Lichfield Nomads Cricket Club : Match Reports 2003

Sutton on the Hill v Lichfield Nomads
Date: Saturday 6th September 2003.  Time: 2:00pm
Venue: Away. (Park on the grass triangle!)  Competition: Friendly - Time (Min 20 overs after 6pm).
Result: Match Drawn
Conditions: Sunny intervals, with occasional showers.
Toss: Lost
Umpires: Jennett et al
Scorers: Forster, Hussein, Jennett
Match Report by: Dave Forster

Nomads travelled to Derbyshire for the second consecutive week, for a Saturday match at Sutton-on-the-Hill. An interesting outfield still showing the effects of seventeenth century agriculture gave Nomads some cause for concern, but they were hopeful of rising to the challenge on a pitch that looked to give some help to the spinners.
Forster carelessly called heads and lost the toss and after some thought, the Sutton captain put them in. Ashford, who had caused considerable difficulty to the Nomads batsmen when playing for Sunseekers two weeks ago, opened the bowling and took up where he had left off, with only 15 runs coming off his opening twelve over spell in which he took three wickets. Fortunately Ingley, at the other end, was much more generous feeding the batsmen with a diet of well-flighted balls, full tosses and long hops, which Heslington, in particular, gobbled up!
Nomads started steadily, and there was already five on the board when Gardner called for a quick single only to be marginally beaten by a direct hit from square leg(ish). Hussein, continuing to have problems since his holiday, played away from his body and was bowled by Ashford, leaving Nomads at a precarious 15 for 2. Pinfield started cautiously, dotting out all but a single from his first seventeen balls, but then struck the difficult Ashford for two fours in three balls. In the meantime Heslington was looking in excellent form spreading the field wide as he hammered anything loose, 34 of his first 36 runs coming in boundaries from only 24 balls, a far cry from his sometimes tentative early-season innings. Just when Pinfield was getting going, he showed his lack of football skills (on a day when England really needed them) as a ball from Ashford dribbled back to his stumps he flailed Sol Campbell-like and saw a bail dislodged. Fifty nine for three soon became 72 for four as Fearon having smote (smitten? well he hit it hard) one six to square leg tried the same treatment next ball and was bowled by the one of Ingley’s better balls. Moore, guest, arrived and struggled to put bat to ball, but avoided the dreaded gonad, lasting 11 balls for his single, before Ashford’s controlled line and length became just too much, 85 for five. At this point there was a danger of Nomads capitulating as the tail was exposed, with only Heslington of the recognised batsmen still there, and still going strong. A brief chat between the batsmen, as Forster arrived signalled the need to use up some time at the crease, to avoid Sutton running away with the match. The scoring rate slowed, but time was being spent. By now the Sutton captain, Harding, had replaced Ingley, he bowled a series of widish deliveries before Forster got impatient and thrashed at one, getting an inside edge to drag it back onto the stumps (rats!), 118 for six and Nomads in danger of going two down with two to play. Now was the time for curry fever to take hold, defeat would mean that the curry had been lost, and with Heslington finally succumbing, stumped for an truly magnificent 82, his highest Nomads score, at 124 for 7, there was a distinct danger.  Hoddy, that most elegant of curry eaters, knew what was needed as he held together the tail, scoring an unbeaten 25 as he held the tail together with Weir, Blackburn and Greaves all contributing well, to leave Forster on the brink of his first declaration when Ashford removed Greaves, at 181 all out. An excellent effort from the tail, with 57 being scored for the last three wickets…move over England.

This left Sutton an hour plus 20 overs to reach the target, after tea. Having identified the undulating outfield as a potential hazard, Nomads were shocked to see Weir flat on his face, after trying to run through the air to the first ball of the innings, only Heslington was not amused as the ball raced to the boundary. The turning pitch had encouraged Forster to open up with Heslington and himself and he was rewarded as good turn accounted for Hayes in his first over. However this brought together Stuckey and the left handed Hall and they proceeded to gather runs steadily, until Stuckey was brilliantly run out by Blackburn with a direct hit from mid on in the first of the last 20 overs. At 80 for 2, Sutton looked to have a good chance, needing only five an over and sporting some powerful hitters who began to spray sixes around the ground. Blackburn replaced Greaves, but appeared to cause little concern until he cleverly tempted Hall to attempt to reach the boundary in one, to find Forster, only inches inside it, leaping millimetres from the ground to hold the ball one handed, arm stretched, above his head. Hoddy was by now weaving his customary magic, bowling Williams and Ingley and tempting Land to give another catch to Forster at fly slip. However, Sutton never looked out of it and needed only 53 from the last nine, still with the powerful Harding at the wicket (we were told he’d scored 50 from 14 balls last week) when they inexplicably shut up shop, with Heslington and Fearon tearing in, in an attempt to rip up wickets. Forster returned for the last over and suffered the same fate as others with a six deposited on the pavilion roof by Harding, only to bowl him with wicked turn from the last ball.
A great effort from Nomads, keeping themselves in the curry stakes, one down with two to play. Heslington was magnificent, and the tail rallied well. The ground-fielding often excellent in difficult conditions and Nomads kept at it for at least most of the game, with Greaves and Blackburn, the latter having prepared for the game with “only one skin-full” in the last 24 hours, showing the way with some excellent stops and only a couple of difficult chances going down.

Fall of wickets:
5-1, 15-2, 59-3, 72-4, 85-5, 118-6, 124-7, 146-8, 171-9.

Ashford 14.5–4–26–4       Ingley 18–0–100–2
Johnson 8–0–33–1         Harding 7–0–20–2

Heslington 9–1–32–0   Forster 9–1–23–2
Greaves 4–0–29–0       Hoddy 9–2–28–3
Blackburn 4–0–28–1     Fearon 6–1–13–0