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CASTLE HILL RSL 9/171 (B Callaway 3/19; R Dixon 3/34; L Parsons 1/22; N Goradia 1/31; N Butler 1/45; M Rowles 0/15) defeated by OICC 6/172 (N Garling 32*; C McKenzie 30*; C Sharp 30*; M Toal 25; R Dixon 17)
Castle Hill are blessed with some seriously good cricketers and good blokes and often we come out on the wrong side of the ledger against these guys.
But for Fordey’s 100th game, today was not their day, and the better blokes and better side won. Mick Fahey (cap #8), Pete Thomas (cap #3), Dave & Charlie Mckay & Ben Frawley were all on hand for Fordey’s milestone.
We welcomed back Lucas Parsons for his 1st game this year, Sharpie for his 2nd game, the Mule Rowles & Fingers Callaway for their 3rd, and welcomed Nick Butler and Richard Dixon (having got the cricket bug back after his 5 for in Masters last weekend) into the Classics fold.
On an incredibly slow outfield and good deck, Dicko (3/34) got us off to the perfect start, removing the incredibly dangerous Hungerford LBW in the 1st over. Fingers Callaway (3/19), not to be outdone, knocked over the castle twice in his 3rd over to have them 3 for 25 after 6.
15 runs later, with Nectar Parris on 11, Callaway had him LBW. Parris was confident he had definitely hit it, and in a great display of sportsmanship by Callaway and Captain Toal, they recalled him to the crease (not likely any other team in the competition would do this). This was almost our undoing, as he and Glenn Stanley both went on to record 30 and retire, putting on a partnership of 40.
The welcome return of B1 Nick Butler (1/45) promptly removed Castle Hill skipper Paul ‘Pettigrew’ James, bowled for 0. At the 20 over half way mark, Castle Hill were 4/71. Things were looking pretty good.
30 runs of the next 5 with Jewiss & Stanley began putting the pressure on, until Toalie made a great decision to bring Dicko back on to have Jewiss and their #8 out to a great catch from Sharpie and a catch to Parsons. 6 for 120 with 8 overs remaining.
Goradia (1/31), Parsons (1/22) & Callaway combined to remove the last 3 batsmen and bring in their 2 retirees. Callaway though remained true to his nickname and left the field after an excellent midwicket catch, splitting a fingernail and spilling a lot of blood. Nectar and Stanley put on a handy 25 in the remaining 3 overs to finish 9/171.
Set 172 for victory, on Ryde International, which is normally a 200 + wicket, was going to be a challenge with the excessively slow outfield, however we were confident we had the batting.
The key to Vets cricket is wickets and retirees in the bank. Bomber McKenzie (30*) & Irish Sharpie (30*) got us off to the perfect start. With the previously mentioned excessively slow outfield, they made a habit of crunching a ball towards the boundary and turning ‘certain’ boundaries into 2s and 1s. Alas their job was done, and we went to the 20 over half way mark at 0/60, with Fordey entering the fray for his 100th game just before drinks.
112 off 20. Requiring almost 6 an over from here on with all wickets in hand.
Fordey managed a solid 11and the fatigued McLeod 5, while Toalie & Garlo began their work. We were 2/87 after 27, now requiring almost 7 an over.
Toalie put on an excellent 25, continuing his recent great form, to hole out to a good catch at mid-off. When Toalie exited at 107 in the 30th over, Garlo had 4 singles to his name and we were still requiring 6.5 an over. We just had to go deep.
Unbelievably, with Garlo in, captain Paul ‘Pettigrew’ James, who believes he’s the best bowler in the team, brings himself on. Garlo consistently smashes ‘Pettigrew’ so this decision is unbelievable. Anyway, a 5th single to Garlo before his 1st boundary, another single. We had never seen this from Garlo, 6 singles and a 4 in his 1st 10 runs.
At the other end, Rav plays a perfect cameo with 10 off about 5 balls with the 2nd best shot of the day, a 6 off his hip over square leg. With Toalie’s departure in the 30th, we had just put on 15 in 2 overs, before Rav departed. 4 for 122, needing 50 off 8 overs – maintaining just over 6 an over required, with plenty of wickets.
This brought Dicko to the crease – Garlo was batting conservatively for him, said to Dicko something like “we can get this 6 an over, just knock it around”. Dicko played out the next 4 balls, then hit the shot of the day a straight 6 to the oval down the hill.
With Garlo batting extremely well and reasonably within himself with the steely determination to win, the grandstand was starting to get excited. 44 required off 7.
The next over was the turning point of the game. Garlo hits a single, Dicko goes 2, 4, 1, Garlo 6 onto the grandstand hill, 4. 18 off the over, and the equation is now 26 off 6, just over 4 an over.
Dicko hits another boundary then departs for an excellent caught behind for 17. Unfortunately, Lucas Parsons depart that same over for 0, bringing the ever reliable BC Fingers Callaway with messed up finger to the crease.
The small fear here was that Garlo would have to retire before we reached the 172, however, a solid 8* from Callaway off 12 balls, got us to needing 9 with 2 overs to go, and Garlo on 23. Garlo took 5 off the 2nd last over, retaining the strike with a single. Garlo finished the game off on the 1st ball of the last with a boundary for an excellent 32*.
Beers for Fordey’s 100th tasted pretty damn good!!!