Results: Winning end to season
Scores: Alts: approx 160 Burpham: approx 150
RAIN DOES NOT STOP PLAY – GLORIOUS END TO OUR SEASON – BURPHAM CRUSHED!!
Our last fixture of the season took place against a backdrop of constant light (and occassionally heavy) rainfall, the scenic spendour of the Adur valley and Arundel Castle were totally obscured behind a grey and dismal sky.
However, this was to not to prove any sort of obstacle to either foolhardy teams – The mighty Alts determined to end the season on a high and the Burpham XI looking to continue their dominance in this annual fixture.
The pre match mornings activity involved many calls from our unusually hestitant captain Boden, as he and a few other unnamed Alts seemed strangley hestitant and wavering about even starting our long journey to Burpham.
The match did start on time and with rain already falling from the leaden skys the match was reduced to a 20/20 format.
The Alts batted first and having score a very classy single run our resident bottler of this fixture Green fell yet again to a dismal dismissal. His total contribution in the three years of this fixture is a staggering three runs !!
However Chappel, playing with a cracked rib sustained the week before at East Brighton, continued his fine form and had soon amassed the 25 run ceiling and retired. Boden’s main contribution to the batting was the fact that his wife’s sisters boyfriend, and his mate were drafted in to play for us, and there were both class acts – further 25 run retirements followed. Score had a fine innings too, clouting the Burpham attack to all corners of the ground, and as usual Thomson added some important runs. The Alts had scored a pretty impressive 160 (or thereabouts).
Somewhere in this photo: Chappel’s fine cover drive for 4 runs
Somewhere in this photo: Score is blasting an impressive 6er in the Burpham rain
The Alts then took to the field to defend this fairly impressive score, each player was to bowl two overs. Our captain had to carefully select his bowling attack to defend this total. His Brearley-esque man management and marshalling of the troops was top drawer. The match continued in the pouring rain with a steady stream of wickets falling including Mellowhips amazing caught and bowled. However Burpham kept the scoreboard ticking over and had our target in their sights…..
Somewhere in this photo: Score sends down one of the “balls of the season” dipping, swinging and even a bit of reverse to remove of of their danger men
Somewhere in this photo: Mellowship takes this amazing caught and bowled in his second over
The final over of the season
After a flurry of late wickets and batsmen retiring and un-retiring, the Burpham XI were closing in the victory target, tension mounted and so it came down to the final over, it would be a straight shoot out between their star batsmen and the steely bowling of Green. The two gladiators prepared for their final apocalyptic exchange…..
And so it came to pass that the mighty and heroic Green sent down another “ball of the season” the Burpham biffer swung with all his might, but the dipping, curving Yorker was too much for him and his middle stump was send cascading back – the victory celebrations could start !!!
Pic above: Green’s amazing wicket in the final over against the Burpham biffer
After a few pints and fine meal at The George, the Alts returned victorious to the homsteads of Hove –
Some players went home because they had got a ickle bit wet and cold, but Chappel, Olliff and Green continued the victory celebrations long long into the night.
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