Detail: 01-05-2010 - Crossbats
Result: L by 20 runs
Team:
Tom Ellen
Ben Appleton
Ritanjan Das
Richard Mullet
Steve Metson
Thusan
Krishen
Zubair Ahmed
Dan Natoli
David Cutting
Marcus Jansa
Paul Whelan
The Blues 125 all out lost to the Crossbats 144-7.
The Blues season got underway in familiar style snatching defeat from the gaping jaws of victory in an enjoyable game against the Crossbats at Marble Hill park in Twickenham.
It was familiar in every sense:
One Blues player at the ground at the appointed start time. Lost the toss and take to the field 30 mins late with 8 players, relying on wives, girlfriends and spectators to fill in the spaces. Reduce the opposition to 30-5 after 10 overs and then 55-6 after 22. Start to worry about whether the oppo will get enough runs + switch off a little bit and enjoy the scenery. Opposition end up getting 145-7, no-one quite sure how that happenend.
Good tea, slightly spoilt by a call from Selleck who still hasn't found the ground (dodgy map link from skipper)and has sacked it off and gone home. Mullet hits the cava hard at tea time which livens things up a bit.
Wander out to bat thinking about after game drinks + wishing the oppo had a few more runs so everyone could get a decent bat... Oh Bollocks.. they have got a bloody good bowler. Coupled with some typically unhelpful Blues umpiring we are soon 10-3. Paul Whelan is rushed out to umpire and the ship is temporarily steadied. Bloody good bowler comes back on again and the ship is no longer steady - a flurry of wickets. No.6 doesn't realise he is No.6 as no-one told him and he hasn't got his pads on - everyone shouts at him, he rushes out trying to get his kit on at the same time. Predictably he doesn't last long. The game is surely up... but no, Mullet and Cutting (9&10) stage a dramatic fight back. We're going to win. Cutting pulls his hammy, he needs a runner.... runner has never been a runner before - cue ridiculous run out. Mullet keeps swinging, were getting close - cue 2nd ridiculous run out. Good night Vienna. How did we loose that one??
So, a regulation Blues game. Also regulation in the sense that everybody contributed to the game - we used 8 bowlers and, as a result of being bowled out, 11 batsmen.
Contributions of note:
Daniel Natoli - 29 runs and and 5 overs for 12 runs at good pace with plenty of swing;
Dave Cutting - back in the bowling groove with 1 wicket for 9 runs from his 5 overs + dogged rear guard batting
Rich Mullet - Beating heart of the Blues team 2 wickets for 10 runs from 5, a bottle of Cava and a dashing broadsword with the bat.
Thusan - Impressive spell with the ball on Blues debut - please come back and play some more.
Catches (didn't go in the scorebook): Metson 2 (also dropped 2); Natoli 1; Das 1; Jansa 1. (They are now! Statto)
Big thank you to Krishen, Thusan's friend, who arrived as a spectator and departed a Blues' cricketer.
p.s. You can read the Crossbat's match report [here http://www.crossbats.co.uk/blues152010.htm]
[updated 15 12 2010]