SATURDAY XI v BURRIDGE 3rd's - 20th May 2017
Curdridge made the shortest of trips to Burridge, full of confidence following last weeks demolition job on Netley. Team changes were enforced as Dan (family duty), Alan (something Swedish), and Luke (VISA issues due to a undisclosed conviction for something Swedish), were all unavailable. Skipper returned alongside the experienced Jon Fields and Nick Hillier which ensured there was a lot of comparison to ‘back in the day….’ as the day (and evening), progressed.
Having dodged showers all morning the inclement weather arrived on the dot of 2 o’clock to welcome the players onto the field. By now skipper had done what he does best and lost the toss (4 from 4 this year!), and was pleasantly surprised when he was asked to have a bowl.
The olders swingers in town, Del and Jon E, started up, Del having lost at scissor / paper / stone was faced with bowling up the hill and into the wind which did nothing for his normally well maintained toupee. Jon at the other end made the most of the conditions to build up a head of steam. Unfortunately for Jon though this momentum was more than his body could cope with and after a tidy start the fetlock gave way and Jon left the field looking for some ice, presumably for a gin and tonic to take his mind off the pain.
By now the opening batsmen had made an ominous start and after 6 overs the scoreboard was rattling along, however having been deposited around a fair bit Del got his revenge and sent back the dangerous looking big lad with his stumps dismantled. David, having replaced Jon then performed the same trick to dismiss the number 3 before Del found the edge of the other opener’s bat and Jack did the rest, and we were into the middle order.
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A partnership was then forming before skipper had a moment of genius, luring the batsman into a false sense of security by dropping a chance in the covers. Skipper then repeated the trick a ball later, but managed to flick the ball to Tav, who returned the ball back to the stumps with the batsmen stranded in the middle.
Curdridge were now on top, with tight bowling accompanied by some decent fielding, Jon Fields in particular throwing himself around - succeeding three times in accompanying the ball over the boundary and into the hedge. Full marks for effort though Jon!
David picked up two more wickets, both bowled which was admirable considering the injury to his ego that he suffered during his spell. Faced with a nervous looking young lad making his way to the crease David showed no mercy and sent one down at his normal warp speed. The youngster was unfazed though and deposited David into the tennis courts first ball. Cue an immediate breakdown in David’s physical condition that had obviously caused him to bowl such a poor delivery. His knee, ankle, thigh, back had all given way at the same time and he was only able to bowl gentle spinners for the remainder of the over until his ego recovered.
Tav and Mike Punt then took on the challenge of dismissing the tail, and wrapped it up in quick time with the Burridge innings finishing on a below par 96 all out. Tav and Dave, picking up three wickets a-piece.
Ten overs were possible before tea, and Tav and Sian were tasked with seeing off these early overs. They did so in fine style, and by the time donuts were being consumed Curdridge were sitting pretty at 35-0.
A good tea, was then followed by a wicket, as Tav decided that he would do a ‘Dan Clark’, and decide to hit the lady bowler out of the attack. Unfortunately for Tav, his run of bad luck with women continued and he only succeeded in hitting it straight up in the air and was sent back to the pavilion. His equipment arrived at the hut several seconds in advance of him, as he shared his frustrations with his helmet.
‘The wall’ was sent into to steady the ship and he did just that steering us through the losses of Sian after a good knock, and David after a short one. Skipper made his way to the middle with the intent of finishing the job quickly and after a few wafts, eventually managed to calibrate the body with his new bat, and a few lusty blows saw Curdridge over the line for a comprehensive win.
Man of the Match - A few contenders this week but Tav gets the nod for three wickets, a run out and a decent knock at the top of the order
Champagne Moment - It has to be the miraculous recovery of David from his career threatening injury, good to see the ego was back in full working order by the end of the day.
Next Week - Home vs Fair Oak, 2pm start, all are welcome!