Dodgers v ACAS

DODGERS vs ACAS
20 OVERS
29 MAY 1997

MATCH REPORT

Dodgers won toss

Dodgers: 105-6 (Priest 20, McBarron 15, Westhead 14, Hilary 14, Farrell 2-9, Bidder 2-16, Bull 2-19) ACAS: 105-9 (Bidder 23, Vernon 18, Bull 18, Nixon 15, Adey 3-29, Sharp 2-29, Hilary 1-12)

SCORES TIED, DODGERS WON BY VIRTUE OF LOSING FEWER WICKETS!

DODGERS MEN OF THE MATCH: HENRY HILARY AND JOHN ADEY

Pheew - exciting stuff! Games like this one are not good for the blood pressure - good job John Adey wasn't captain.

We won the toss (again) and batted on a very good wicket. John Doyle fell early on (nothing changes!) but Pete Harry looked like giving us a great start, hitting Jerry Gibson's first ball back over his head for four, until missing a straight one (again!) after raising his head and trying to hit one into the Thames.

ACAS' bowling was very tight with all their bowlers moving it in the air and/or off the wicket. Veteran Dodgers will get an idea of just how well they bowled when I say that the much feared Jerry Gibson was their worst bowler!

A late flourish from our middle order of Westhead, McBarron, Benn and Hilary helped scrape to reasonably respectable 105-5. Briefly, Guy had his best knock of the season and actually hit a leg-stump long-hop for four for the first time in living memory, McBarron was pissed, Neil Benn ran brilliantly between the wickets (unfortunately for him usually when one of the others had hit the ball) and Henry hit the cover off it at the end. Good stuff, shame the top order generally got themselves out to silly shots and didn’t contribute more - especially guilty for the umpteenth time this year was that Priest bloke.....

ACAS started slowly in reply and we did well to keep the snail-like Nixon on strike. That is until yours truly ran him out, two balls after telling McBarron off for trying to do so! Henry bowled as tightly as usual and Phil McBarron turned in excellent figures of 0-7 off 4 overs. Who knows, if he has five pints before the game instead of four he might get a wicket next time! These figures were despite being viciously head-butted by Kim Matthews for no apparent reason. Kim said it was an accident as they both went to field the same ball - most of the rest of us thought Kim just likes to grab life’s golden opportunities...

Unfortunately, Bull and Bidder dragged ACAS back into the game, managing to get after Benn, Adey, and most surprisingly of all, the usually miserly (in terms of runs conceded.....) Sharp. However, despite a few lapses under pressure at the end we fielded well and bowled straight - John Adey hitting the stumps three times in four overs - is this a record for a Dodgers' bowler.....?

With three overs to go they needed 30 to win and the game was in the bag. With one over to go they needed eight to win and those of us who played in the final game of last season against Superstars had a horrible feeling of deja vu. However, cometh the hour, cometh the man. Up stepped Sharp, shined the ball, checked his look in the mirror and bowled an excellent final over that went for only seven to leave the scores tied.

We walked off with something of a sense of relief that we hadn't lost to find the ACAS skipper graciously offering to concede defeat because we lost fewer wickets. Naturally, we graciously accepted!

Once again, a good performance against a good side. We got a little ragged in the field under pressure at the end but that was to be expected and I was pleased with the way that, once again we played as a team. It is amazing how trying to score five an over can seem like a lot when you are batting but bugger all when you are trying to defend it in the field!

And finally, a reminder for John Adey: FOR FUCK’S SAKE PICK THE BLOODY BALL UP!!!

Quotes of the week

"I'm back!" (Guy Westhead after scoring 14 signalled his return to form with the bat).

"Oh bad luck old chap, head up and don’t worry about it" (Neil Priest to Andrew Crawford on the occasion of Andrew letting a ball through for 4. NB, this may have been mis-heard...)

NEIL PRIEST

DODGERS

Doyle c. Dickinson b Bull 2
Harry b Bull 9
Priest b Farrell 20
Crawford b Farrell 6
Westhead c. Farrell b Bidder 14
McBarron b Bidder 15
Benn NOT OUT 10
Hilary NOT OUT 14
Extras 15
TOTAL ((20 overs) 105 for 6 wkts

DID NOT BAT: Matthews, Adey, Sharp

Bowling
O M R W
Bull 4 0 19 2
Gibson 3 0 17 0
Farrell 3 0 9 2
Bradshaw 3 0 12 0
Bidder 4 0 16 2
Sambrook 3 0 23 0

ACAS

Nixon RUN OUT 15
Cook b Hilary 0
Vernon c McBarron b Benn 18
Barrack b Adey 6
Bull c Matthews b Sharp 18
Bidder b Adey 23
Dickson b Adey 0
Farrell c. Hilary b Sharp 2
Sambrook RUN OUT 10
Bradshaw NOT OUT 4
Extras 9
TOTAL 105
For 9 wkts (20 overs)

DID NOT BAT: Gibson

Bowling
O M R W
Hilary 4 0 12 1
McBarron 4 1 7 0
Benn 4 0 25 1
Adey 4 0 29 3
Sharp 4 0 29 2

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