Isambard sneak home as Bullseye challenge causes Ruislip-up
Ruislip 2nd XI 222-8 (40 overs) (S.Munn 2-8, D.Bywater 2-27, R.Robinson 2-28, O.Hargreaves 2-41). Isambard 223-9 (35.2 overs) (S.Chadwick 46, Hargreaves 38, Bywater 33, S.Johnston 32). Isambard won by one wicket (40-over game).
Despite a late attempt to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Isambard snuck home by the narrowest of margins to win an entertaining game at Ruislip.
The day started inauspiciously for Keith Williams, a mid-morning call from kit holder Ray Collins advising that his plans to deposit same at Ruislip just before the match started had one key flaw. Cue a resultant high-speed drive to the Polish War Memorial to intercept Raymond and family en route to IKEA, with the sounds of spousal disapproval ringing in his ears. Things got worse upon arrival at the ground - Mat Lindsay was a no-show, having injured his ankle the previous evening under alcohol circumstances. More spousal disapproval as Williams took his place in the team, despite Sunny Munn's comment that they would probably cope without him. As it turned out, that was not to be the case.
Isambard lost the toss on a hot and humid day, and unsurprisingly were asked to field. Munn opened the bowling with debutants Steve Levett and sixteen-year-old Ollie Hargreaves. Hargreaves, a friend of the returning Pete O'Sullivan junior, bowled superbly but without due reward; 'keeper Richie Gardiner reckoned he was faster than Collo. Isambard bowled and fielded well, but, like the Friday post-pub shift at Burger King, toiled hard for little reward.
O'Sullivan came on first change and bowled impressively, but without success. Isambard really needed a decent spinner; in the absence of any suitable candidates in the XI, Munn brought himself on to tweak a few balls, and was rewarded with the first two wickets to fall. He then sensibly took himself off before the middle-order strokemakers came in. Ruislip No.6 Budd in particular played the perfect innings from that position, scoring an IPL-tastic 32 before holing out to Munn off of the bowling of Roxy Bywater. Ruislip had a mini-collapse, from 191-4 to 197-7, but the tail were unafraid to hit out as they posted a good total.
And so came tea, and discussion of the batting order. Having picked a slightly unconventional top five (lacking both himself and Gardiner), Munn then decided to sort out the remaining six berths by getting the batsmen to throw three darts apiece at the dartboard. Williams, whose darts is as good as his cricket, had hopes of a bat at No.10 after Pete Brooks missed the board with his first two throws, but a treble eighteen with his last dart saw Brooks elevated to No.7. Gardiner, however, was less impressed at having had a lengthy journey from Stanstead via London to bat at No.10. Nonetheless, an unrepentant Munn declared that he would develop further his concept of a random batting order: the next match will see players' names pulled out of his jockstrap by a bikini-clad Jodie Marsh.
Anyway, openers Dave Bywater and debutant Simon Chadwick put on 50 for the first wicket before Bywater, who had earlier been dropped behind, was castled. Hargreaves came in at No.3, and he and the left-handed Chadwick batted with increasing confidence. The home side, meanwhile, were getting a tad narked at Isambard's interpretation of wides - which was identical to theirs - and an lbw which Williams turned down on the unreasonable grounds that he didn't think it was out. Chadwick and Hargreaves added 93 for the second wicket before both fell in the same over from Mills - Chadwick lbw, Hargreaves bowled.
Steve Johnston, O'Sullivan and Munn then rebuilt things, until Mills excelled himself with three wickets in one over: Munn lbw, Brooks bowled first ball, and Richie Robinson caught and bowled. Isambard had slumped from 195-4 to a not-too-clever 195-7. Steve Levett and Gardiner helped Johnston add 23 runs, before the latter was bowled. Despite Williams running between the wickets like a somnambulistic lemming - he narrowly escaped being run out by yards - he somehow stayed there whilst Sir Rich scored the five runs necessary to win the match.
After the post-match celebrations - which were lengthy and alcoholic, and only disrupted by the hosts trying to poach Hargreaves and O'Sullivan for their U-17 squad - further controversy. It was discovered that Williams lay in second place following the post-match Brownlow vote. Rumours that our Secretary was seen leaving the ground in a Zanu-PF T-shirt, and that all the votes were in his wife's handwriting, are currently being investigated by a crack Isambard sub-committee.
Match report by Keith Williams.
