Skipper’s Match Report 17/08/2024
https://mynyddisamaeshafn.play-cricket.com/website/results/6272246
Ruthin 2nds 178/9 (40 overs)
MIMCC 179/4 (29.3 overs)
MIMCC win by 6 wickets
Over the years we’ve usually come away from Ruthin with a story to tell. Saturday was certainly no exception….
Losing the toss on a green wicket after a week of rain, the skipper was a little surprised when Ruthin elected to bat. It was perhaps indicative of the relative strengths of their lineup rather than the conditions; but ultimately we got what we wanted in having a bowl on a pitch that looked like it would offer something to our bowlers.
Sadly, at the scheduled start of player, bowlers (and indeed a wicketkeeper) were something we were lacking, the MIMCC timekeeping curse striking once again (more of that later….). A short delay to the start of play was negotiated, and we eventually managed to take the field with 11 men.
Naseer and Jonathan took new ball. In Jonathan’s first over Ruthin’s young opener faced two balls, concluded that this was going to be an all-you-can eat pie festival, and aimed a shot towards Ruthin castle which, had it connected, had the potential to cause more disruption to any weddings taking place there than Jit had managed with his car last year. Sadly for the Ruthin opener however, bat missed ball by some margin and found stumps instead. Thankfully Pete Ford had not yet arrived, so his eyeballs were safe. Naseer was soon in the wickets too with Niall taking an excellent, if unconventional, catch at square leg.
Jonathan was unlucky not to pick up another wicket stumped shortly afterwards as a creative interpretation of the laws saw the skipper involved in what would be the first of several frank exchanges of views of the day. By now Aryaman had replaced Naseer and was starting to create chances. One of these flew off the edge at some pace and the skipper failed to take the one-handed chance at slip, taking a blow to the thumb in the process. Although my thumb is somewhat purple this morning, this would prove by some distance not to be the most impressive injury of the day (more of this later….). Thankfully the skipper’s blushes were spared a couple of balls later with Sanath taking the catch behind the stumps before the batter could capitalise on being given a life.
A couple of decent partnerships followed for Ruthin as our bowlers toiled away and a few chances went to ground, with echoes of the Bersham and Llandudno games when dropped chances proved to be our undoing. Thankfully this proved not to be the case with Deepak and Aryaman taking wickets at crucial times to break partnerships. In the last few overs the skipper turned to Venkat to do battle with arch rival Jamie Hughes who was by now into the 80s. In what would prove the distinct high point of his day, Venkat won the battle, dismissing the Ruthin top scorer with Deepak taking a great catch on the cow corner boundary. Venkat picked up two more, one bowled and one lbw; and the returning Naseer bounced out a small child to leave Ruthin on 178/9 off their 40 overs.
After tea, Venkat and Aryaman were due to open the batting. However at the start of play, the latter seemed to be playing understudy in the Abs role (with master currently on a secret mission in South America) and was nowhere to be found. So Umang strode out the middle with Venkat. Ruthin’s youthful bowling attack were bowling well, and it seemed like the lack of height in the point of delivery was somehow exploiting the demons in the pitch, especially from the far end. This was to ultimately prove most unfortunate for Venkat.
As umpire I had a front seat the carnage that went down. Ruthin’s youngster bowled a ball just back of length which Venkat went to pull, but the ball climbed steeply off the pitch and found the top edge of the bat. Ball met nose and Venkat was felled in a maelstrom of blood and bits of sunglasses.
Thankfully Venkat took the sensible, rather than Steve Pugh approach and retired hurt to seek medical attention. Umpire Niall managed to recover and reassemble the sunglasses and Venkat departed to Glan Clwyd to have his colleagues do the same with his nose.
Dr Venkat Sundaram was quoted as saying “remember kid – always use your bat instead of your face”
Cue a scramble for helmets as Aryaman (who had by now reappeared) joined Umang. A good partnership followed to see off the openers, before their young spinner came on as first change and had Aryaman caught at cover for 24. This brought Sanath to the crease, and this would prove the match crucial partnership with a stand of 87. This was punctuated by Umang registering his first half century of the season and the day’s second frank exchange of views when the skipper turned down an lbw appeal which was too high and missing leg.
After drinks, a flurry of wickets threatened to push us off course in pursuit of the target. Umang went for a 55, his highest score for the club, to a remarkable running catch by one of Ruthin’s juniors in the leg side. Deepak followed lbw to the next ball, bringing Saboor to join Sanath. At this point, Messrs Stadler and Waldorf Houghton and Ford came out to relieve the umpires and yours truly hurried off to the dressing room to pad up. There I found Jay who was due in next. Having seen Saboor’s general approach to batting, I was a little surprised to find Jay not wearing any batting equipment. Whilst I tip my hat to his faith in his teammates, I made sure to put on my stuff without undue delay. And before I could finish doing my final pad strap, the shout came that Saboor had gone (caught and bowled for 4), so I went out to join Sanath in Jay’s place.
Only another 30 needed for victory and Sanath eventually led us home, passing 50 in the process, to finish 59no, with yours truly 8no.
Job done, we left Ruthin with 13 points and 1 broken nose.
