London Erratics Cricket Club

Founded 1974 for recreation and refreshment

Sunday 28 July 2002
London Erratics v Withered Lilies
at Magdalen College, Oxford

Petulance
This is always a niggly fixture, but on a sun-baked afternoon this game became overheated in all respects. The disagreements started at the outset: Lilies skipper Philip Beagon wanted to play 12-a-side, Erratics skipper James Rivington didn’t; having won the toss and elected to bat, Philip wanted the right to use a new ball when the Lilies came to bowl — James wasn’t having any of that.
The Erratics looked to have put these chancers in their place when Felix Meller (first ball of the match) and Giles Middleton blew away the first three batsmen. This early jubilation died down as the 4th wicket pair dug in and the No. 5 started clubbing the ball around. Brian Berrigan came on, tightened up one end, beat the bat constantly and was supremely unlucky not to get a wicket. It took a fine diving catch by Mark Hattam at point off new-bowler Ketz Haria to break the partnership.
In the meantime, there had been more examples of stroppiness. First, a Lilies umpire tried to complain about Ketz taking his sunhat off and leaving it on the ground. Then there was a row about who exactly was the Erratics eleventh man: Max McKay and his Dutch friend Alex von Benckendorff had been sharing the fielding duties; suddenly the Lilies skipper decided that we could only use one and that it had to be Alex (who had taken the field first).
The 5th wicket pair proved frustratingly effective, and Ketz’s last over went for 17. Finally Mark broke the stand, and in the next over Felix accounted for the resilient No. 2, making the score 154 for 6 at tea. The decision of the Lilies not to declare led to further exchanges, and tea was taken in a spirit of mutual hostility.
In the second over after the break, Felix completely lost it, as he conceded 14 runs in wides, threatened the batsman with injury, and when he bowled the poor man, he gave him helpful directions back to the pavilion; the umpire was not amused. James put himself on to bowl the next over at that end, and produced a double wicket maiden; and in the next over he helped run out the Lilies skipper.
WITHERED LILIES — batting
1   b Meller 0
2   c Khawaja b Meller 56
3   b Middleton 1
4   b Middleton 3
5   c Hattam b Haria 35
6   b Hattam 41
7   b Meller 2
8   b Rivington 3
9   not out 0
10   b Rivington 0
11   run out 0
175 all out
Fall of wickets: 1–0, 2–3, 3–7, 4–72, 5–154, 6–154, 7–171, 8–175, 9–175

LONDON ERRATICS — bowling
Meller 12 4 37 3
Middleton 5 1 26 2
Berrigan 8 3 19 0
Haria 7 0 37 1
Heller 2 0 20 0
Hattam 5 1 24 1
Rivington 1 1 0 2
In this supercharged atmosphere, and with the innings starting at eight minutes to six (!), the Erratics batsmen were sent out with instructions not to do anything stupid.
Felix’s dismissal in the first over was acclaimed with great satisfaction by the Lilies, but it did not presage a collapse. Ketz batted with panache (his six came courtesy of an overthrow), and it was rather a surprise when he was out. Peter Andrews and Nasir Khawaja proceeded to bat out the rest of the afternoon with great sense, and some luck — Peter should twice have been run out by yards, and Nasir was dropped in the gulley.
It would have been rather an anticlimax if the Erratics innings hadn’t had its own moment of controversy — so umpire Richard spiced things up by no-balling the Lilies quick for chucking.
Peter Andrews (whose score included a 5) needed seven off the last five balls to reach a half century. He hit the first one for four, but smacked the next into point’s stomach.
And so the game concluded in a tame draw, though that hardly seems the right phrase in the circumstances. In amongst it all, some quite good cricket had been played. But both sides had behaved badly. Whether this turns out to be the latest or the last in a long line of edgy confrontations remains to be seen — the two captains were philosophical afterwards over a pint, but some of the other Lilies were bleating a bit. At least we’ve made it ten years since they last beat us.
LONDON ERRATICS — batting 4s  6s 
Meller bowled 1    
Andrews caught 47 4   
Haria bowled 11 1  1 
† Khawaja NOT OUT  38 3   
Evans NOT OUT  0    
Berrigan    
* Rivington    
Hattam    
Middleton    
Heller    
von Benckendorff    
123 for 3
Fall of wickets:  1–2, 2–24, 3–123
Match drawn
2002 Season
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