info@wollatoncc.co.uk

Founded 1884

Belvoir castle CC

Vs

Wollaton CC

 

Pre Season Friendly

 

Saturday 17 April 2010

 

Both teams had agreed to name 12 players in this pre-season friendly, with 11 batting and a rolling sub when fielding. Ed won the toss and elected to bat first on a greenish wicket. Davo was asked to be the 12 man, which did’nt surprise him or anyone else I think. Wollaton were without their overseas professional, as he was not in the country yet (I think we all know why) and our club professional David Smith was playing for Oxford against Hampshire. This gave an opportunity to some new players Wollaton had acquired during the winter.

Jon Gulson and Ian Dodd opened the innings and got the team off to a steady start. Both were looking comfortable and runs were flowing. Gulson in particular looking in good nick, playing two majestic cover drives. This was much to the surprise of his former team mates of Belvoir (one saying to me ‘he never hit the ball in front of square when he played for us’).  

Belvoir got their first wicket when Jon fell for 36, chipped a fairly innocuous ball straight to mid wicket. The bowling changes came and the scoring slowed and Ian Dodd was the next man to depart, caught behind by a ball he could have left alone. With Jack Beresford and Tim young at the crease, Wollaton started to put the pressure back on the Belvoir attack. The running between the wickets was good (for now) and Tim was finding the boundary with consummate ease. The horn got its first blast of the day, but to the disgust of  Ed, Davo kept it going to long for his liking. Tim eventually departed for a superb 49, caught on the boundary going for another big shot.

 

New boy Richard Cooper came to the crease hoping to take his nets form into a game situation. With the captain’s words of wisdom before the game and in previous meetings (about losing quick wickets) still ringing in the ears of most of the team, they had obviously fallen on deaf ears with Jack. He called Cooper through for a second on a miss field that left the Kent lad metres short of his ground. Jack was to be punished later for this act of foolishness. Mind you, talking to Cooper later he said ‘I would have sent him back but he was on 50’. This was not the case as Jack was only on about 20, so I don’t know what game Cooper was watching. Another new boy to the team, – Alex Reed-Brewer (what a great name for a boxer) was the next man in. He and Jack got the innings back on track before Jack was out stumped for a good 34 (still nowhere near 50 Coops). Alex continued to show his power and timing with some superb looking cricket shots. He fell for a good 40 trying to push it along and Ed ran himself out near the end. The innings finished on 229 for the loss of 7 wickets. A number of batsmen got themselves in but failed to convert the 20’s and 30’s into bigger scores.

 

Adam Davies (not Ian Dodd, that is what it says on the play-cricket website) and Richard Cooper took the new ball with Fighter sitting out the first 12 overs. Former Surrey and Nott’s player Darren Bicknell opened the innings with youngster Jack Copley. It was a fairly uneventful start with both Davo and Coops passing the outside edge with no luck and the batsman working it about for about 3 an over. Looking abit tired, Davo was taken out of the attack first and replaced by off spinner Alex King. At the other end Cooper kept running in and bowled a mixture of really good deliveries, which again were passing the outside edge, followed by a few shorter ones that got dispatched to the boundary on this slow surface. He was replaced by young all rounder Joe fish, who was playing his first game for the first team. Belvoir were looking good on 80 without loss after 24 overs when Alex King removed the danger man Bicknell for 39, bowling him while he attempted a cut shot. A great scalp for the young off spinner, and reward for good, tight bowling. It wasn’t long before he was in the wickets again as their number 3 came and went, again bowling the batsman. Copley was still in though and passed 50 with another thump to the boundary. The game was set up for fantastic finish in near perfect conditions with quite a few spectators around the ground at this point.  

 

Belvoir’s skipper Jim Clayfield looked in good touch and the game seemed to be drifting away from Wollaton, it was spin at both ends with Hasan Shamsi and another new player in Mustapha Uoma. Both bowled well but found the going tough with the batsman looking to be aggressive. Belvoir needed roughly 36 from the last six overs and it was time for Cooper to have a final blast. He mixed his pace and length up well but the batsmen were well set and kept up with required rate. Copley was approaching his hundred when he hit one to deep mid wicket, were unfortunately our captain (Ed) dropped a stinker. However the game did go to the final over. Copley brought up a memorable hundred (well for him anyway) then Clayfield was then trapped LBW by a Cooper Yorker and the match came down to the final ball with the scores level. Unfortunately for Wollaton, Belvoir managed to scramble a single after abit of a fumble by Davo at short point. They obviously picked their fielder. The game was lost but Wollaton can take credit for the way in which they kept going right to the end and the way they fielded.  

 

After the game a ‘d**k of the day’ was presented to Jack for his crazy run out with Cooper. He had to wear was a ‘luminous pink morph suit’ which he had brought with him for this purpose (not really sure why he had one at home anyway). You have to check the pictures out - Priceless!

 

All in all a good day was had by all. Even though the result wasn’t what we wanted, a lot of positives can be taken away from this game.

 

Thank you to everyone who came to offer their support.

 

Davo/Shapo