London Erratics Cricket Club

LONDON ERRATICS — bowling

Tyson-Taylor

Founded 1974 for recreation and refreshment

Sunday 6 August 2006
London Erratics v Bampton
at Bampton

Bampton buckle under the full weight of the law

Click on (Þ) symbol for photo images

LONDON ERRATICS — batting				4s	6s
	Rivington	caught	11
	Rowland	caught	20	1
	Rennell	caught	3
†	Pannell	caught	83	11	1
	Khawaja	run out	52	3
	Head	NOT OUT	5
*	Dunabin	caught	6	1
	Ward
	Booth
	Tyson-Taylor
	Heller
205 for 6 dec
Fall of wickets: 1(Rivington)–25, 2(Rennell)–40, 3(Rowland)–46, 4(Khawaja)–175, 5(Pannell)–196, 6(Dunabin)–205

The Erratics’ selectors had adopted a new strategy of picking six specialist wicket-keepers (nothing to do with the exigencies of the holiday season); and Nasir Khawaja had circulated a last-minute e-mail reminding us that spikes weren’t allowed on Bampton’s new artificial pitch, but for which most Erratics would have played in bare feet.

With skipper Chris Dunabin arriving at the last minute (after a five-hour drive from west Wales, punctuated by frantic phone calls — when he found a hill-top with a signal — to secure an 11th player), James Rivington was sent out to conduct initial negotiations. Because Bampton admitted to having limited resources, James recommended a time game, with the Erratics batting first; James then won the toss anyway.

James went on to open, accompanied by James Rowland, regrettably now only an occasional Erratic. Both found it hard to get the ball away, against a tidy opening attack on a bouncy pitch supported by athletic fielding. This prompted some barracking from the crowd, mainly distinguished retired Erratics Trevor Milne-Day and Anthony Hodge. Anthony compensated for the lack of exciting cricket by sketching James Rowland in assorted poses, mainly leaning on his bat at the non-striker’s end.

James Rivington became frustrated and perished at mid-on going for the aerial route. Tremayne Rennell found it no easier to force the pace, and the score had reached only 40 after 15 overs, causing some concern on the boundary, when Tremayne and James were caught in quick succession, also trying to lift the ball over the field they couldn’t penetrate.

This brought out Nasir to join Andrew Pannell for what proved the decisive partnership of the match. After a measured start, and riding some luck, Andrew accelerated (Þ) , and smote the change bowlers — one a 12-year-old boy — fiercely straight and to the leg-side boundary; while Nasir (Þ) , unusually finding himself outpaced, accumulated steadily (Þ) . When Nasir was finally run out for 52 having been called for a risky second run,* after a stand that 15 years before would have equalled the Erratic record, the balance of power had shifted probably irrevocably. [* More please on the extraordinary path of the ball from the boundary, bouncing over the bumpy turf to hit one stump — Ed].

Andrew continued aggressively, but was caught in the deep not long after. Chris — mindful of past high-scoring games at Bampton — resisted pressure (from the team and the tea-ladies) to declare, and with Jim Head took the score past 200, holing out to what he had already decided would be the last ball of the innings.

BAMPTON — batting
1	c Rivington	b Ward	24
2	c Rivington	b Booth	29
3		b Heller	0
4		b Ward	1
5		b Ward	4
6	c Booth	b Ward	28
7	st Pannell	b Ward	27
8	lbw	b Ward	0
9	c Khawaja	b Ward	0
10		b Head	8
11	not out		0
131 all out
Fall of wickets: 1–43, 2–44, 3–58, 4–58, 5–81, 6–98, 7–100, 8–109, 9–127, 10–131

Dragging the Erratics away with difficulty from a copious tea in Bampton’s commodious pavilion-cum-village-hall, Chris resolved competition among the six wicket-keepers in favour of Andrew, and tried to pretend that the Erratics possessed a pace attack by opening with John Booth and Richard Heller. However, John, after a lengthy lay-off, couldn’t find his usual tight line and length, nor was Richard as penetrative as often, and the Bampton openers passed 40 at above the required rate.

John, assisted by a smart catch from James Rivington at mid-off, disposed of the more aggressive of them, but still wasn’t finding his rhythm, leading to an early call-up for Tristan Ward’s left-arm spin. This changed the complexion of the innings. Richard made the next breakthrough; then Tristan, again with James’s assistance at deep mid-off, removed the more adhesive of the opening pair; and, though Bampton went on chasing the target, Tristan was getting plenty of turn and bounce and giving little away, and no remaining batsman looked confident against him.

Charlie Tyson-Taylor, replacing Richard on returning to the Erratics after one game ten years before, resplendent in Sussex University cricket shirt and cheered on by a claque on the boundary, struggled at first to find the right line with his off-spin. But at the other end Tristan steadily worked his way through the middle order and tail, helped by more reliable Erratic catching than some this season, and perhaps by Bampton’s indecision whether to keep chasing or try to hold out for a draw. The Bampton skipper, batting 8, looked to be the one determined to dig in, but a shocking lbw decision removed him. On the other hand, Nasir’s catch at first slip off Tris was a first-class cricket wicket.

Eventually, Chris gave in to Jim Head’s chuntering from mid-on (having tried telling him he’d been selected for his wicket-keeping ...), and brought him on to replace Charlie; and as usual Jim took a wicket in his first over with a seemingly innocuous ball, perhaps denying Tristan his own first-ever and only the fourth Erratic eight-for, but wrapping up a fairly comfortable win with seven overs to spare.

At 1.40 am, Chris returned to a silent cottage beyond Tal-y-Llyn. Only John Truscott, if he, would have travelled further to play for the Erratics. Had it been worth it? Had his captaincy been decisive? Almost certainly not. But it had been a good day for lawyer colleagues Tristan and Andrew.

[CD]

Erratics won by 74 runs

Bampton | 2006 Season | HomePage