Lichfield Nomads Cricket Club : Match Reports 2010 |
|
WT Parker
v Lichfield Nomads
Scores: Lichfield Nomads 211 for 4; W T Parker 116 for 9
Nomads suss ‘opposition’ strengths.
With WTP fielding a team shorn
of three players, Nomads had organised three of their regular top players to
fill in. Hence, Pickering, Stanley and Brannigan became honorary WTP players for
the day. Little did they know when they volunteered that everything they took
off the Nomads would undoubtedly be removed from their stats. (it took me 3
matches playing for Nomads to recoup the 30 runs I scored against them 10 years
before I joined!).
Brannigan was given the shiny
cherry from the far end and, at first struggled to find a good rhythm with the
interesting slope up to the stumps, although he was enticing the odd hesitant
tickle outside Gardner’s leg stump, one of which brushed the pad to loud appeals
from all but the bowler, however he decided to come round the wicket at the
start of his fourth over and immediately got Gardner caught behind as he arrowed
a full length ball towards off stump. Weir joined Collins who was looking
confident and striking a series of excellent shots including an immaculate off
drive for 4. Stanley immediately advised the WTP captain that Weir was inclined
to pull the occasional ball and that a stronger leg-side field may pay
dividends. Of course Weir proceeded to get a good ball away on the off side for
a couple. Unfortunately attempting to play a second offside shot (clearly one a
match is sufficient) he got a nick to the keeper, to be replaced by Moss.
Collins kept up a good strike rate as Moss tried to come to terms with the
pitch. However, Collins forgot the golden rule of having a look at a new bowler
for at least one ball, and got a leading edge to Waddington, having scored a
fine 38 and set Nomads on their way. Pinfield was taking a while to find his
feet, self-confessed out of form and on a difficult pitch, he came through well
and was beginning to fire on most cylinders when he too perished to a catch, by
Shephard, who was fielding like a tiger (though even Hughes would have had
difficulty dropping this one). Moss was by now scoring freely and while Fearon
kept his end going with some quick singles, Moss went on to a well deserved
unbeaten 79.
George and Collins jnr were
quickly over to tea, making sure of they had a good portion of chips, but they
were not to worry as there was plenty to go round in an excellent tea, including
fresh fruit to offset the chips. (Collins, though, opted for ketchup as one of
his 5-for-the-day).
Collins snr was given the
honours of opening the bowling and his first ball removed Matthews who went for
a wild slog, only to miss convincingly and lose his off stump. Not long
afterwards Shephard repeated Matthews’ error and WTP were looking down the
proverbial gun-barrel. By now Stanley was well into his stride, unfortunately
Nomads knew just a little too much about his technique to allow him to play his
favourite shot (forward defensive) too often as he frequently groped outside off
stump to balls slanted across him. Johnson struggled with the pitch too but made
a valiant effort to galvanise the scoring which was around two an over.
Unfortunately he popped one up, off Forster, and Collins jnr’s gazelle-like
swoop from short leg removed him. Two balls later and Phillips went the way of
others, bowled by a straight ball he must have lost sight of! Now Pickering
joined Stanley and the all-Nomads middle order tried to repair the damage.
However, with Brannigan in next, Nomads were happy to see these two plod along,
despite the occasional good shot at little more than the regulation two an over,
until all hopes of a damaging Brannigan assault had passed. A couple of good
efforts from Caygill in the slips turned what might have been regarded as too
quick for him to see into dropped catches (unlucky skip!) and with Gardner keen
to get a stumping, WTP were clearly under pressure. Pickering drove and raced
down the wicket only to see Stanley leaning nonchalantly on his bat asking why
he hadn’t bothered to call until he was a full half-pitch down, sending him back
when a clear single was available (much muttering from Pickering in his famous
style). Eventually Fearon was
brought on to rip one through Pickering’s defences. Brannigan loomed in,
seemingly unsure whether to attack ferociously or just play a steady innings, as
with ten overs left WTP needed 160 runs. Before he had scored Hoddy got under a
straightforward chance but managed to juggle it several times, rolling it over
his back and trying the back-flip, before letting it fall to ground. A few lusty
blows from Brannigan before Moss, now at the pavilion end ripped one through his
defences, with all Brannigan’s exit shots (cow-corner and wide long-on) covered.
Phillips disappeared after an all too-brief innings. In the meantime Collins snr
was making a passing impression of a beached kipper at fine leg, off Collins jnr
bowling. With just 3 overs left the aforementioned Collins K returned at the A38
end. This time over the wicket to Stanley who immediately popped one back to
him. In an attempt to re-create his “made for TV” catch of last week Collins
almost forgot to take the customary step backwards before diving forward to hold
the ball just above the ground, taking out the disappointed batsman who was by
now looking dangerous (-ly close to batting through the innings, bar the first
ball). Still 21 from 37 overs must be something of a record that even Heslington
in all his pomp could never dream of matching (see comment from KS to MH in last
week’s report). A final thrash off the last ball saw Collins snr to his fourth
wicket, carefully avoiding the possibility of a jug, as Waddington holed out to
Fearon.
A solid performance by Nomads
who have pulled the season’s score back well but have some tricky matches to
come over the next few weeks. |
|
Lichfield Nomads |
|
W T Parker
|
||||||
|
|
How Out |
Bowler |
Total |
|
|
How Out |
Bowler |
Total |
|
Gardner |
c Phillips S |
Brannigan |
9 |
|
Matthews |
b |
Collins K |
0 |
|
Collins C |
c Gower |
Waddington |
38 |
|
Shephard |
b |
Collins |
5 |
|
Weir |
c Phillips S |
Brannigan |
2 |
|
Stanley |
c Collins K |
Collins K |
21 |
|
Moss |
not out |
|
79 |
|
Johnson |
c Collins C |
Forster |
13 |
|
Pinfield |
c Shephard |
Gower |
30 |
|
Phillips S |
b |
Forster |
0 |
|
Fearon |
not out |
|
11 |
|
Pickering |
b |
Fearon |
10 |
|
Caygill |
|
|
|
|
Brannigan |
b
|
Moss |
24 |
|
George N |
|
|
|
|
Phillips D |
b |
Moss |
2 |
|
Forster |
|
|
|
|
Waddington |
c Fearon |
Collins K |
14 |
|
Hoddy |
|
|
|
|
Gower |
not out |
|
4 |
|
Collins K |
|
|
|
|
Phillips M |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Extras w20, nb6, b13, lb3 |
42 |
|
|
|
Extras |
22 |
|
|
|
Total for 4 wickets |
211 |
|
|
|
Total for 9 wickets |
116 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fall of wickets: 39, 51, 87, 135 |
|
Fall of wickets: 0, 11, 33, 33, 54, 99, 102, 112, 116 |
||||||
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brannigan
8-3-21-2; Johnson 8-0-53-0; Waddington 8-2-26-1; Gower 8-1-43-1;
Phillips M 5-1-22-0; Shephard 3-0-25-0
|
|
Collins K
7-1-18-4; Hoddy 8-1-19-0;
Forster 5-1-13-2;
Fearon 7-2-14-1;
George N 6-1-17-0;
Collins C 3-0-17-0;
Moss 4-0-18-2 |
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Web page prepared by Paul Fearon (c) Lichfield Nomads Cricket Club 2010