Burton on the Wolds v Stoke Golding - First XI
Sat 6th May 2006 - Towles Fields
BURTON FIRSTS AND STOKE DEFY WEATHER IN SEASON OPENER
Despite the typically English summer weather, Burton & Stoke managed to not only get the whole game in, but a good game at that!
Both teams turned up full of expectation and enthusiasm for the start of a new season, and the toss was made in bright sunshine. Stoke called wrong, and Fisher asked them to take first knock, sending the Burton fielders scurrying off to plaster themselves in sunblock prior to taking the field. Well what a waste of time that was! No sooner was the first ball bowled than it started to cloud over, and within 30 minutes, a light drizzle was falling, which sooned turned to a steady downpour. After waiting 8 months for a competitive game though, nobody took the easy option of retiring to the clubhouse, and both teams pressed on. Call us daft? maybe. Call us stupid? Quite possibly. Call us cold, wet and miserable? Definately!!
Anyway, to the game itself. Lang and Smith took the new ball for Burton, and soon had the Stoke openers in trouble, with plenty of playing and missing, particularly against Smith who was extracting plenty of pace and bounce from an early season wicket. The batsmen rode their luck a little though, and were able to capitalise on the odd lose ball from Smith to keep the score ticking over. Bowling from the top end though, Lang found his range immediately, and was able to bowl a prolonged and miserly spell, comceding just 31 runs from 17 consecutive overs, including the wicket of one of the openers, mis-cuing a drive to mid-on.
On another day, Stoke might well have found themselves 3 or 4 down for not many, but the batsmen kept playing and missing, tough chances were put down by Hood & Lang, and Freestone opted to watch one lob over his head rather than take 3 steps backwards and swallow it!
Runs continued to flow freely from the bottom end, with Andy 'Sicknote' Simkins replacing Smith after his 7 over spell, and true to form, pulling something or other in his leg after just 3 balls. 4 overs for 28 runs later, and Fisher was obliged to take him off, as his arm was getting so low in the delivery stride that he was in danger of bowling under-arm! More on his contribution to the game later.....
That gave Peck a chance to return to the Burton fold, after his enforced years absence on paternity leave. Clearly being a father had affected neither his appetite nor his bowling ability, as after a long-hop and a full-bunger to start, he settled straight into his rhythm, and quickly picked up the dangerous Wilson thanks to an excellent catch from Hood, sprinting round the cover boundary.
Hood then replaced Lang at the top end, with Stoke well placed at this point and looking to push on towards 175+ and maximum batting points. Thanks to some superb bowling from the spin twins though, who picked up 3 wickets apiece, Stoke's attempted to up the pace stalled before it really began, and at 120-6 off 40 overs, Burton were looking in a strong position. Some lusty hitting in the last 5 overs shifted the balance crucially back to Stoke, and they ended up on 155-7. Given the slow outfield, probably worth around 180, but a target that was definately within Burton's reach. Pick of the batting was Wilson who made a fluent 31, and a battling 45 from Guy Rollins.
Suitable fed, warmed and dried after tea, and with the rain now having stopped, Burton' familiar opening pair of Moore and Deabill set about the task of chasing down the Stoke total.
As ever, Deabill looked to accumulate, while Moore took the attack to the bowlers, being particularly severe on a string of long-hops from Sidwell. Their opening stand reached 72, before Moore departed, caught at mid-off for 41. Deabill followed shortly after LBW for 42, whereupon the Burton innings followed a remarkably similar path to that of Stokes earlier in the day, with a steady stream of wickets falling as the incoming batsmen attempted to keep up with the rate. Guy Rollins bowling a particularly good spell of 4-43 off 14, ensuring Burton were never quite up with the required rate.
Eventually it came down to 21 off 3, with Lang and Hood at the crease, and just Smith waiting in the hutch. 7 came off the first of those, but when Lang skied to mid-off attempting the big hit that might just have swung the game, Burton opted to play out the remaing balls for a draw, ensuring they got close enough for the 5-4 points split.
There was one final WTF moment, when Hood, who had farmed the strike nicely up to that point, exposed Smith to the last 2 balls of the game by running an unnecessary single.
And then, when both had been seemingly negotiated by the one true Burton tailender, the umpire ensured one final bit of drama for the day, by calling the last ball wide. Not to worry though, the bowler managed to find the middle of Smiths bat, and Burton were left rueing their missed chances of a first win of the year, but equally glad to have held out for the draw.
MoM : Guy Rollins, 42 runs and a crucial 4-43 at the death from the Stoke lynchpin.
Special mention : Sicknote Simkins for a fine all-round performance - he may have bowled like a drain, but 3 great stops in the field, that a younger more agile fielder might have had time to get out of the way of, and a stirling performance on the sidelines during the run-chase. 'Rushy always changes clubs when he runs out of shower gel' was a classic. And nobody else could have stopped the match in such grand style, marching out to the middle, bearing arms with a shovel, to clear up a big pile of doggie-doos from the outfield! Well played Sir!!
Next week sees the visit of Leicester Taverners to Towles Field. Burton will be welcoming back Jeff Aylett, last years leading bowler, and so should be looking to break their duck for the season against one of last years weaker teams.
And finally....as ever, the Greyhound was sought out for the post-match pint, where we witnessed the best 2 bouncers of the afternoon, and Lee caught (not words you'll usually see in the same sentence!) the eye of the foxy young barmaid, who asked for his number. Not a total waste of a day then.
Full Match Stats shown on the ECB site HERE>>
Ian Lang 8-5-06