Scorecard

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI v Flamstead on Sat 03 Sep 2011 at 12:30pm
Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club Won by 6 wickets

Match report A fine way to end a season, and if reports filtering out are accurate, the stand-in skipper's career. Frustrating in that when the 3s are good, they're very good, but all too often they've been horrid.

After a difficult selection week (plus ca change and all that) the 3s batting looked a little light on paper, while the seam bowling (no spin here, no sirree) looked heavy. So, even though the sun was out, and the pitch was flat, and notwithstanding the awful chasing record, Steve put 'em in on winning the toss.

Looked like a fab decision, skip, when they were blazing away at 8 an over - Oswin slapping anything pitched up over the fast outfield. But Ollie's first wicket, a lovely left-armer's dismissal, pitched off, hit off - gave a clue of things to come. Ollie also induced Blunt to play on, with his inswing, and then the inevitable demise of Ossie Oswin came when he essayed a foolish defensive shot which was patently not his style. His wicket was the first of four catches behind for Mike.

The strokeplayers flourished briefly and a big total looked on the cards, but Charlie and Mark soon put that right, from our point of view - Steve's brief spell not being one of his best, and Mark finally located his right end after all these years. Some top bowling and fielding skittled 'em for 153 with a very clinical clean-up of the tail by Cee-Lo (5 for 64) and MD (3 for 24). Charlie finishes on 46 wickets at 16 for the season, an astonishing peformance, surely a Player of the Year effort had he not won it so often before! Next best Steve 27 at 22 puts it into context.

Batting, Pete and Mike opened up, both restored to open, and when Pete fell to the very useful Rogers, Mark was sent up the order to do some long handle work. So successful was the move, Mike also scoring at a decent lick, that the total, augmented by lots of byes, fairly leapt up. A minor hiccup came when Mike and Mark fell in their 20s, a decade neither has seen for some time, and Ben struggled a bit with the good line Rogers deployed, but this just brought the Book boys together with the brief of seeing us home.

Jeremy was the more fluent, it has to be said, but one has come to expect that - Alex was solid and big brotherish. "Longest on tour" Jez hit the longest drive of the day off Hannah Gibson, aged 14 - she had bowled an immaculate length until he decided she had to go, and go she did over the long-off boundary. A tricky little target was negotiated quickly, 52 needed when the boys came together, but this was made with the minimum of fuss and bother, Alex blocking the derriere off it when it was apparent that the team needed 6 to win and Jeremy 5 for his 50.

Win and 50 duly accomplished, we were left to wonder why we couldn't always play like that. Obviously being at home on a lovely day, on a flat pitch, helped, though the presence of Charlie and Jeremy at their best, Ollie and Mark very close to theirs, and dare one say it some inspired captaincy hunches helped even more.

A lovely win, one of 7 achieved by the 3s this year, only slightly outweighed by 8 defeats. Selection difficulties have played their part, but there are lots of positives, to counter the possible loss of some old heads, enough to get the side back in the promotion race in earnest in 2012.

Flamstead Batting
Player name Runs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
153 (0.0 overs)
Taylor Bowled  Ridout 2
Oswin Caught  Low (Pratt) 37
Blunt Bowled  Ridout 11
Lindley Bowled  Dearing 33
Clark Caught  Low (Pratt) 18
Westwood Caught  Dearing (Ridout) 20
R Gibson Caught  Low (Pratt) 5
J Gibson Caught  Dearing (Pratt) 0
H McDowell Caught  Low (A Book) 4
Rogers Not Out  4
H Gibson Bowled  Low 0

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Charles Low20.4364512.803.10
Oliver Ridout8.0130215.003.75
Steve Lyall4.012200.005.50
Mark Dearing8.022438.003.00

Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
155
(0.0 overs)		    
Peter Leslie Caught  Rogers 2
Michael Pratt Bowled  Rogers 26 4
Mark Dearing Caught  Rogers 28
Jeremy Book Not Out  51
Ben Abrahams Caught  McDowell 1
Alex Book Not Out  17 1
Neil Dennison  
Charles Low  
Steve Lyall  
Andrew Shoreman  
Oliver Ridout   1

Flamstead Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Rogers11.052237.332.00
R Gibson5.003000.006.00
McDowell11.0252152.004.73
H Gibson4.011800.004.50
Taylor1.401000.006.00

  • Umpire :
    Bob
  • Scorer :