A beautiful day at Totham, the outfield as dry as a desert and you couldn’t quite tell what wicket we were meant to be playing on. However, the ever reliable Captain Chadwick won the toss and decided to bat, Witham were thrilled with having to field for 40 overs in the scorching heat.
Rob Hewer and Captain Fantastic Chadwick opened up, the start of the innings can be summarised in the score after 5 overs, 64-0. Within the first few overs Witham were forced to put a lot of their fielders out on the boundary. A quick fifty from Chadwick Jr, backed up by the edge of Rob Hewer’s bat, soon Totham were 120-0. Hewer’s edge let him down when he failed to find it trying to sweep a ball, getting out LBW. In came Banyard, batted well for his quick 16, Chadwick Jr getting out poorly to a straight ball he played round. Baron came in next, a few sixes later Totham’s best number four they’ve ever had found himself with 64 runs to his name. Fortunately some Totham players know the Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin, a player brought in to the team yesterday. Who knew they could play cricket in America? A well-deserved 27 for the child star. In comes Chadwick Sr, doing what he does best (being the captain’s dad, so always gets a positive mention in match reports), taking quick singles and keeping up the high run rate. With a few overs to go, Totham had their most lethal batting combination in so far, Archibald and the mini chairman (J. Hay). Three balls to go, Mini Chairman at the striker’s end… and a beautiful forward defence. Hay redeemed himself with a four the next ball, Totham ending their innings on 285-6.
Totham opened up their bowling with Dan Q, a bowler who has been unlucky in his past few Sunday games, this Sunday would see a change in his luck though, bowling excellently and getting a very good two wickets in his first spell. An exhausted Baron opened up at the other end, getting three wickets in his first three overs. Totham were off to a flyer, so who could bowl now Dan Q had to come off after his spell of six overs? None other than Macaulay himself of course! Not only can Americans bat quite well they don’t do badly with the ball. Macaulay is definitely a BATSMAN and a BOWLER (2 wickets). After Baron’s nine overs, it was time for the mini chairman. This spell of bowling ranged from balls spinning a mile from outside off causing all sorts of problems for the Witham batsmen, to a no ball LBW appeal not given out because it bounced so many times! After 30 overs, Witham found themselves on 139-9, back on came Dan Q to finish up quickly, that he did, with the third ball of his second spell bowling out Witham’s last man!
A superb win for the Sunday team, brilliant with the bat, the ball and in the field. Next week Captain Chadwick looks forward to trying to get a team out for Springfield away when there is a chance that kissball will be coming home.
