Lichfield Nomads Cricket Club : Match Reports 2007

Scores: Nomads 205 for 5: Sunseekers 181 for 7    Result: Nomads won by 24 runs

Chi Chi impersonator seen at Barton, Gardner’s throat ball proves a tonic

After a long time hanging around waiting for players of both teams, due to an uncertain start time, Gardner, unaware of Forster’s pranks, took a flicked ball in the throat. Fortunately this only served to send him into a soporific state, so when he opened up the Nomads innings with Heslington the pair of them took root. Sunseekers bowlers, although not penetrative, were hard to get away and by the mid-point of the innings Nomads had reached only 63. A word from Blackburn during the drinks interval was enough to galvanise the openers and they began to lash the ball around, much to the surprise of the Sunseekers fielders who had begun to fall asleep. A further 39 runs came from the next 5 overs but Heslington had fallen, trying to force the pace just once too often. Pinfield had arrived and then departed in bizarre fashion… careering, head down into the back of the wicketkeeper to prevent him being run out. Blood-spattered and groggy, Pinfield could only rejoice in a small rise in his batting average as he retired, noting that Gardener’s, despite a century, had not changed. Later that evening, as red-nosed as Rudolph and black-eyed as a Chinese panda, Pinfield was holding his own in the Queen’s, ready to embellish the tale for anyone careless enough to ask what he’d done. Gardner reached a well-deserved century as the middle order tried to maintain the acceleration, with Moss trying his Colin Milburn impersonation in more ways than one!

A sumptuous tea left Nomads reluctant to run about too much as the Sunseekers openers set about overhauling the Nomads total. An opening stand of 115 was finally broken by the clockwork maestro, with a good running catch at backward square by Cox, before Coleman made a late bid for MVP, quickly mopping up 3 wickets, two of which were caught by the bowler, clearly reluctant to let anyone else have a go. Once the openers had gone the Sunseekers batsmen seemed to lose their way in the run chase as they fell further behind the required rate, with Blackburn cagily swapping his bowlers around to avoid the batsmen getting used to any style (as if we have a style! or as if anyone can bowl two similar consecutive balls if they wanted, let alone a whole over!!)

This was a clear example of the never-say-die attitude Nomads have developed in the last two or three years as, once again they triumphed over adversity.

Click Here for the view from the Sunseekers website

Walters 6-1-23-2; Ashford 8-3-15-0;
Evans 8-1-41-1;  Hiscock 6-0-32-1;
Bennett 8-0-45-1;  Thompson 4-0-43-0

Heslington 8-1-33-0;  Forster 8-2-30-1;  Moss 8-1-33-1;
Hoddy 8-1-29-1;  Hughes 4-0-28-1;  Coleman  4-0-19-3