It was a humid early August afternoon, when a valiant Plastics XI travelled to pleasant Marble Hill Park, home of regular opponents Crossbats, for the welcome treat of Saturday afternoon cricket.
There was an unexpected delay to the start time, allowing the professionalism of the team to show; indulging in nearly an hours fielding practice, rather than nipping off for a pre-game sharpener. The mindset was confident, and skipper Jerry boldly declared to bat and make the most of the fresh (astro-turf) wicket. The classically styled opening pair Mark and Anthony got off to bold start, putting on 16 runs in the first two overs, before midsummer madness set in, with prompt run outs of Mark and Charlie engineered by an overly ambitious on the single Anthony, who soon holed out to mid-on. A more embarrassed and contrite cricketer, you have not seen. In the space of just two overs, our protagonists had slipped from a position of dominance to crisis. Dom and Mike then embarked on a model example of how to steady the ship. With Mike playing well for 9, including some well run 3s. After his dismissal, Dom was joined at the crease by the comforting presence of Pete Bishop at the crease. Sadly, Dom fell soon after for 33, caught off a thick edge, by an excellent display of reaction-based wicket keeping. The authority figures of Jerry and Matt came and went in quick succession; Jerry bowled playing around a straight one, attempting to join in on the run glut. Matt stumped attempting the lesser seen run down the wicket and try to sweep shot. From advance, to stability, and back to peril, the innings was fast becoming a thriller. With the spirit of Verdun pulsing through his veins, Jamie then joined Pete in the middle; blocking, leaving well and holding his end, to allow Pete to put on essential runs. Making 5* runs off 26 balls, Jamie evoked the spirit of Boycott et al to facilitate a partnership of 68 to enable the Plastics XI to reach the realm of respectability. After Pete was caught, brief cameos by John Papa and Pete O allowed us to bat into the 35th over, for 149 A/O. After a fantastic tea, with some lesser seen sandwich fillings, and some of the classics elevated to an art, the chase was on. The field placements were aggressive, the fielders vocal and the bowlers parsimonious, with both openers dismissed for 9; one by Jerry's clean bowling and another by Matt holding onto a true squeaky-bum high catch, from Jamie's bowling. Into this cauldron stepped Snowball, who become the rock of their innings, staying in for 21 overs and making a heart-breaking 56 runs, despite bold efforts across the field. Jerry kept it funky with some truly modern field placements and the teams attitude was embodied by Mark, who fielded end to end, setting the tone and making sure heads never dropped. John Papa and Jerry claimed another wicket apiece, bringing Crossbats' score to 124 for 4. Could the Plastics dare to dream& In the 30th over, with 141 runs on the board, enter Pete Bishop. Enervated by his performance with the bat, he railed against the dying of the game and got two wondrous wickets in two balls. Despite the scorecard, the electricity among the fielders was palpable with a hat trick ball in sight. It was not to be. Crossbats reached the target in the 31st over and despite the unfortunate result, the Plastics built upon their newly found ability to produce thrillers of matches and repaired to the pub in good spirits. Many thanks to the ever hospitable Crossbats, who are now 3 for 3 over Plastics - next year's rematch is being plotted for already... |
THE TEAMFormed from a collection of players who met on the internet via social cricket at Archbishop's Park, Plastics XI represents the foolhardy members of that group who decided they wanted a bash at proper cricket instead of playing with plastic balls. The team's ability is best described as "weak-weak". Luckily, our social media game is much stronger. Find us on: Archives
October 2021
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