Well, I'm not sure where to start with this match report. The 3s v Rayne had everything you could imagine within a game of cricket & more. The original plan for the match report was to write about the gourmet teas, sumptuously prepared by my own fair hands, worthy of anything Masterchef or The Great British Bake Off could produce. But, as it should be, the cricket was the newsworthy story of a warm day, when 2 teams looking for points to avoid the relegation zone met at sunny Braxted.
The last time we met Rayne we had 9 players & we had a long, hard afternoon getting well & truly stuffed. But, this time, with 11 players we might stand a chance. There was definitely a veteran feel to half the team, with Snail playing for the second time this season, Steve Whiting making his 3s debut this year & Reg, helping out once again. Pre-match preparations included 5 youngsters standing around chatting & 5 older, wiser players stretching, warming up long-forgotten muscles, applying support bandages & reminiscing about the old days.
John stood in again for the regular 1s keeper & won the toss, choosing to bat due to the weather conditions & the strongest line up since the last time Snail played.
Steve & John D opened, both looking secure & in no trouble until Steve tried to drive, only to find mid-off. Max came in at 3 & also looked secure, but got a bit frustrated with the accuracy of the bowling, went for the big shot & was bowled.
Snail joined John D at the crease & the game changed immediately. Not least because both batsmen looked confident, but, sadly, both batsmen looked at each other at the same end when a single became a 2 for John D, but remained a single for Snail. Despite Rayne fumbling the ball, missing the stumps & throwing to the wrong end initially, John D was run out. Catastrophy, 18-3!
Sam came in & looked a different player to the past few games. He struck the ball with power, ran with speed & took the game to Rayne.
At the same time, Snail ensured that the ball was caressed to the boundary, the singles were taken & the good balls were defended positively. An excellent partnership emerged, with Sam scoring at a run a ball & Snail benefitting from a youngster who could move quickly between the wickets. Sam got to 26 before he was out LBW, a few balls before drinks.
After drinks Snail & John enjoyed themselves. Once Snail realised that John wasn't Sam & a single was only a single the partnership blossomed. Both batsmen hit the ball hard to the boundary, took quick singles & pressurised the fielders into making mistakes. The Rayne skipper had some temporary periods off the pitch, replaced by the 12th man/young lad, due to his dodgy knees.
Both batsmen mishit shots that went skyward, inbetween at least 3 fielders. John was dropped, straight through the hands & onto the nose of mid-on. Snail reached 50 & then accelerated, with one over going for four 4s, 3 of which through the covers. John was a bit slower & reached his 50 a few overs later. Rayne tried different bowlers, but still no luck, with one bowler being particularly unfortunate not to claim one of the 2 batsmen. Before too long Snail reached the inevitable century & said "that's the first one in 13 years". Rayne were gracious in the field & congratulated Snail on his achievement. With only 6 overs to go, John looked to accelerate & missed a straight one, to end the partnership, which was worth 153.
Danny was promoted up the order & hit hard at the end of the innings. But, Snail finished on a majestic 129 not out, putting the 3s in a very strong position.
We then enjoyed the gourmet teas, sumptuously prepared by my own fair hands, worthy of anything Masterchef or The Great British Bake Off could produce.
James & Jack (on his 3s debut) opened the bowling & we made an excellent start, with James beating the bat & almost unplayable at times. Jack bowled some good deliveries, but struggled a bit with his run up. James stayed on for 6 overs, which were superb, taking one wicket for hardly any runs. Danny took over from Jack & was showing real pace. Then, an unusual situation arose, when the umpire questioned Danny's action. Both captains & the umpire had a conversation, which did not result in any change, but was certainly a talking point. Danny bowled his 8 overs, taking 1 for 24, possibly the best he has bowled this season, & defintely the quickest. At the other end Owen , after one initial over to be forgotten, bowled well, moving the ball & causing trouble for the batsmen. At drinks Totham were on top & Rayne had a big task ahead of them.
However, the Rayne middle order started to claw their way back into the game. Despite good bowling, the 3s could not take any wickets. The Rayne batsmen were punishing any bad balls & defending well when necessary.
Then Owen got the breakthrough, beating the charging batsman, who missed the ball for Sam to fumble it, scramble for it, eventually finding it, picking it up & stumping the batsman just after he reached his 50.
John was bowling at this point & the opposition skipper came in, with his Mongoose ready to cause carnage! John tricked him with the slower/faster delivery & the ball flew many miles high off an edge. The injured skipper goes to walk off the pitch, as John shouts for the ball & moves underneath it. Either the ball was spinning so visciously that no-one could have held on, or John dropped a dolly. John & the ball end up on the floor together, the injured skipper turns like the QEII & hobbles back towards his crease, John rolls on the floor, throws to Sam behind the stumps, who misses the ball & takes the bails off with his gloves!
Square leg umpire raises the finger. Mayhem, confusion & carnage! Totham accept that the skipper was not out & he stays in (he went to score a few too).
The game continues with Rayne keeping up with the run rate at times, at others not doing so well, but Totham could not get a wicket. The temperature had not dropped, the pressure was increasing on Rayne & there was lots of running by the Rayne batsmen. The Rayne skipper, with his dodgy knees seemed to be struggling, with his team mates expressing concern for him. But, he was determined to keep going, until after one more single, he almost keeled over, John caught him (unike the ball!) & he was carried off. It emerged that he is in a smiliar condition to John, so a conversation about heart medication took place & the poor skipper was off the field temporarily on 49.
The new batsman was younger, fitter & quicker & Rayne used this to their advantage. They were right back in the game, running 2s & hammering John for a lot in one poor over. James returned to bowl another 2 excellent overs.
4 overs to go, 40 needed, Snail comes on to bowl. As wonderful as his batting, his bowling was spot on & the boundaries dried up. John bowls the 38th over, the speedy batsman goes for 2 runs, but Sam is just as quick & thankfully accurate with his throw & runs him out.Who do Rayne send in next? It's the dodgy knees, dodgy circulatory system skipper!!! Will he save the game. He hits the first ball for a single to claim his 50.
Snail bowls the 39th well & Rayne need 20 for victory off the final over.
The fielders are all on the boundary, where they've been for ages. The batsman is on 60 & is striking the ball hard. John bowls & is dispatched over the fence into the houses for 6. 14 needed from 5 deliveries. The tension is unbearable. Will the Rayne skipper's heart cope? Will the Totham skipper's heart cope?
Second ball, under the bat & middle stump is knocked back. A few balls later & it's all over, with John claiming another wicket, bowled middle stump, making him the most succesful bowler on the day, when at least 3 other bowlers were a lot better!!
This was the best game of the season, better than Navestock, as this time we won, rather than losing at the end. The result was in doubt until the 40th over & the game had everything within it. The Rayne team were, again, gracious in defeat & we hope to meet them again next season if we both stay up.
Once again Snail showed his class & elegance at the crease. This was the second time this season that not everyone has batted, the last time was when Snail played too. The team worked very hard in the field & resticting runs & stopping boundaries made sure that we did not waste the big total that we scored.
Next week we have St.Johns Billericay away, a must-win to keep us out of the relegation zone
