CURDRIDGE vs BURRIDGE IV's - 12th July 2025
After last week’s unfortunate outing (you’ll note there was no match report after that one!) a win was sorely needed to start pushing us back up the table, and an away fixture versus Burridge seemingly offered that opportunity.
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Not a cloud in the sky on a day where the sun beat down throughout the game, although a slight breeze did stir up which was welcomed by one and all. Having lost the toss we were duly sent into the field, welcoming Tim into the side, Danny back in, and Stu Hillman turning out for his final game in Curdridge colours. Trouble on the M3 delayed Gary’s appearance, so it was with 10 men that we began.
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Opening up the bowling Danny Clark at one end and Stu at the other end as usual kept things tight, and lots of effort in the field despite the heat limited the runs on a track which was very much made for batting. Although runs were hard to come by so, too were wickets, but it was Stu who would get the breakthrough, a slower ball inducing an early shot from the batsman, and the ball carrying on through to clatter into the stumps.
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A second wicket almost followed, with Sammy making a diving effort at gully and fingertips away from taking a difficult chance, but saving an otherwise certain boundary. This didn’t cost us, though as soon enough Danny induced the edge from the batsman and a very sharp reaction catch from Jack had the second wicket.
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Mike having replaced Stu, very soon found his length also helping to contain the batsman and keep the runs down, and soon had his first wicket as a lofted shot dropped straight into Jules’ hands. Then popped out, was held, popped out, was held, popped out again and was finally held on the fourth attempt. A catch is a catch! Mike’s second wicket followed soon after the drinks break, a rocket of a shot was launched through the off side, but Gary taking a stunning reaction catch grabbing the ball one-handed just about head-height.
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Meanwhile Sam had replaced Danny after another outstanding spell of bowling, and today was very much a day when Sam demonstrated how good his bowling can be, wheeling away for 8 overs, of which four were maidens and going for only 9 runs in total. Terrific spell.
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A third wicket for Mike should have followed, as the batsman struck a ball high towards long-off – Rob running in and across to get under the falling ball. If you’ve ever seen the film The Battle of Britain you may recall the advice ‘beware of the Hun in the sun’ – in this case it was beware of the cricket ball in the sun; looking up to take the catch, the ball dropped right into the line of sunlight and only a split-second reaction avoided Rob wearing it full in the face, but the result was being unsighted and the ball cannoning from his hand and running away for four. Possibly a little unfortunate, but when we’re fighting for every point in the league we can’t afford dropped catches like that.
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Mark and Tim came into the attack as the runs continued to mount, although not as quickly as the batting team may have planned for, and it was only late in the innings that they really started pushing the singles and twos. Mark picked up his first wicket from another cracking catch, this time into Jules’ hands at mid-on, and Tim took his first wicket for the club with a catch pouched by Stu at point, before another sharp piece of work saw Jack get a stumping to give Mark his second wicket, in the final over. Seven down with one ball to go, an eighth wicket would be another bowling point; the ball was struck out towards the leg-side boundary, and Mike took a fine catch.. unfortunately his foot was on the boundary, so the wicket turned into a six. 173-7 at the end of the Burridge innings, and a total which looked to be reachable with calm and collected batting.
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Another new-look opening partnership saw Rob and Jules walking out to the crease, and Mark and Stu volunteering to umpire after 40 overs fielding and bowling in baking sun. As seems to be happening more frequently, we got off the mark quickly, with Rob striking two fours from the first over and the opening bowler already getting frustrated. The runs continued to come, slow but steady, over the next few overs as the bowlers stuck to a steady line but didn’t offer a huge threat. However, the first wicket fell as the ball reared up on Jules and he gloved one through to the keeper.
In came Alan at number three, and more runs were to follow, before Rob put the ball between two fielders and called a quick single, which resulted only in stranding himself in the middle of the strip and a despairing dive trying to regain his ground falling well short, the third week in a row fates have conspired to see him depart. A word for Stu umpiring who had a very easy decision to give the run-out – not that he needed to make a decision as it was very clear (I was nowhere near in!) – but nice for Stu to have got all aspects of the game in in his final appearance!
Disaster struck as Jack followed just a few balls later without scoring, and from a good start three wickets had been lost and it seemed like we were throwing things away. Gary was next into bat, and in his own inimitable fashion took the attack back to the Burridge bowlers, striking the ball cleanly and finding the boundaries, and the runs began to flow again. Sadly Gary was bowled just as things were progressing, and even though the total was building the wickets were falling.
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In came Tim, and he and Alan began to push the runs onwards too. By this time Mark and Stu had done their umpiring stint, and Rob and Jules were the next volunteers. Another wicket again interrupted momentum, as Alan was run out, grounding his bat but it getting stuck in the ground and again it felt like the game was slipping away. Danny next in added to the total, but both he and Tim would fall, leaving the innings precariously perched, although always feeling like a stand could see us home. With Sam and Mark at the crease it looked like this might start to build, before Sam missed a full one on middle & leg and departed LBW. Mike soon followed, and we were down to our final wicket.
Stu came in determined, playing with a straight bat and giving away no chances, as Mark shepherded the strike and the total built. Hope began to build, with plenty of overs in hand. The score crept up to 150, and with 10 overs to go needing only another 24 runs for the win, a glimmer of victory seemed to begin to reappear. Unfortunately, the 30 over drinks break came at the wrong time, and the very next ball a snick through from Mark saw us all out for 150 and falling 24 runs short of the target.
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A bit of a disaster of a loss, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and dragging us into a battle against relegation, undeserved for the way we have played in most games this season. Today our batting let us down, with batsmen getting starts but not being able to push on, and of course we can’t afford to drop catches no matter the weather conditions.
Next week at home to Old Netley, a must-win, realistically.
A bit of a long awards section this week, but here we go:
Man of the Match: Despite the loss there were some excellent performances, although no single all-round performance, so honourable mentions go to Sammy’s bowling spell, and to Stu for his all round contribution in his final game.
Donut of the Day: this week, there is a big box of Donuts of the Day.
We’ll start with the whole team for losing a match we should have won.
An additional Donut award to Rob for his dropped catch.
Another Donut for Sam for his bizarre thinking that he can walk over, sit down next to non-smokers, and then tell them to move because he wants to light up cigarette.
It would be harsh to award Donuts to parties involved in the run-outs, but we’ll just try to avoid those in future!
Finally the rest of the box of Donuts awarded to those armchair umpires who have been doing a lot whining from the sidelines and the bottom of a pint glass recently. You know who you are, and there is of course always the option for you to volunteer to go out and umpire – something conspicuously absent thus far…
Champagne Moment: This week I think it has to go to Gary for his catch – a brilliant grab which if on the television would have been shown in slow motion from at least a dozen different angles. Definitely a contender for catch of the season.
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Thank Yous: once again thank you to Jan and Hayley for scoring, on another very hot day without very much (if any) shade. Can’t overstate how helpful it is to have volunteers to do the scoring.
Finally, thank you and farewell to Stu Hillman in his last Curdridge game – not least for buying everyone a drink at the end of the game, but with a wicket, catch, umpiring, and runs (not out, I must add) then it seems a fitting end. We look forward to the reciprocal tour between Curdridge and Lyon. Bonne chance et au revoir Stu.