SCORECARD

Astwood Banker delivers with interest
Old Mo Fitmen 197-2, beat Thomas Brothers, 185-9, by 12 runs

With a late change of venue and 18 Fitmen unavailable, Fitskip yet again had another tumultuous week, herding the Fitship into the Worcestershire countryside. Astwood Bank CC boasts light and airy changing rooms, 4 outdoor nets and a well-stocked bar all in bucolic surroundings. With a strange call of heads this far south of Birmingham, opposition for the evening, The Thomas Brothers Funeral Directors XI, made the decision to let the Fitmen bat first.

The line “It will make the game last longer” from their skipper could have been misconstrued as over/under confidence, but as it turned out, this game would go the full distance. Jones cleverly was first to get a beer in the stressed out skippers hands and was rewarded with the job of opening with the returning, very talented Sam Moore, he of “moor, more, Sammy Moore, Moore” fame. As it was Sam was out clean bowled first ball and therefore couldn’t deliver much more. A good delivery, but with no LBW’s, retire at 25 and 2 overs each format, should have perhaps adopted the old French Cricket, stand in front of your stumps and tee off approach. A debut duck for the Fitmen. One for the record books.

Indeed, batting records could have been smashed. With a short leg side boundary and lightning fast outfield, anything wayward, over pitched or pitched too short were swatted/smashed to the boundary. 20 Fours and 9 sixes along with 19 wides (scoring 38 runs), this was not a night for bowling economy rates.
Jones smazzed 20 off 14 before being caught and that was the last wicket to fall, with all Fit batsmen feasting on some shonky bowling and the afore mentioned conditions before retiring or being not out at the end. Tucker broke the club bat (the beast is in for repair), hoicking one over the ropes, narrowly missing a passing car. Talk on the boundary turned interestingly to insurance policies whilst Howarth (25 off 22), Hendry (28 of 14), Tucker (30 off just 10!) and Martin (26 off 14), all made hay and boosted averages. With the score already at a mammoth 186 after 18 overs, talked moved on to the mythical 200 in T20, had it ever been done before? If it hadn’t, it still hasn’t, as DDH and Rob Nutt faced some improved, tighter bowling at the death and the final total was a tantalising 197. DDH, 23* and Nutt the Elder 11*. Some effort, but with what unfolded later, only just par!

The Thomas brothers bowling 19 wides had helped considerably, so the message was pressed home, “Let’s cut out the wides and we’ll win with ease”. With ease my arse! We are the Fitmen. How about not only bowling 17 wides (counting 34 runs), but wanging down 7 No-balls (worth 14) as well? With 5 leg byes, a nice 53 not out for E.X.Tras. Tucker had an absolute stormer behind the stumps as well, stopping the wides going for even more runs.

The opening 2 bowlers, Jones and Lockyer only actually bowled 1 wide between them in the opening 4. Lockyer, fresh from an absolute shoeing at Pedmore (“I’m never playing cricket again”), was asked to open the bowling, a superb bit of Vice-Captaincy from Jonesy. In at the deep end, back on the horse etc etc…old adages, but so, so true. So it was to be. Lockyer bounded in, looped some military slow medium down at the batsmen and they literally had no answer. Semi-pro opener clean bowled. Other opener smartly stumped by Tucker. A 2 wicket maiden to start. What a start. His next over was even more dramatic with a couple of 4’s smashed before the lack of pace did for the No.4 and No.5 in consecutive deliveries! Not only a hat trick ball but a 5-fer ball….in 2 overs.

Now there is jug avoidance and there is blatant tightwaditis. But let us not cast aspersions! Lockyer boomed a quicker delivery down leg side allowing 2 runs and the jug was avoided. Bowling figures won’t be mentioned in this report (they can be seen on the scorecard), but the Thomas Brothers were scoring at a steady 11 runs an over and the massive target was being made to look…well, less massive by the minute. Some great fielding was interspersed with shocking fielding. Fitskip shelling one from Howarth over the boundary for 6, the pick. Nerves were a jangling. DDH got 2 wickets in 2 balls with another jug avoiding hat trick completed. Sam Moore grabbed a wicket along with Howarth who removed a tail ender to allow the retired big bat back in for the final 2 overs. 18 needed off the final 2 overs.
Martin bowling at small boy, crucially kept the big bat off strike allowing only 1, but with such a short boundary and wides meaning an extra ball in the final over, it was down to James Hendry to bring the game home. After a case of the leg side yips in his first spell (6 balls), Hendry turned the game with his 7th ball, clean bowling the dangerous batsmen. Despite keeping it nerve shreddingly interesting by bowling a couple more wides, the game was won.

382 runs in 40 overs. Possibly the highest aggregate T20 score? Off to the bar to discuss the 2nd Win of the season as the sun set across the fields. Close game with good oppo’. What more could you want?