SCORECARD

Fitmen step up to deliver timely Village victory

There is quite simply put, nothing better than winning a competitive game of cricket. Yes, 2 Fitmen delivered match winning performances, but all Xii were involved in their own way, to deliver the first W of the season and re-charge the Fit Morale-ometer.
I won’t harp on about tardy time keeping (Billy, Raj and Rabbie Nutt). Excuses ranged from a greyhound on a dual carriageway, Works fault and needing a late dump. But at 6PM we did have xi somewhere on the Brittanic premises. The weather was set to fair, 19oc with a gentle breeze. Village captain, Ash correctly called heads, elected to bat and then informed me, he’d brought a trainee umpire along. Never simple v the Village eh? Talk about thrown in the deep end. With any leg side balls called wide, extras was always going to have an impact on the game and so it came to pass with 41 of 240 runs in the wides column.

After 8 overs of facing Waseem and Harri Sandhu and the score at 40-4, batsmen hit on helmets and good length balls rearing off a length, perhaps losing the toss was not such a bad thing. Great to see the talented Was back in the fold with another quality 4-0-19-2. Solid T20 figures. Trainee umpire triggering the village opener for a Golden off a lifting delivery hitting his thigh pad was a shocking decision. Juma taking a good catch off the impressive 4-0-21-2 Sandhu and the oppo’ were reeling. A tidy top edge catch by Harri off Was and a simple catch made harder (but still taken by Billy) off Harri, the Fitmen had taken all their chances. So rare, but so needed. Good tight ground fielding keeping the score down.

One of this reporters favourite Fitmen, Sunny the King of S(wing) had put his name down on the promise of having the chance for a bat. Over 9, here you go Sun, give us a few overs would ya? Bowling against his mate from the winters indoor cricket league, after his first 2 balls shot to the boundary for only 1 run, his mesmerising spell of out/in swing changed the tide of the game. Un-playable. Read this and weep 4-1-5-2. What the absolute F? According to Tuck’s keeping exceptionally behind the stumps, he was hooping it a mile. Only 3 scoring shots in 4 overs? Quite simply, brilliant. Note for the stat doctor. Lockyer needing a comfort break lead to a certain M.Ralph sauntering into the slips for an over, taking an edge that the batsmen did well to get a bat on. Great catch. Lockyer wanders back on to the field…thanks for that Mike, now do one…the stat engine never lies. (not) Caught Lockyer, Bowled Singh ffs…

Billy bowled superbly for his 1-20, but the fact this only gets one line in the match report says it all. Raj Singh and the refreshed Noika took a bit of tap in the last 4 overs, skipper having dropped the only catch of the evening off Raj, finally held on to one off Sam and the Village were finished on 120-8. A very good team display by all concerned. 6 catches held out of 7 wins matches.

Ade Martin having avoided bowling duties for once, joined Rob Nutt as an opening partner. Threats of “turn up on time and you open, be late and your 9”, got Mr Nutt seriously focussed. Decent running quick (ish) singles and two 4’s apiece for this pair got the Fitmen off to a respectable 6 an over start which was bang on the required run rate. Never an easy pitch, both perished trying to keep the score ticking along. 50 for 2 off 7 overs, the platform had been laid.

If you think 4-1-5-2 is a MOTM performance, well you’ve not met Sammy Moore. Such a mild mannered lovely bloke, you have ever met, but stick a 2lb 12 bat in his hand and he can be a an utter game changer. No one timed the ball all night. This was a viper bed of a pitch with shooters and fliers off any given length. Anyone can moose a ball over the bowlers head for 6, but this kid has got all the shots. A timed late cut flicked with aplomb was the pick of his early shots, but when it started to get dark, he decided to pull out the full range of shots.

Sunny press ganged into batting at 4 due to a hamstring issue for Juma, struggled as everyone on the night did to time the ball. A 4 ball 14 did not take the gloss off his bowling earlier, but it did start to make the game look more interesting with the score on 76- 3 at the end of the 13th over. 45 off 7 needed as darkness descended. Tucker played the perfect innings rotating the strike nicely for a not out 6, but any Fitnerves around the scoring table were soon allayed.

It didn’t really matter how quickly the Village bowlers bowled, or where they tried to pitch it, 38 runs in 12 balls was quite utter carnage. 2,1,6, dot, 6,4,1,4,4, dot, 4, 6. It was pure class. Even when yet another huge flick to the mid-wicket boundary tickled the outer branches of the trees for yet surely another 6, was only given for 4, Sammy merely twatted the next one even further and the game was won. A sensational display of hitting. 64 not out off 40 balls.

Always nice to get a good W against the village, who were by no means a push over. Plenty of times in the past, that game would have been lost. So off to the Village for a pint, crisps and nuts to discuss which performance won MOTM. I’ll let you the reader decide