Dodgers v Science Museum
20 Overs
Chiswick
Thursday 10 June 1999
Dodgers 110-5 (20) beat Science Museum 99-6 (20) by 11 runs
Our inaugural match against the Science Museum ended in an excellent, and ultimately surprising, victory.
Batting first, Dodgers made an uncharacteristically bright start - taking ten from the first over and seven from the second - largely thanks to Chris Jacobs. After Chris's dismissal in the third over, Phil McBarron and Neil Priest began to put together a substantial partnership. The runs never came easily though as the combination of a slow pitch, movement in the air, a slow outfield and good field placings offset any inexperience in the SM attack. [Let's be honest though - they're not too sharp between the wickets are they?]
After only nine runs had come from five overs, the boys managed a gradual acceleration until Phil was dismissed in the 17th over for 39 including two fours - the stand having added 67 in 13.3 overs. John Carr managed four before missing a heave to leg and with one over remaining the score was 96-3. The last over provided excellent entertainment: Kevin Roper was run out for one off the first ball to bring the two Neils together and there were runs, no balls, byes and leg byes off the first four balls. Off the fifth, an exhausted Priest smashed the ball to long on and started to run. Ten seconds later he had almost been lapped by Benn and, responding to a call for a fourth run with a remark questioning Benn's parentage, was run out for 36. The run out had a happy ending though - off the final ball new batsman Andrew Crawford tonked an impressive four over mid-wicket to leave us on 110-5.
To be honest 110 looked 10 or 15 short of par, but the ball was swinging prodigiously and we felt that steady bowling might well be enough to cause the Museum problems. Steady bowling was not what we got though: both Andy and Henry Hilary looked out of sorts at the start; Matt Leach was punished severely for the odd bad ball; and Kevin struggled to control the swing as the score mounted. Henry took one wicket in his spell but the introduction of his brother John changed the game.
Bowling an excellent line, John first restricted the SM batsman, then removed one, but with four overs to go the target of 18 with eight wickets left still looked an easy one. John produced another tight over to leave it 16 off 3 and then Cap'n Carr made an excellent decision - not one other senior players would have made - to bring back Andy. His response was an impressive one, bowling with much more accuracy and good pace in the gloom he removed SM's top-scorer Millen to a very neat legside catch by stand-in wicket-keeper Benn. He had survived a chance to Henry at long on earlier but otherwise had played very well indeed for his 56. SM now looked like losing for the first time and with their lesser batsmen not remotely up to the task lost two more wickets to John and Andy as we closed out the game in fine style. The last four overs had yielded five runs and three wickets. An excellent win.
20 Overs
Chiswick
Thursday 10 June 1999
Dodgers 110-5 (20) beat Science Museum 99-6 (20) by 11 runs
Our inaugural match against the Science Museum ended in an excellent, and ultimately surprising, victory.
Batting first, Dodgers made an uncharacteristically bright start - taking ten from the first over and seven from the second - largely thanks to Chris Jacobs. After Chris's dismissal in the third over, Phil McBarron and Neil Priest began to put together a substantial partnership. The runs never came easily though as the combination of a slow pitch, movement in the air, a slow outfield and good field placings offset any inexperience in the SM attack. [Let's be honest though - they're not too sharp between the wickets are they?]
After only nine runs had come from five overs, the boys managed a gradual acceleration until Phil was dismissed in the 17th over for 39 including two fours - the stand having added 67 in 13.3 overs. John Carr managed four before missing a heave to leg and with one over remaining the score was 96-3. The last over provided excellent entertainment: Kevin Roper was run out for one off the first ball to bring the two Neils together and there were runs, no balls, byes and leg byes off the first four balls. Off the fifth, an exhausted Priest smashed the ball to long on and started to run. Ten seconds later he had almost been lapped by Benn and, responding to a call for a fourth run with a remark questioning Benn's parentage, was run out for 36. The run out had a happy ending though - off the final ball new batsman Andrew Crawford tonked an impressive four over mid-wicket to leave us on 110-5.
To be honest 110 looked 10 or 15 short of par, but the ball was swinging prodigiously and we felt that steady bowling might well be enough to cause the Museum problems. Steady bowling was not what we got though: both Andy and Henry Hilary looked out of sorts at the start; Matt Leach was punished severely for the odd bad ball; and Kevin struggled to control the swing as the score mounted. Henry took one wicket in his spell but the introduction of his brother John changed the game.
Bowling an excellent line, John first restricted the SM batsman, then removed one, but with four overs to go the target of 18 with eight wickets left still looked an easy one. John produced another tight over to leave it 16 off 3 and then Cap'n Carr made an excellent decision - not one other senior players would have made - to bring back Andy. His response was an impressive one, bowling with much more accuracy and good pace in the gloom he removed SM's top-scorer Millen to a very neat legside catch by stand-in wicket-keeper Benn. He had survived a chance to Henry at long on earlier but otherwise had played very well indeed for his 56. SM now looked like losing for the first time and with their lesser batsmen not remotely up to the task lost two more wickets to John and Andy as we closed out the game in fine style. The last four overs had yielded five runs and three wickets. An excellent win.
Dodgers
McBarron c. b. Cronkshaw 39
Jacobs c. b. Cronkshaw 10
Priest run out 36
Carr* b. Cronkshaw 4
Roper run out 1
Benn+ not out 4
Crawford not out 4
Extras 12
Total (20 overs) 110 for 5
Did not bat: J.Hilary, Pope, Leach, H.Hilary
Wickets: 19, 86, 94, 96, 106
Bowling
Cronkshaw 4-0-20-3
Science Museum
Gallagher c. Priest b. H.Hilary 8
Millen c. Benn b. Crawford 56
Burnell b. Roper 6
Wilson lbw b. J.Hilary 3
Hopkins not out 9
Jenkins lbw b. J.Hilary 0
Parker b. Crawford 0
Davies not out 0
Extras 17
Total (20 overs) 99 for 6
Did not bat: Woodcock, Montgomery, Cronkshaw
Bowling
Crawford 4-0-19-2
H.Hilary 4-0-26-1
Roper 4-0-14-1
Leach 4-0-28-0
J.Hilary 4-0-6-2
Man-of-the-match: John Hilary
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