BLAIR DELIVERS SHOCK AND PHWOORR AS WEEKENDERS SUCCUMB TO FRIENDLY FIRE.
Chippenham CC 182-6d
WCC 72.
Chippenham won by 110 runs.
The Weekenders were off to a flyer as all ten players arrived in good time at Chippenham’s Tharp Arms.
The Australian athlete Fiona Blair, travelling to the game with fast-improving stumper Chris Johnstone, got the nod for the number eleven spot. In spite of having run on the same relay team as Cathy Freeman at the 1992 World Junior Championships in Seoul, and notwithstanding her triumph at Brisbane the following year where, as any Weekender with not much to do on Monday morning can find out, she beat Colinda Farrar and Bindee Goon Chew to take the national 100 metres title – the question in everyone’s minds was how would the Sydney speedster respond to the challenge of fielding for the Weekenders when they were arguing among themselves and getting slapped all round the park?
Blair wasted no time in her bid to become the most agile, alert and, with the possible exception of Dale Savage in his sultry youth, the best looking third-man fielder in the club’s history. With no previous experience of throwing a cricket ball, Bindee Goon Chew’s nemesis also proved to have one of the better arms in the side.
Weekenders were inspired to show unusual concentration in the field and good discipline with the ball. Harvey especially unfortunate to go poleless. Tidy toad from d’Inverno and sighs of relief as Simmonds returned from injury simply oozing guile.
A sensational tea. Was it to be but a prelude to some spectacular counter-punching by the visitors?
Alas, no. Lyons, disappointed to have missed a tough catch at long-off, elected to bat in spectacles, an experiment cut short by seventh-ball dismissal.
Doctor Hargroves harboured hopes of crowning an exceptionally resourceful match management stint with an innings of real substance, but the party-hearty healer holed out to mid-on when only four runs short of double figures.
d’Inverno upheld an lbw appeal against Justin Edwards after the same batsman had already been given out stumped two overs earlier, a decision that was strangely overlooked by both batsman and fielders.
Chippenham unveiled their own Captain Birdseye lookalike. The old but not remotely wily sea dog persuaded three Weekenders to part with their poles: Hogben with a mighty mow, Johnstone charging down the track at his first delivery and then Douglas a few balls later, although the latter was desperately unfortunate to receive wrong advice from a little bad man inside his head.
An abject batting performance was concluded shortly afterwards when, with nine wickets down, Blair declined the chance to join Simmonds in the middle and knock off the remaining 112 runs.
The final judgment on Blair must be that raw talent is there in abundance but the tyro showed her inexperience in the pub afterwards. Asked for her professional opinion on the Weekenders running technique, her reluctant assessment ‘inefficient’ showed a lamentable inability to appreciate the finer points and subtle nuances of our game.
Chippenham 182 (47 overs)
P. Harvey 14-1-42-0, d’Inverno 10-1-38-1, Douglas 13-0-29-3, Simmonds 8-1-45-0, Hargroves 2-0-13-1
Catches: Johnstone 2
Run out: 1 (Simmonds/Hargroves)
WCC 72 (20 overs)
Hogben 27, Lyons 1, Hargoves 6, Edwards 5, Partridge 1, Johnstone 0, Douglas 0, P Harvey 17, d’Inverno 2, Simmonds 0 n.o., Blair dnb.
Debuts: F. Blair, W. Partridge.
Correction to last week’s match report: it seems we may have lost to the Madhatters once before - in the early nineties. More information please on this.
This Sunday we play Hit or Miss in leafy Bucks. - a must for fans of beer, crisps and short mid-wicket boundaries. Contact Hargroves and the Hippocrates of hip-hop will put your name down.