CURDRIDGE vs NETLEY II's - 19th July 2025
The Harry Wilkins Gazette… has ceased printing due to low readership. Harry if you suggest that the account inscribed herein has a propensity to be somewhat esoteric and touching on the loquacious, I can only proffer the considered view that you have read too little of the Bard in your time.
​
Another home game, and it was a clash at the lower end of the table – although how we have ended up down there I don’t think anyone is quite sure given, other than a couple of blips, we’ve been playing well across bat, ball and field this season. Nonetheless, a key match to arrest our slide down the table was upon us.
​
What was also upon us was the weather, with rain falling heavily overnight into Saturday morning, there was some debate about whether the match would go ahead at all. In this the dry weather recent was our ally, with confidence that once the rain stopped the surface would soon dry up. Not least hoping for this outcome was Tom, having already made the sandwiches for the match tea.
Arriving at the pitch the teams were greeted by a slightly more squishy outfield than was anticipated, and many committee meetings ensued out on the square as a variety of players wandered out, stared knowingly at the ground, and returned to the clubhouse, only to repeat the same manoeuvre ten minutes later. Eventually it was decided that the match would go ahead, starting at 2.15pm, with a reduction to 30 overs aside, cue everyone pitching in to get the pitch ready, move the sightscreens, and for Mike Punt to read another couple of chapters of his book.
​
The toss saw Curdridge put into bat, and another new opening partnership headed out, this time Rob and Jack (despite Sammy’s optimistic pitch to be allowed to open, which no-one was quite sure whether it was serious or not). With 30 overs to the innings, there was an interesting balance to be had between attack and seeing out the first few overs, particularly recalling the quality of the opening attack from our victorious fixture earlier in the season. Both opening bowlers found good lines, and far more bounce than was expected, an early feather off Rob’s bat when he was on 2 palmed away by the keeper and dropped by the slip.
Both openers capitalised on opportunities for runs, finding the boundary and picking up ones and twos in between. As we approached the drinks break Rob was dismissed, a bit of a prod sending an edge to the slips which was held, one-handed, by the slip fielder flying through the air like a salmon with wings, (a cracking catch I can’t really complain about, and had it been one of us definitely a Champagne Moment). Rob out for 38, but an opening partnership of 74 had set a platform for the second half of the innings.
With Jack still going strong at the other end, out went Gary, promoted to number three and with a definite plan in mind. This plan quickly came to fruition, as Gary immediately began to strike boundaries all over the place and accelerate the run rate. Jack joined in with this approach (particularly as Gary wasn’t of a mind to take quick singles, let alone twos or threes!) and soon reached another half century as Old Netley cycled through their bowlers, trying to find a breakthrough and a way to stem the runs. On 58 Jack sent a catch out towards point, which was unfortunately pouched, but a cracking innings had set the stage for Gary’s continued assault, and for Jules to join him.
The runs continued to flow as Jules also realised that quick singles weren’t happening – although there were a fair few walked singles… Particularly entertaining was the instance where Gary refused a single, much to the dismay of the rest of the team watching and various comments about not being able to afford to pass up runs, only to be followed up the next ball by Gary carting the ball into the trees for six. After some time searching for the ball and ending up with a replacement, Gary decided to re-emphasise that he had a plan by sending that one into the trees too… Fortunately, by the time the fielders had given up on finding that one Sammy the Sleuthhound had darted across the pitch into the bushes and found the original ball.
The score rocketing past 200 and with just a couple of overs to go, Gary retired on 67 from just 47 balls, citing his inability to run as reason for sending in a none-too-impressed Danny Clark. He did his job though, getting Jules on strike, and a few more clean strikes of the ball saw the total after 30 overs 222-3. A word for Alan, too, who had spent much of the innings poised with his pads, but never quite sure what number he was going in at…
A fighting total, and it felt like the job was half done, but knowing we’d still need to bowl and field well to claim the win. Fortified by an excellent tea with a splendid array of sandwiches from Tom, out went Curdridge to try to defend their total.
First into the attack were Danny and Mike, faced with two in form batsmen who in the previous fixture had found the boundary with alarming regularity. These two batsmen picked up from where they left off that game, quickly pushing the run rate up to 10 an over as they took particular liking to Mike’s bowling and the score pushed on far too rapidly for our liking. A swirling skied shot provided a difficult chance which just eluded Gary’s hands, but otherwise chances were few and far between. Sammy was brought on from the Hillman End to try to stem the runs, and immediately slowed the rate. At the other end, Danny’s effort was rewarded as the first wicket fell with the stumps cleaned up. Not long after the second opener fell, lofting a catch deep to long off and into Craig’s hands.
At drinks with the score just over 100 for the loss of two wickets, it felt like we had begun to reel the innings back in. Tight bowling from Mark and Sammy continued for the next few overs, limiting the runs and getting us right back into the game as it felt like the tide was turning in our favour,
Mark struck and the third wicket fell, the batsman out plumb LBW. This brought the next batsman into the attack and the events which it might be claimed, depending on opinion, turned the game.
​
The new batsman struck a ball from Mark high and long, bouncing several feet inside the long-off boundary to run away for four.
​
The very next ball, we thought Mark had struck, the batsman playing at one and an audible, distinctly woody, noise of some sort echoing around the ground. Moving to his left Jack snagged the ball and was up celebrating the catch and appealing, as were the entire fielding side and I suspect a few of the denizens of the pub down the road. However, what did not go up was the umpire’s finger, and with the batsman flat denying he had hit it, it seems that we must all have been mistaken.
Boundaries rapidly followed, as the batsman struck the ball all round the park, supported by clever batting from the other end, and the total rapidly accelerating towards the target before he was eventually dismissed for 49 from just 25 balls, caught behind by Jack from Jules’ bowling.
With Tom in to the attack and bowling tightly, another wicket fell, to be followed by Jule’s second, but the damage had been done, and with some loose balls sent to the boundary coupled to extras, Old Netley chased the target down for the loss of six wickets with just an over to spare.
​
A chastening loss, not helped by controversy, although picking up both batting and bowling points limiting some of the damage, but definitely again feeling like one we could have won, and perhaps on a day when the cricketing gods smiled we would have.
​
Next week, away to Trojans IVs, another vital match – but at this stage, they all are!
​
Thanks to Jan once again for scoring, and to Radar for the tea, as well as a good group effort to get the pitch ready and the game on despite the rain.
​
Man of the Match: again some good performances, great effort with the bowling despite and good hustle in the field, and all the batsmen stepping up to post an excellent total for a 40-over game let alone 30 overs. This week a shared award to between Jack for his half century and sharp catches, and Gary for his rapid 67. Jules was also not out on 39 at more than a run a ball and picked up two wickets (we won’t mention the beamers…)
​
Donut of the Day: A shared award to everyone who though Gary had cost us runs when he refused the single, oh we of little faith!
I think we all have a good idea of where we’d really like to award the Donut of the Day, though.
Yes, you guessed it, Tom’s roar of delight before he realised the ball wasn’t actually in Gary’s hands and was in fact on the ground… Oh, that’s not what you were thinking? Well, no, me neither.
Champagne Moment: Gary’s two sixes in a row, and also his walked two (very, very slowly) from a skied ball which inexplicably didn’t go into the trees.