss, and was told that the Finnish team had elected to bat.
Tom and I opened the bowling.
The first wicket fell when Frangelita did a back-flip, and caught the ball one-handed off my bowling: 10-1.
The first change of bowling brought our spinners on, both Vicus and Realdoc managing to make the ball turn, despite the hardness of the wicket (it was completely frozen). Eventually an edge flew from Vicus’ bowling straight into the gloves of Richard (our keeper): 32-2.
The third pair of bowlers used in this match were that pair of old workhorses, Phil and Carol. They plodded in, without success, so I returned to our openers, immediately striking as my slower ball caught an edge, and flew to Ivy in the slips: 82-3.
Two overs later, an identical ball shot into Jona’s hands, and amazingly stayed there: 86-4.
At lunch, with the score on 93-4, we felt we’d done a good morning’s work.
They came out with a little more determination after the break, and pushed the score on, until Vicus achieved an LBW: 138-5.
Vicus broke through again when an edge went straight to Phil, dozing in the slips: 147-6.
The next over saw Realdoc taking her first wicket for BMCC, when she made the ball move a foot off the wicket, and clean bowled her opponent: 149-7.
Our third pairing finally got some reward for their labours, when one of Phil’s balls was edged to Medusa: 180-8.
In the gulley, I held on to a ball driven off Carol’s bowling: 185-9.
I rounded off their first innings with a ball edged to Richard; 185-10.
We came off the pitch, congratulating ourselves on a job well done.
Our openers were going to have a nervous few overs to face before tea, so I asked them to be cautious. Tom clearly heard every word I said, hitting the first ball for six. Fortunately, no wickets fell, and we came in for tea at 12-0.
There was a little awkwardness in the tea pavilion, as the players watched one of our supporters being led from the ground by the stewards. Apparently Cherrypie had drunk a little too much vodka, and her merry vocal renditions of rugby songs were embarrassing nearby spectators. I will have a word with her later.
After tea, Tom’s was the first wicket to fall: 46-1.
Vicus was caught at Long Off, trying to match Tom’s six: 73-2
Jona was clean bowled: 90-3.
Richard and I, though, held up any further collapse, and were still there at the close of play: 102-3.
Our new scorer, who likes the view, loved the set of pencils that we’d all clubbed together to buy her for Christmas, and has prepared this summary score-sheet, showing the current position of play.
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