We are a London-based cricket club. Although we don't have our own pitch, we usually play our home fixtures in Greenwich Park. This blog records our regular triumphs and occasional failures.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Glory in the gloom as record-breaking season ends with a final first - victory at Finchley

It was night-time - almost - when it happened.
A well-pitched up delivery from Frank, a desperate lunge by the batsman in the gathering gloom and down went the stumps.
And up went the cheers.
For this was no ordinary end-of-season wicket.
This was a veritable M & S of a wicket, a little bit of history, a first-ever moment, our maiden win over the mighty Finchley.
After 10 years (virtually) of trying and never really coming close, we'd finally, finally, done it.
In the delirium, the Skip was carried off the pitch into the pavilion where he bumped his head (another first).
Drinks were bought, backs were slapped and hands were shaken.
But my, what a close run thing.
Barely had the cheering stopped but the rains came pelting down.
If we'd been on the ground five more minutes, it would have been 'match abandoned'.
And as ever with a Cincers match, there was nothing plain-sailing about it.
Six hours earlier, the Skip had won the toss and decided to bat, only to realise that nearly half the side still hadn't arrived.
So we had to bat instead.
A scratch order began with Test Match and the Skip making steady if, er, slow progress until the Captain was bowled by Nish, Finchley's left-arm seamer.
Out came Dee and the pair edged forward (literally occasionally).
All the while, there were glances back towards the pavilion to see if Abid, who was ferrying Ali, Shebash and Mohammad, had turned up.
They hadn't.
Thankfully, Tim was getting into his stride while Dee suddenly starting clubbing the Finchley bowling to mid-wicket on a regular basis.
When he fell, for a valuable 20, it brought Tim M to the crease.
It should have been the key partnership of the match for Cincers with our two best men at the crease.
Sadly, Test Match, having looked set, played over a slower ball and was bowled for 42.
Thankfully, Abid had finally arrived at the ground with batters Ali and Shebash.
Pinch-hitter Ali soon got motoring but was clearly flummoxed by Finchley posting two men at longish mid-off and on for his lofted drives.
He was promptly bowled, for 11, trying an outrageous flick off his pads to backward square.
Shebash, so often this season our opener, looked out of sorts at six.
He was run out by a brilliant direct hit for seven but tragically, would have been safe if only he'd put his bat down.
With not much over 120 up and about 10 overs to go, Cincers were in danger of under-achieving.
At the crease was Abid and new-comer Chris who had yet to show his mettle with the bat.
He soon put that right.
Some mighty bottom-hand pulls had Finchley fielders scurrying to long-on and mid-wicket to save fours.
Chris soon had 20 and looked good for more until a disastrous bit of running left him stranded.
Non-striker Abid charged down the wicket, yelling 'one there' but with the ball heading towards extra-cover's hands, Chris stood his ground until it was too late.
Probably unaware that he could have stayed put and left Abid stranded, he finally trudged off but not without an accusatory glare back at his batting partner.
Enter Frank who rapidly set out to sort out the innings and Abid's fitness levels at the same time.
One all-run four had Abid leaning over his bat gasping for breath, with the Skip now umpiring wondering whether he'd have to shout 'oxygen' or 'stretcher bearers'.
In between the gulps of breath, though, we were getting somewhere - 176 for 7 off 35 was at least a defendable score.
It immediately got better.
With the very first ball of our reply, Mohammad bowled Finchley skip Dylan with a quick ball pitched right up.
Soon after, the other opener, Graham, hit Abid to Moyners at cover where he held a fine catch.
Now the contest really began.
Stevie B, Finchley's star performer of the day (he bowled sharply earlier on), was in.
Together with partner Dan, he began to punish the stray deliveries.
The shakey start (Finchley only had about 20 on the board when the second wicket fell) began to recede.
The run-rate of five an over was proving no problem.
It was Test Match who broke the deadlock, skittling Dan for 20.
Soon after, Richard H, with his flighted offies, was wreaking havoc - not without some assistance from Finchley's middle-order.
Richard rapidly had three wickets in the bag - another profitable afternoon for his tweakers.
The odd catch went down, though, and still there was Stevie B, powering past his 50 and looking ominous.
The Skip and Frank started squabbling over field places.
The tension slowly mounted.
But it was Frank who turned the game back in Cincers' favour.
Often his team-mate at Finchley, the Aussie swing-bowler decided Stevie would try to glide him down to third man.
And so he did.
But he succeeded only in guiding the ball into the gloves of keeper Dee who held a smart catch.
The door was open. The run-rate was climbing.
Chris took a fine catch at mid-wicket.
Finchley were teetering on the edge.
The only danger was the weather.
We'd already had one interruption and it was starting to look like rain again.
The light was going.
It got so gloomy that the Skip had to take quickie Mohammad, back on for his second spell, out of the attack.
With just under five overs to go, Finchley needed 30 to win with one wicket standing when Frank wound himself up for one more effort.
It was a miracle he could see the stumps to aim at them it was that dark.
An edge would have gone unseen to the boundary for four.
But he didn't find the edge of the bat.
He found the middle of off stump and the celebrations began!
A fantastic end to an fantastic season.
Victories for the first time ever over Finchley and OWs, together with a clean sweep on the French tour left us with a winning season by a margin of four games - our best-ever performance.
Many, many thanks to all who turned out under Cincers' colours during the 2011 season.
And see you at the winter nets!

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Cincers shatter tour records in stunning victory to close French tour on a high

They told us we didn't have a chance.
After our opening tour victory against Riviera, we were warned.
'Entrecasteaux are strong. They're a very good team. You'll struggle,' warned one Rivieran.
And so it seemed for much of a rain-affected afternoon.
But Entrecasteaux reckoned without two things - an extraordinary late-order innings by Selfish and a superb all-round team effort in the field by Cincers.
The result? An extraordinary victory by three runs with over eight overs to spare.
Under the shadow of the 17th-century chateau of Entrecasteaux, the Skip won the toss and stuck us in.
'Hmm. Is that the right thing to do?' muttered a few Cincers...a versatile reaction oft used when we bowl first.
After Saturday's triumph, the Skip decided to reverse (sort of) the order.
He opened with a very willing JP who, despite carrying a serious injury, was playing his second game in two days.
Despite that, Cincers got off to a quick start - courtesy of some pretty wild Entrecasteaux bowling.
At one point, JP and the Skip entertained the idea of touching gloves mid-wicket even though neither of them had actually touched the ball by then.
Sadly, the pace soon slackened.
JP walked after gloving one behind.
Peter A, gamely coming in at three despite not lifting a bat in anger for years, defended well, got a quick single but then popped up a catch just in front of the wicket.
A total of 27 for 2 off 10 (35 over game) was not healthy.
Mind, the weather was turning threatening so it looked like any total was going to be academic.
Frank strode to the wicket and told the Skip to get on with it..which he did, hitting a boundary to mid-wicket but getting out next ball.
Mark B, Selfish's older brother, arrived at the crease.
(On the way home from Riviera the day before, the Skip asked the Bevan Brothers' dad just who was the better bat. The answer must remain a secret..until the AGM).
Tragically, Frank miscued a drive to give a sharp caught-and-bowled chance while Richard de Q also went early.
It got worse. Stephen H, one of the batting heroes of Saturday, aimed an ambitious drive down the wrong line and had his timbers shivered.
Then came the rains. Heavy ones.
The Skip and his opposite number sighed and accepted that was that.
They even shook hands on it.
But just as on Saturday, the clouds parted and the sun came out.
Pity Cincers' batting fortunes didn't likewise improve.
Shortly after the restart, Jack went cheaply.
So too did Test Match even though Richard de Q had driven back to his villa and got his bat for him.
Cincers were tottering at roughly 80 for eight.
But enter Selfish, batting down the order at 10 (his lowest-ever batting position for Cincers).
What followed won him the Man of the Match award, a thrillingly destructive piece of batting which stunned Entrecasteaux and cheered Cincers.
Ball after ball was despatched to the boundary, including a huge six to square leg.
At the other end, Mark was also firing.
Cincers team members stopped admitting defeat and watched the fireworks sparked by the two brothers.
Was this a case of long-dormant sibling rivalry reborn?
Who cares!
The action continued even after Mark was bowled for 39 and Simon was joined by Stephen W in a cameo '0 not out'.
Cincers closed on 142 for 9 off 35. Not a huge total but at least something to bowl at.
The fightback began almost immediately.
Richard de Q produced a late in-swinger to skittle the opposing skipper while he also snaffled the other opener thanks to a sharp catch at mid-off by Frank.
At 14 for two, Entrecasteaux were no longer firm favourites.
But a stand of 76 for the third wicket changed all that.
Cincers' heads began to droop.
Until...Stephen H, fielding at deep square leg, pulled off a quite superb catch round his ankles to give Test Match a vital wicket.
The door was open.
A sharp stumping by Jack (who kept superbly throughout the day) and a brilliant outfield catch by Richard de Q suddenly had Entrecasteaux on 103 for 5.
They still had plenty of overs, with roughly 14 to go and only 40 needed.
But Cincers' tails were up.
Frank came on to seal up one end and add to the pressure.
Wickets still came but at 134 for seven with 10 overs to go and just seven needed, it still looked all lost.
Cincers, though, fielded like lions, egged on by Frank in his finest Aussie Serjeant-Major mode which involved bellowing at less agile fielders and pretty much usurping the Skip's executive powers.
But the pressure told.
All of a sudden, Entrecasteaux were 136 for 9 - seven short of victory.
To the crease strode brave 10-year-old Tom, son of one of their openers.
Despite the circumstances, the lad got some emergency coaching from Frank on how to hold a bat as Simon prepared to bowl.
It went down the legside.
'I can't bowl that slowly,' sighed Selfish in frustration.
Next ball, the batsmen, Tom and Entrecasteaux president Lennie, sneaked a single.
With Frank coming in from the other end, it was 139 for nine with just four needed for victory.
Lennie turned down a single to square leg.
But then he went for one.
JP, sore hip or not, seized the ball behind point and whipped it in to Jack.
The bails came off, the deafening appeals went up and up went the umpire's finger at square leg.
Cincers had sneaked a thrilling victory by just three runs with 8.3 overs to spare - a brilliant end to our finest tour yet.
Never before have we won both games on our travels, putting aside the fact that both Provencal teams were tough sides.
Many thanks to all who took part in the 2011 tour, with especial thanks to Mr Bevan Snr for umpiring both games and to first-time tourers Richard de Q and Peter A.

The 2012 Tour Committee (Mr Prenesti and Mr Hall presiding) is now in session.
** Many thanks to all at Entrecasteaux for fine sportsmanship and hospitality, including a very fine cricket lunch.

Sunday 4 September 2011

Zut alors! Cincers run riot in Provence as Selfish and Test Match drive the clouds away


We started under leaden skies and umbrellas.
We finished with blue skies, sun and a scorching victory on day one of the Provencal tour.
Test Match Tim and Selfish Simon, with Stephen H in support, ran Riviera CC ragged as Cincers overhauled the home side's impressive 189 off 30 overs with six balls to spare.
But it could all have been so different.
For a start, the Skipper's satnav, not at its best all tour, went haywire as the Cincers convoy headed east from our base camp of Entrecasteaux.
Result? We arrived in dribs and drabs an hour late at Riviera's beautiful ground at St Vallier-de-Thiey just north of Grasse.
Bizarrely, the weather saved the fixture.
At midday, it was dark skies and torrential rain - the first in Provence for weeks.
'If you'd arrived on time, we might have called the whole thing off,' said the opposition skip.
But just after we elected to take an early lunch, the clouds parted and the game was on.
We lost the toss....of course and Riviera decided to bat.
Immediately, the Skipper's authority was undermined (not for the first time during the weekend...)
Asked to open the bowling, Frank 'politely' declined and deferred to Stephen H.
The poker-playing seamer swiftly made his mark.
He sent one of Riviera's openers off to hospital with a sharp delivery that struck the batsman's glove and looked innocuous but wasn't.
The poor man broke his thumb.
By that stage, Richard de Q had also made his mark - bowling the other Riviera opener for a duck.
The next guy in, Dogra, strolled out and smashed his first ball for four to mid off.
Riviera's half-century rapidly came up before Test Match cleaned up Dogra by bowling him all ends up.
Wickets came here and there, with Tim bowling well in what turned out to be a three-wicket spell.
The 'Trundler', aka Stephen W, also chipped in with a two-wicket spell.
His second ball was a classic. Short, easy and smashed straight to mid-off where Stephen H took the catch in between yawns.
Riviera were stalling at 115 for 7.
In the field, JP, despite his painful hip, threw himself around like a backward-point reborn and saved us vital runs with his dives.
So what did the Skip do? He brought himself on with his looping leggies.
That injected fresh life into Riviera's innings.
Their skipper in particular tucked in.
Even Selfish for once failed to live up to his miserly reputation.
As a bowler, that is. He got carted for a six as had the Skip.
Peter A, making his debut, bowled a superb first ball.
Pity it was just a practice one!
But manfully, he got through his first over for, er, a few years.
Eventually, a sharp run out (forgotten by whom - please advise)ended the Riviera skip's fine knock.
But 189 off 30 overs (reduced from 35 because of the weather) was a tough ask.
Or was it?
What followed was as fine an opening partnership as Cincers has even put on.
Selfish and Test Match veritably rattled along at around eight an over.
True, there was nothing 'menu fixe' about Riviera's bowling.
Their openers served up wides galore.
But the Cincers' first-choice opening duo were merciless.
Selfish first 10 scoring shots read: 4, 4, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1, 4, 4.
Although he began more slowly, Test March was soon into his stride.
In fact, he played as fine an innings as he has for Cincinnati.
One on-drive (saluted by Selfish no less) and one pull-shot for four stood out.
Worth saying, by the way, that despite their looseness, Riviera's bowling was sharp with few (if any) weak links.
That's what made the century partnership, when it came up, so special.
Selfish departed after a rapid 44 with a mishit to mid-off.
He could have gone earlier but his yelp of 'oh god' as soon as he connected put the Riviera mid-on off his stride and the fielder ditched it.
Enter Stephen H.
The languid Lancastrian likes to make light of his talents.
Thankfully, the Skip doesn't.
He insisted on putting him at number three and he didn't disappoint, despite being sledged as a 'bunny' by the opposition.
There was nothing cuddly and big-eared about his towering lofted six over mid-on.
A mix-up meant Stephen was run out for 34, bringing Jack to the wicket.
Appropriately, Test Match's brother stayed the course with Tim to see us over the line with an over to spare.
Tim finished on 64 not out, with Jack on 14 not out.
A fantastic performance all round and a great win.
Thanks to Riviera for their fine hospitality and sportsmanship.
* Our picture shows the victorious Cincinnati side and Mr Bevan Snr who kindly umpired for us.