The big fixture. No, not our long-term rivals Superstars; this is the much-anticipated, often scrappy showdown with Kai Dragons (aka HMRC). For better or for worse this fixture has built a reputation as one with a bit of bite, very unusually for Dodgers and the vast majority of sides we come up against. Nonetheless it brings out a competitiveness in our players as well, and with Abhi due to return to India less than 24 hours after the start of play, everyone wanted to put on a performance to be proud of.
Things got off to a rough start as Mike was bowled for a five-ball duck (after being dropped by the keeper on ball three), leaving Will to step in and deliver some of his standard fare: 16 (10) and unlucky to get caught by flashing straight to the fielder at deepish point. Komy meanwhile produced the kind of in-form batting display that has him challenging for his own club's single-season run record (please feel free to play for Dodgers more often Komy!) as he built solidly in the middle orders. In this he was aided at the other end by Kunal, similarly strong with the bat of late, if slightly more aggressive in approach- this being best evidenced by an absolutely monster six, some feat considering our oppo had set frankly ludicrous boundaries for the evening's activity. Next postcode etc. This partnership shared the spoils of retirement, Komy at 27* (29) and Kunal at 25* (17). Satya, already at the crease for several overs, was just beginning to build an innings of his own when he was frustrated to be caught for 16. Such was the situation when Jack found himself on 2 runs and the high-energy, if still skittish Brendan at the other end. But initial nerves gradually eroded and a partnership began to build- especially as the two proved willing to run (11 sprinted in just one over- and I didn't vomit!), an essential strategy with a boundary rope almost beyond the horizon. When Brendan was eventually bowled for 9, somewhat gratefully so that the bigger hitters could finish our attack, the partnership had reached 31.
Up steps hero of the hour Abhi, ready to prove himself in a Dodgers kit for perhaps the final time... and immediately snicking a ball high in the air and into the keeper's hands for a golden duck. Sat on the sidelines seemed to enjoy it more than the players celebrating on the field, based on his reaction. But Charlie was unperturbed by all this swansong nonsense and walked on to do what he does best with only 9 balls remaining: score rapidly. He and Jack punished the Dragons' death bowling with a final over worth 18 runs, a dramatic conclusion which featured: a no-ball four from Charlie, Jack being spared when his final-ball wicket was deemed a no-ball, bringing him to bang on 25*, and Charlie seeing out a dot with the final delivery to finish on 16* (8). There was some rumour that Charlie may have been stumped or bowled on said delivery, but the scoring crew can neither confirm nor deny these rumours as we were too busy editing the tablet following Jack's survival, and so a dot is how we will remember it.
The task for the Dragons: 148 to win. Defendable for Dodgers? Probably; and the boundaries which had been our bane for twenty overs could now serve as our saviour, making the require rate a sufficiently challenging ask.
Abhi opened the bowling, determined to redeem himself after that (very) short spell at the crease. His first over, with four dots, showed that he had something to prove. Will opened as well and didn't wait around at all before bowling his first victim with just his third delivery. Abhi couldn't find a wicket in his second over but conceded only two runs before handing the ball back to Will for another wicket, a sharp catch taken by Charlie at square leg. Abhi finally had his moment in his third over, bowling Paul with a ball kissing the off-stump bail. Three down after six overs: could Satya and Charlie keep the pressure on at first change? In short: sort of. No wickets (a rarity for this pair, it must be noted) through their combined five overs and there was an impressively fast retirement from youngster Hamzah who finished at 25* (16). This 16-year-old all-rounder apparently recently moved from Sweden principally to play more cricket and play he did- his previous bowling spell was also a respectable four overs for 32 runs.
Anyway bring on second change! Jack and Kunal started well, with Jack especially matching his performance with the bat with an economic spell with the ball. He finished with figures of 1/17 in his four overs, including bowling Innes. Despite those heroics, the Dragons were clawing themselves into a winning position. Tensions were therefore high when the oppo pushed a risky single against good bowling from Stockers, and Will threw in a rocket from the boundary, narrowly missing a runout at the bowler's end. Now from my perspective at square leg I do think the batsman ran in his bat just in the nick of time. But Komy felt the call was marginal enough to take issue with the umpire, by way of asserting "he was out from here" [deep fine leg]. Should he have said it? Perhaps, perhaps not. But the umpire certainly should not have escalated the situation by then demanding that he "say that again". And Komy did. At which point the ump (who I think was the captain as well, to add to the craziness of the situation) began to march down the pitch raving about dissent, a degree of further instigation that was so uncalled for that the square leg ump and I watched on, mouths agape, as the two came a few meters from each other. Sat, not suffering from the bystander effect which had frozen some, rushed in to try and force cooler heads to prevail, restraining Komy- none of the oppo did or said anything to the Kai ump it should be said. Eventually the ump decreed 5 penalty runs (!) for this incident. I don't know what's more remarkable: that he felt this was in any way appropriate or proportionate in a quote 'friendly' fixture, after he himself had put in motion the entire fracas by needlessly escalating and provoking, or that the scorers actually awarded the runs. Mental. With the result increasingly a foregone conclusion the ump then decided to stir the put even further by calling a nonsensical wide in the Matt's final over when only three were required to win. I think at this point it can't be denied that he was deliberately intending to provoke a response, presumably because he thrives in situations where he individually feels superior but ultimately looks like an absolute buffoon to everyone else. Jack gave him some deserved stick, at which point he went on raving about some sort of injustice (I had largely tuned out at this stage, as had Ralph), and the game mercifully concluded the next delivery.
So, a frankly pitiful ending to what otherwise could've been a competitive conclusion. Maybe most awkwardly, Kai almost certainly would've won the damn game anyway, not least for the efforts of rising star Hamzah, but his performance was ultimately and totally overshadowed by the efforts of his self-righteous captain. For your reporter, who is suspiciously absent (or is he?) from the team photo, I opted to go around and collect the flags on the boundary out of the kindness of my heart despite Dodgers status as the away side. And the fact that this conveniently prevented me from having to shake hands with any of the opposition is a mere coincidence.
Man of the match
Comments