SCORECARD

Ashes Glory as Fitmen Fail To Play Tribute in Tropical Lapworth

21 July 1981, 7th August 2005 and 25th August 2019, all dates etched into cricket history. Willis, Botham, Flintoff, Harmison, Stokes and Leach are all heroes, but one thing they don’t do is cross generations quite like AC Caesar.  Tony played cricket on each of the aforementioned days 38 years apart, a hero on each date.  And on this occasion our evergreen Chairman heroically was brought into the bowling attack on the morning of the game as a replacement for Faraz’s who had a fever. 

side note - Faraz Fever is also a condition effecting various housewives/student/WFH-dossers alike when watching Faraz’s beguiling display on Homes Under The Hammer.

Lapworth a picture perfect ground at the best of times, it was absolutely radiant in 30 degree sunshine.  Skipper Jonesy, ignoring the tempting sheep in the adjacent field went out for the toss and called tails - South of B’ham - toss won!!  They say in Headingly when choosing to bat or bowl you look up not down. Well Skip wanted to watch look at Sky Go on his iPhone and choose to bat and placed himself right down the order.

Ceasar Jnr (just a glint in his Dad's eye in 1981) and Uncle Mo (probably scoring hatful of runs in 81) strode to the wicket and saw out the newish ball. Sharing a 99 run first wicket partnership. Mo was first to go to a “a good one” caught on 58, a class knock. Howarth in at 3 creamed a couple of boundaries but was given trigger “reluctantly” by the Chairman on 7.

Tom struggling with the greenhouse effect in his helmet fell 2 short of his half century but not before sharing a 50 partnership with Harry.

Now England were 9 down by now and Stokes was smashing it to all parts, so I have to say I didn’t see much of Harry’s magnificent 55 or him run out Rob Nutt (14), but I heard the knock glorious and the run out tragedy. Harry call for 1, but Rob only know 5,6,7,8. Rob was less than a Heat Beat Away from making his ground.
Sharif made 14 not out in usual clavier style at the end. Jonesy hit 7 of 4 in the penultimate over and Raj chipping in with 5 of 3.

Fitmen finished on 231 – 6 off 40 overs.  It left like a good effort in the heat and with one eye on the Ashes.

Tea was a selection of ham, cheese, egg, fairy cakes and crisps. Mo enjoyed a cuppa tea.

Fitmen took to the field knowing they had a decent total to defend.  Plan was to keep the ball pitched up and allow the low bounce to skittle their top heavy batting order out early so we can get in the long tail. The plan was good, the implementation had a lot to be desired.

Raj Kings of Swing had no assistance through the air in heat and got bashed about for 28 in his first two overs.  Stu Mould still searching for a wicket with his new magic boots, was unlucky not to get a wicket when Fitmens less heroic Ginger All Rounder dropped their opening bat in the second over at 1st slip.  The opening bat went on to make 70 odd.

Tony came on first drop and bowled either side of the first of multiple drinks breaks with a tidy spell of 6 over 1-34.

Harry and Brother Sharif set his own heavy off side field and bowled on leg stump for a while.  But the Sharif is a scholar of the game and he was playing the long game, this false sense of security brought him a wicket removing Lapworth’s best batman with a lovely caught and bowled.

It has to be said that Lapworth batted well. They blocked the good ball, left the ball outside off and smashed the bad ball to all parts. The skipper brought himself on needing quick wickets to bring the game back but to no avail. In the heat the fitmen were run ragged. Bowlers were rotated, our very owned Jack Leach, Ian Nutt almost brought a wicket but again was dropped by the skip.

Lapworth reached the total with 6 overs to spare and 4 wickets down.

Special kudos goes to Tom who spent the best part of 5 hours in a helmet either batting or keeping. His beard looked baggy on his head by the end of the day.

Fitmen went back to the bar to enjoy a lovely drop of Sharps Atlantic pale ale 4.2 % ABV and talked about missed opportunities and the best Ashes day of a generation, whilst the sun gently set in the distance.