Sunstroke. A rush of blood to the head. A misheard call of 'there's one there!'
The Skip was left clutching at excuses on Sunday after a bonkers sprint down the wicket cost us victory.
With seven balls to go (yes, seven) and just one needed to win against new opponents SLICC, he charged down from the non-striker's end like a man possessed.
Terrified, the man on strike - new signing Charlie Barker - was frozen to the crease, baffled as to why a ball hit straight to a close-in mid-off was a run.
It never was.
The bails came off, followed by Cincers' wheels.
The Skip momentarily blamed Charlie for forgetting to switch his phaser to 'stun' and immobilising him at the non-striker's end.
But after several calls to the Samaritans, the captain owned up.
Unforgivable!
His hare-brained charge had broken Cincers' hearts.
Sadly, there were other breakages - starting with Chris Storr's finger.
The digit was severely damaged when he bravely went for a hard-hit catch on the cover boundary.
Very bad luck.
Churlish to point out the drop then went over the boundary for four so we won't.
Chris's injury, confirmed at the conveniently-located St George's Hospital A & E (we were playing near Tooting/South Wimbledon), meant Cincers were down to 10 in the batting department.
That became nine when Mohammad left before he had a chance to strap the pads on.
Our opponents - Southwark and Lambeth Imperial Cricket Club - had the Skip worried as soon as he clapped eyes on them.
There was something about them that spelt danger. It was....youth.
With two Cincers well past their personal half-centuries (Tim M and the Skip), it looked like a tough ask.
SLICC, ironically given his injury, were recommended to us by Chris.
Lawyers, I think they are.
The toss - at Haydons Road Rec 10 minutes from South Wimbledon tube - was won by the Skip.
Although it was a blisteringly hot day, he elected to bowl, fearful that SLICC's rumoured fine quickies would blow us away.
But it was our openers who initially turned up the heat.
Tim Collins, returning for his second game of the season, and Mohammad, started superbly.
The SLICC youngsters hardly laid a bat on ball.
After 10 overs, they were barely at two an over.
But on a lightening quick outfield and dry-as-dust pitch, the change bowlers could not maintain the strangle-hold.
The odd wicket fell - Shebash took a superb catch at mid-off from a fiercely-hit drive off Charlie's medium-pacers.
The Skip came on and bowled a decent two overs, getting SLICC's best batsman (he averages 80 apparently) with a trade-mark stumping by keeper Adam.
But after that, the legspinner lost it big-time and got thumped for about 18 in one over.
Chris Storr was unlucky - as was offie Paul - not to get an LB but then none of the SLICCSTERS departed that way (a moot point given later events).
Apart from the odd heroics, our fielding was, well, rubbish.
Tom at gully and Shebash at mid-off got down to the ball well on a dangerously unpredictable outfield.
But overall, we must have handed SLICC a dozen extra runs through misfields and blunders.
Tom at gully and Shebash at mid-off, though, kept
A score of 199 for 4 off 35 was testing, given the rumour that the opponents were a fine bowling outfit.
Michael Holding in his pomp would have been happy with the run-up SLICC opener Danny took.
He wasn't exactly express but my, he was wild at times - dishing up the odd beamer intermingled with sharp in-swingers.
The full tosses presumably explained why his team-mates were so well versed with the 'above waist-height' no-ball rules.
One full pitch which Shebash played on to a very sensitive area forced him to retire hurt.
Another struck Tom on the glove and left him wincing with pain.
This time, he wasn't acting.
At the other end, SLICC skip Will looked to be bowling a much more controlled length which had opener Ali in some trouble.
That said, Ali plays and misses one ball, then whacks the next for four.
As a pinch-hitter, he's as good as Cincers has had.
So needing over 5 an over, we kept up with the pace even though wickets kept falling.
Ali was LB for 30, Tim M and Adam both went for quickly scored 27s.
Shebash had bravely come back in but could not recover his six-hitting form of last week.
As if to match Chris's misfortune for Cincers, one of SLICC's fielders copped a broken wrist stopping one at mid-off or thereabouts as we went for the runs.
Paul, hitherto known more for his spinning, insisted on being a batsman this weekend.
He played like one.
In fact, his stand with big Tim C - starting with Cincers at 120 for 5 and needing 80 at a rate that had suddenly climbed to eight an over - looked destined to take us to an improbable victory.
Remember, Chris's injury and Mohammad's early dart meant we only had nine batsmen or eight wickets.
SLICC, though they grassed a fair few catches, were far better at ground-fielding than Cincers.
But when you clear the ropes, ground-fielding isn't a problem.
The Tim/Paul combo blazed away, with Paul belting one fine straight six.
But with 20 or so needed off three, he was triggered...by Tim M for 23.
'Moyners' is old school. If he thinks it's out, he gives it.
Regardless of whether any LBs have been given for us.
Paul trudged off, shaking his head. From the side-on view came mutterings that he was well forward.
So enter the Skip, in the batting form of his life, having scored mighty innings (for him) of 25 and 37 as an opener in recent weeks.
What could go wrong?
Anyhow, he wasn't needed.
Tim C kept the strike and crushed SLICC's morale with some mighty blows.
To cries of 'catch it' from the oppo, Tim loudly proclaimed 'you can't catch that' as one disappeared far over the fence.
Then disaster.
With the scores level, Tim M's finger rose again. LB. The batsman left for a majestic and rapid 54.
He wasn't complaining but an unworthy thought flitted briefly across the team's collective mind.
Had the wrong Cincers' finger been cruelly crocked that afternoon?
In came young Charlie on his batting debut for Cincers, two balls to face in the penultimate over.
One to win, one wicket left.
The field came right in.
Charlie's first ball. No run.
So what? Seven to go.
The second ball, whacked firmly to mid-off.
The rest is history. Tragic, bloody history.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
PS: On closer inspection, our beloved scorebook shows Cincers scoring 184 off the bat, plus two no-balls, 13 wides and three leg-byes - 18 extras in total.
Using the now well-established Hindu-Arabic numbering system, that comes to 202.
All together now:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!
PPS: Next game - Sunday, August 7 v Old Wimbledonians at OWs' ground, Raynes Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment