Result:  Alts win

Scores:  Exiles 175 all out    Alts 179 for 8   Win for Alts by 2 wickets

 

“End of season spree”
win number five

On a lovely late summer’s day, the two teams gathered at Firle for a timed cricket match.

 

 

As Boden approached the ground he was met by a mysterious travelling shaman who spoke to him in an extinct Gaelic tongue that the skipper seemed to unwittingly understand. The shaman spoke wisely of the local cricketing gods and traditions. Games had been played for centuries at this ancient site and the Fates declared a necessity to bowl first on this day at the divine Pantheon of Firle. Boden was struck by this humble and transcendental presence, so sincerely agreed to abide by these fundamental laws. And then the Magi had passed. Boden rushed to his team-mates and explained the message that had been passed to him, and yet many mocked his decision to bowl first, and none claimed to have seen this mysterious visitor.

As it happened it made no difference anyway, as Boden lost the toss and the Exiles’ captain chose to bat. A decision he would regret.

The Alternatives’ bowling opened with the Stenner Express, steaming down the hill with a well-stoked engine. On the second ball, Stenner trapped the Exiles’ skipper with a well-launched delivery and he expelled a howling appeal, but the umpire was unmoved. This did not matter. The following delivery, Stenner again trapped his man but on this occasion only muttered a muted mumble. Nevertheless, the umpire raised his finger. Joyful celebration followed, and further proof that the Exiles had offended the Gods (or the umpire was a bit rubbish).

 

 

Stenner’s bowling has surged with confidence this season and his aggressive opening spell was rewarded with three wickets (3-25). The Exiles were struggling.

 

 

 

 

 

Score replaced the exhausted Stenner, and his re-invention as a leg-spin bowler was accompanied by some enthusiastic appealing. Score sensed the umpire’s keenness to raise his finger and implored him to give further decisions. It proved to be an inspired tactic as the umpire was obligingly eager to please the Alternatives’ bowlers. Score challenged the umpire with a resounding appeal and another batsman had to trot off (soon followed by the umpire who the Exiles’ belatedly realised was having a profound effect on the match and needed to be replaced).

 

 

The Alts fielders were having an “end of season shut down” type of day – “dropped catches lose matches” and all that!

 

 

The Exiles were poorly placed at 76-5, but then managed a recovery. The next two batsman could not have been more mis-matched. One was a young, clean-hitting buccaneer who swiped the ball to different parts of the ground, whilst the other was a turgid blocker who played every ball with a frightened prod to the same point in the ground just in front of where he stood. The Alts’ fielders had to chase back and forwards for the different batsman, and the strong grip on the game started to be loosened.

 

 

 

 

Boden’s inspired fielding bought immediate reward and  turned the game The Alts way – nice work Jon

 

The Exiles’ big-hitter passed his personal 50, and the runs were rattling along. Then, something strange occurred. Skipper Boden calmly intervened and moved Chappell to a new fielding position at short-ish mid-wicket. The Exiles’ swiper smashed the next ball and it rocketed towards Chappell, who reached to his highest height and plucked the ball from the air. The force of the shot caused Chappell to rock backwards and slowly, likely a toppled mighty Oak, he was felled backwards. But despite the ferocity of the shot and the pendulum fall, he did not relinquish his grasp on the ball. In this hinge moment the game was changed, as the star batsman was finally out, and the Exiles’ innings lost its impetus.

Olliff’s (3-26) accurate bowling cleaned up the Exiles’ tail and wickets from Thompson (2-25) helped to close their innings. The final total was a reasonable 175, setting up the game nicely for the Alternatives’ strong batting line-up.

Tea was a slightly unorthodox affair and broke with tradition. Strangely, it featured raw potatoes as the main serving. Admittedly, the potatoes had been seasoned and looked decorative, but there was no getting away from the fact that they were fundamentally hard, cold and un-cooked.

After tea, the trusted opening partnership of Green and Chappell set off after the target with their normal aplomb. Neither seemed to be unsettled by the potato fiasco nor the bowling. But then Chappell managed to top edge a ball into his cheek and this seemed to affect his confidence, and possibly his vision, as he was bowled soon after. The dashing cavaliers, Bell and Score, fell uncharacteristically cheaply. The Alternatives suddenly found themselves in a spot of bother at 44-3.

Green was joined by Boden, and slowly the innings was re-built. With plenty of overs to spare, the two combined to see off the better bowlers and were rewarded with weaker bowling in the mid-innings. The score was advancing nicely to the challenge when, out of the blue, Green managed to nick one to slip. Still, at 115-4, the Alternatives were in the driving seat.

 

more heroics from our skipper – gets us over the line again, with the second highest score from the Alts!

 

But, of course, finishing off any game is never that easy. Nutbean and Thompson made a few runs each but then got out. The score edged up to 144-6 but the win now looked a bit more precarious. Olliff contributed crucial runs but then mis-judged a straight ball and was back in the pavilion. Bryden followed straight after, and the score was finely placed at 170-8.

Stenner came to the crease and was surrounded by fielders like hungry hyena. The Exiles’ captain’s tactics were clear. He let the established batsman, Boden, get singles and tried to intimidate Stenner into a mistake. The excitement was getting to the fielders, with over-enthusiastic appealing and badgering for a wicket. The scores edged level and the fielders gathered closer to the embattled batters. Stenner simply smiled amongst the mayhem. Imperiously, he smashed the next ball over the bowler’s head to the boundary and the match was won by 2 wickets.

 

 

FIVE wins in-a-row and a wonderful finish to the 2018 season. Boden’s decision to lose the toss and let the opposition ask him to bowl first was vindicated. As he left the cricket field in the waning light, Boden again noticed the same chimerical figure from the start, smiling at the boundary edge. The guiding presence slowly turned, and then seemed to disappear towards the shelter of the Downs.

 

the Stenner Express, Green and skip enjoying the warm glow of victory – again!!

 

 

Scorecard:

 

Brighton Exiles: 175 all out.

Bowling figures:

Stenner: 7-0-25-5

Thompson: 6-0-25-2

Nutbean: 4-0-25-0

Score: 6-1-35-2

Bryden: 8-1-27-0

Olliff: 5.2-0-26-3

 

Catches: Nutbean (1); Chappell (1)

 

The Alternatives: 179-8

Batting:

Green: Caught 59

Chappell: Bowled 13

Bell: Caught 0

Score: Bowled 4

Boden: Not Out 57

Nutbean: Caught 8

Thompson: LBW 7

Olliff: Bowled 11

Bryden: Caught 0

Stenner: Not Out 5

 

Mainprize did not bat.