SCORECARD

Records Tumble at the Graveyard

A game of cricket? On a warm, sunny evening? In 2014? Well I’ll be blown…what a turn up for the books.

Lord Frost really needs to practice his (coin) tossing as yet another opportunity to plunder runs went astray. The ever agreeable Selly Park tavern boys decided to have a slap and we would have done the same? After a 6 week break Ash opened up, generously delivering a string of juicy full tosses to be dispatched to the boundary. Bowling round the wicket, Ade’s first over was not much better bowling too full, but after radar were realigned, Ash nipped out the opener and No.3 to finish with 2 fer 18.

1st change Sharif was uncharacteristically expensive also, perhaps we should congratulate the Selly Park batsmen for giving it a go, but at the half way mark, a big total looked on the cards. Semi (professional) Harris pegged back the run rate weighing in with a further 2 wickets, one thanks to a well held slip catch and another bagged by Nutt at mid off.

The ever-green Tucker was the pick of the bowling with his (very) occasional Cumbrian swingers and Nutter twirled down 4 to return a respectable economy rate at the death, reigning the final total in to 116 – 5.

They probably needed another 25 runs and so it proved to be as a 2 man show delivered a comprehensive 10 wicket win. God knows what is going to happen when Rich Bice finally knocks in his new bat, but he was brutal on his way to 60 off just 54 balls. Man of the match though has to go to our club veteran Simon Howarth who teased us with turgidity, (10 dot balls to start with and 1 not out with the score on 20 odd) but he rolled back the years with an array of fluid stroke play.

Pulls, cuts, drives, hoicks and even foot movement were all seen through this career best T20 knock of 43 off 39 balls. Taking into account the 1st 10 dot balls, 43 off 29 is verging on pornographic. Howarth even finished the game with his second 6 of the evening. As the sun set across this historic venue, Aspall Cider in hand, a warm ready brek glow exuded from this legend of the game – and why not?