Dodgers’ winning run came to an abrupt halt last night as we were completely out-classed – again – by English Heritage. The match was in doubt right up to the first ball as heavy showers drenched Chiswick. The toss was actually made inside the wooden hut and Heritage chose to bowl with indecent haste. It was a fine choice.
Dodgers opened with the two Neils – Mr Priest sporting an average of more than 300 this season and Mr Benn a desperate choice because we only had seven at the ground as late as 6.30pm. Both struggled early on as very accurate bowling spat off the wet pitch and the score reached just 16 after 8 overs, the only incident being a long-running drama concerning the position of a sightscreen.
A wayward ninth over helped before Benn chipped a full toss to mid off and was caught acrobatically for 13 with the score on 32. JJ Dunning was next and clobbered a couple of fours as Priest found some form, but neither man was really timing the ball consistently and we closed on 87 for 1 – Priest reaching 40 and Dunning 22.
We might have defended 87 against some teams, but not this lot. The track was moderately drier and easier and from the off they worked the ball around with ease. John Cooper had received some stick for suggesting his inferior alter ego last week was a South African, Jean Van Der Kuyper – more like the Bangladeshi Javed Coupar quipped Priest – but whoever was playing they struggled to get a length again and conceded 25 off three.
At the other end Rod Paterson was bowling with much better rhythm than of late and deservedly picked up a scalp when the batsman tried to out-psyche him during his run-up and was duly out out-psyched in turn, chipping a simple catch to Cooper at square leg. Adey continued where he left off last week conceding only 10 in his two overs, but a reluctant McBarron was despatched to all parts in his 2.4 overs to bring the end in just the twelfth over by conceding a quick 28.
We’d had the worst of the conditions and – most disappointingly – two selected players simply didn’t turn up, but there was no hiding Heritage’s clear superiority in all aspects of this game.
Dodgers opened with the two Neils – Mr Priest sporting an average of more than 300 this season and Mr Benn a desperate choice because we only had seven at the ground as late as 6.30pm. Both struggled early on as very accurate bowling spat off the wet pitch and the score reached just 16 after 8 overs, the only incident being a long-running drama concerning the position of a sightscreen.
A wayward ninth over helped before Benn chipped a full toss to mid off and was caught acrobatically for 13 with the score on 32. JJ Dunning was next and clobbered a couple of fours as Priest found some form, but neither man was really timing the ball consistently and we closed on 87 for 1 – Priest reaching 40 and Dunning 22.
We might have defended 87 against some teams, but not this lot. The track was moderately drier and easier and from the off they worked the ball around with ease. John Cooper had received some stick for suggesting his inferior alter ego last week was a South African, Jean Van Der Kuyper – more like the Bangladeshi Javed Coupar quipped Priest – but whoever was playing they struggled to get a length again and conceded 25 off three.
At the other end Rod Paterson was bowling with much better rhythm than of late and deservedly picked up a scalp when the batsman tried to out-psyche him during his run-up and was duly out out-psyched in turn, chipping a simple catch to Cooper at square leg. Adey continued where he left off last week conceding only 10 in his two overs, but a reluctant McBarron was despatched to all parts in his 2.4 overs to bring the end in just the twelfth over by conceding a quick 28.
We’d had the worst of the conditions and – most disappointingly – two selected players simply didn’t turn up, but there was no hiding Heritage’s clear superiority in all aspects of this game.
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