Edgworth CC Tavs (101/4) bt Bolton Coopers (100), 12/07/19
“England have absolutely marmalised Australia!”
That was Michael Vaughan’s jubilant assessment after England’s wondrous one-day team routed the old enemy at Edgbaston yesterday to set up a first Cricket World Cup final for our ODI XI since 1992.
Marmalised. Lovely word. Marmalade, made up of:
· 2.25L water
· 1kg Seville oranges
· 1 lemon
· 2kg granulated or caster sugar
The perfect ingredients for a delicious tasty treat.
And the Edgworth Tavs cricketers served up a tasty treat of their own yesterday as they welcomed Bolton Coopers for what turned out to be hard-fought and long overdue win.
Suddenly all seems right with the world again.
Rain, rain, go away
Though not bright, at least not initially as come the scheduled 6pm start of play squally rainclouds had descended over our shiny new pavilion.
Met Office? Says it’s clear. BBC Weather app? The same. Accuweather? Lies, all lies.
(Someone suggested devising an app focused on North of England weather forecasting, the better to improve accuracy. T’Accuweather, perhaps?)
Things looked grim, as off then back on came the covers, as blue as our collective moods. Given the Tavs’ woeful form up to this point it didn’t take a lot to dampen our spirits.
But then a break in the cloud allowed a few hopeful glances skywards and an almost unspoken agreement to get on with it, get out there and get bowling. And use a proper track.
Tavs were fielding first, as if taking the lead from Eoin Morgan’s inspired move to lose the toss at Edgbaston and start the game by bowling. In the first over of the World Cup semi Woakes had Finch pinned LBW first ball. Could Tavs replicate that kind of incisiveness?
Er, no. Mammut Mark commenced proceedings from the Cow Field End and delivered a liquorice allsorts of a first over then a ‘mare of a second, bowling some of the worst pies since Sweeney Todd set up shop on a London backstreet.
Bogg, under pressure after conceding in excess of 20 in a single over during his most recent Tavs trundle with the ball, actually kept things tight but after Mammut conceded 18 off his two Smallwood was little better and Coopers had romped to 30+ for no wickets in no time.
Antiques
Enter Dan the man. If you ever switch on Antiques Roadshow you’ll see an old dear bring along a rarely-seen but highly-treasured heirloom, covered in dust and worth who knows what. It’s the first time its seen sunlight in ages and might have all sorts of hairline cracks no-one yet knows about. It could fall apart the first time it’s touched or end up being worth millions.
Dan, our heirloom having its once-a-season airing. How would he get on? Excellently, with pitched up deliveries wobbling their way repeatedly past the outside edge of the Coopers bats and collected with an appreciative “aah!” behind the stumps by Rob, whose wicketkeeping gets better every game.
Two wickets, bang bang, and the game suddenly lurched in Tavs’ favour. Will finished a tight, probing spell of five from his 12 and Ewan replaced him. Back-to-back spinners from the Road End and a helmeted Coopers batsman, startled by a quicker one from Pomford (as it’s written in this scorebook), cuffed a looping easy one into the hands of a grateful skipper Mick at midwicket.
More wickets tumbled at fairly regular intervals, and though one Coopers opener retired unbeaten the rest came and went. A belted effort sailed for six until the implacable Bogg and his bucket hands, stationed at long off, clung on. Good effort that.
Jonty Rhodeses everywhere
As good an effort as the run saving, something which has bedevilled Tavs performances all season, as the likes of Smallwood, Simon and Matty H swept the boundary rope. Terrific one-handed stop from Mick too at midwicket, while Rob minimised the byes. Mammut as well, whose sprawling dive at deep cover saved a certain four — as his frame hit the turf the earth quaked slightly, birds flew from the trees in startled fashion and all the televisions in the bar changed channel.
Matty bowled his best spell of the season by a country mile, regularly beating the bat and getting a deserved wicket, before Tavs closed out with some superlative death bowling as first Mick then Simon, bowling ebony and ivory…
… in perfect harmony…
conceding just the one boundary off the final four overs of Coopers’ innings. The oppo’s final total? Exactly a hundred. And as the players tripped off and the sun dipped behind the Road End trees the hosts could feel that, as a total, that was gettable…
Quick turnaround (it’s getting darker earlier) and out strode Tavs’ opening pair of Pomford and Boggy.
What was needed? Quite straightforward, really. Hard running between the wickets, turning ones into twos, pressurising the field and blasting the odd boundary. And one or two of the top order making 25.
But could we do it? Tavs haven’t exactly been queuing up to better their batting averages this season, but cometh the hour, cometh the men.
It almost went pear-shaped early doors though, with Pomford skewing a wristy pull shot into the air and the tumbling Coopers fielder just shelling it close in. Chastened, Ewan then set about compiling an innings of consummate craft and considered batting, splitting the field at regular intervals and running quick twos.
Well, as quick as can be managed with Bogg’s more stately batting at the other end. To be fair it all looked in decent working order but no boundaries and, ultimately, a comedy dismissal, playing forward but succeeding only in clipping the ball into his own boot and ricocheted back onto his stumps. Bails dislodged and off he had to trudge.
Pressuring the field
Si in at three and this is where the innings kicked up a gear. Superb running between the wickets, Pomford assuming the senior role and reaching is 25* with a wafted, back-spinning lofted cut that dropped over the rope for a six by just a yard. Excellent foundations laid.
Matt Keogh joined Si for what was, by his standards, a bizarre mix of swishes and swats and about three LBWs plumb in front but not given our as per our rules. His wild and careering innings was over before it began with a comedy “yes, no” run out of classic Tavs vintage — upon re-entering the balcony and pulling off his pads he observed he bats better after eight pints than sober. Hard to disagree — perhaps behind the bar is where our Tavs funds should go?
Mammut at the other end provided stout resistance and accumulated his eight while Simon finally fell for 16, dancing around a straight one which upset his stumps. Rob followed the Si template, accumulating a solid 13 but perishing after skying one.
Which brought Majorca Mick to the crease, a man on a mission determined to captain his side to a first win of the season and compile a big score that had largely eluded him this summer. From the beaches of the Balearics to Bolton Coopers, Mick had steel in his stride and power in his hands. Barely a scoring opportunity was missed — straight drives, pulls for four and two clubbed sixes brought up a commanding 27* in no time and he departed the field to deserved applause from those watching.
Closing credits
And that was it, basically. Will replaced Mick with about nine needed off five overs and in the blink of an eye Mammut had played his favourite pull shot down to deep backward point, Tavs had the two they needed to reach 101 and the celebrations could begin.
It was a great team performance. Almost uniformly tidy bowling, no memorable errors in the field, one of two moments of brilliance with the bat and we’re there. It’s an easy game when you get the basics right, lay the necessary groundwork then use it as a springboard to score some runs.
The perfect recipe, in other words:
· 2.25L tidy bowling
· 1kg commitment in the field
· 1 huge joint effort
· 2kg clever, aggressive batting
Let’s try and trap this formula in a jar, only to be opened when we next want a win. In one week’s time.
Now, what’s the weather forecast for Lord’s this Sunday…
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Highlight of the match: Mick’s swashbuckling 27* saw us, essentially, over the line. Truly a captain’s innings.
Lowlight: We had just the one umpire out there at one point when we were batting. Bit embarrassing that — c’mon, if you’re batting down the order umpire at the start, if you’ve batted already but are now out then it’s your turn, not just your turn at the bar. It’s not hard!
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Best bowling: Matty H has been erratic this season but off eight steps he was electric last night.
Best batting (must retire on 25): Ewan to lay the foundations, Mick to build the mansion.
P.S: Tavs deserve a visual treat, so:
