Wollaton Cricket Club

COLLINGHAM v WOLLATON

 

Sunday 28 June 2009

 

NEWARK ALLIANCE DIVISION 5

 

On a hot, sunny day the unbeaten Sunday 2nds make the trip north to the attractive Collingham, (note the spelling spell check), ground.  Captain Crossers pleased the young reprobates by winning the toss and batting.  Will Selwood equaled Crossers claim to fame by completing the full set of representing all 5 Wollaton teams this season and he opened with Tuna.  After a typical Sunday style start, numerous wides, Wollaton’s openers made a steady if not spectacular start, only interrupted by the flashing CF blade of Tuna who every so often attempted to launch over the top.  CF sales guru Rattray Senior was content sun worshipping in his chair watching 2 CF bats open up as Will was using his virginal blade.

 

Tuna snickied off to bring Rattray the Younger to the crease, without a CF willow, does he have a dispensation?  After a steady start Bill started looking to go over the top to the slow bowler, but Will having seemed in total control got out for 25 which brought Ali in.  After a breezy start, typically scoring through backward point, Ali would be run out by a direct through from the boundary going for a second, although he wasn’t doing a Usain Bolt impression for the first run.  This brought CF no.3 bat Crossers to the crease to join Bill who was well set, for the largest partnership of the innings of around 70.  Bill passed 50 and then really put the hammer down and was peppering the boundaries with regularity.  Crossers was content to play second fiddle although did start finding the square leg boundary.  At 150 up with ten to go a large total was there for the taking.

 

Bill would then go for 78 and Crossers lost the strike for a large part of the next few overs, as Felix, Sunil and Saq went in quick succession.  Crossers was joined by Jake Lowe, but by then he lost all timing and struggled to score anything other than singles.  Jake hit a couple of boundaries at the end and Wollaton managed 197 – 7, Crossers 32 and Jake on 11.

 

The sunhat boys, seven in total, took to the field to defend this total, this could be tricky with a good wicket and very fast outfield.  Saq opened up with Sunil and both were given a rude awakening as one of the openers put bat to ball and the scoring rate quickly approached 8 an over.  Saq did get rid of him LBW, but Sunil was his usual mix bag of the good, the bad and the ugly particular his throwing in of wides.  Sunil was replaced by Joe Potter who bowled reasonably well without a great deal of luck, Jake Lowe replaced Saq and picked up the second wicket, but Collingham appeared to be cruising as at drinks at 98 – 2.  Whether it was due to the sun or not, but Wollaton were definitely lethargic in the field, despite the increased volume from Saq in the field, who seems to pick up the bass once his bowling spell is finished.  Jake would pick up a second, but Wollaton were still up against it, when a double bowling change brought Hasnan, otherwise known as John Smith (someone told him he didn’t look very Asian apparently) and Bill which swung the game completely.

 

In Hasnan’s second over he bowled the number 5 and next ball, as the new batsman seemingly did a foxtrot at the crease, he bowled the same delivery which the batsman picked out the skipper on the mid wicket boundary, not the usual place to captain a side, but Crossers doesn’t do a lot of things on the field by the usual cricket manual.  Bill completely bottled his end up, as the run rate began to rocket for Collingham.  Will Selwood came into play as twice the opposition tried to take 2 to him on the huge boundary by the pavilion, and twice he ran them out.  Saq made it a hatrick by running another out from short fine leg and picked up another wicket himself as Collingham collapsed.  Joe Potter returned to pick up the last as Wollaton won by 30 odd runs by just over 2 overs to spare.

 

Another win by defending a total that at times could have gone the other way.  Then the biggest issue of the day, the huge Good Fortune order which was being done via Collingham, what did Joe Fish want to eat?  Being a typical teenager he blamed his mum and Simon as dads tend to do, kept out of the discussion.  In the end whether it was a Kenny type replay “Whatever”, or whether agreement was reached without the UN I can’t remember but peace was reached.  As Crossley Senior remarked, “Didn’t happen in my day”.

 

The Sage