1st XI division three
17th June 2006
This game started well enough despite the loss of the toss and the now customary insertion by the opposition (something that will continue to happen until we prove good enough to stretch sides batting first). Nick Ridgway took 12 from the first over, carving two wide balls superbly for four (one nearly for six) with an edged boundary in between and Rich Wyllie looked solid on a what was another capricious Broadfields wicket.
In Division Three, however, bowlers very rarely bowl badly for two consecutive overs and once the excellent Steadman had found the right length on this pitch he refused to leave it for the remainder of the innings. Bowling back of a length then fractionally fuller (maybe 18 inches or so) he kept batsmen guessing as to the eventual path of the ball once it had pitched. The ball that leapt from the shorter length and the one that 'shot' from the fuller (or vice versa!) combined with some prodigious movement in off the seam proved irresistible. Ridgway was the first victim - perhaps not fully forward after a previous shorter length ball had whistled past his nose - was bowled by one hitting only a third the way up the stumps from only a fractionally fuller length. Britto departed in rapid succession to one that came back a foot to clip the top of the off stump - sending the bail for 'six' in the process! Wyllie, who had looked secure to that point, succumbed to one that perhaps stopped a little from the other end, looping a catch to mid-off. Davies who had looked to leave as much as possible was another victim of the uneven bounce, gloving one to slip soon after. Skipper for the day, Anaokar, perhaps looking to counter attack, played across the line to another Edwards delivery and Matt Ridgway fell to a superb diving catch at short leg to the rampant Steadman. For the rest it was the same story and with the exception of some spirited resistance from 'Soupy' Campbell bravery was not enough and the innings folded to 34 all out in less than 20 overs!
I am not sure whether this is the lowest ever PCC total but it is certainly the lowest that I can recall in my dozen or so years at the club but I am going to try and be positive about this one!
Although the Pinner innings was short Ploughmans set about their hopeless task with gusto. A (marginal) no ball deprived them of a wicket with their second ball. Both bowlers used, Gillman and Ridgway senior, gave everything they could but in the end 34 is simply not a target to defend and a nine wicket victory was almost an inevitability. Nevertheless the spirit remained good throughout with Matt Ridgway (sometimes perhaps harder on his team mates than ideal) exemplary in his attitude as he exhorted and cajoled his side to better things. Swaps Anaokar spoke sensible words throughout and there was nothing the stand-in skipper could do. Even in this abject defeat the team stuck together and the Ploughmans spirit whilst battered is still very much alive.
But - and you knew there was a 'but' coming - there are some things that we must address and address quickly if we are to make the improvements necessary to revive our flagging season. While we can't individually do anything about the pitch we can:
1. Improve our overall abilities. While I would agree that there are some teams in this league that we would compare favourably to in ability there are others where the gap is also very obvious. This means nets for all concerned - both bowlers and batters.
2. Club and team morale remains generally good but team spirit and togetherness can only be improved by better pre match preparation. On Saturday (again) we only had a full side less than ten minutes before the game.
3. Ensure that every individual plays more cricket so we can select the strongest, best balanced sides each week.
The corner can be turned but it will not happen through mere wishful thinking.
Action is required on a number of fronts. To put my money where my mouth is I am happy to organise nets (with a bowling machine for the batters). I would propose somewhere like the Oval or Lord's. Please email me with your best times/days generally and I will do my best to accommodate as soon as possible.
DD