Hurlingham

Match Report

Match Manager, Charlie Munton, mused on the wisdom of selecting three leg spinners for the fixture played on what must be one of the smallest grounds in England with a bowling green outfield.  Such was the success of Charlie’s selection, that Stokes and McCullum are re-thinking the entire Ashes strategy.  On a glorious west London evening, with Egyptian geese patrolling the outfield, Jasper and George strode out to the middle to post a big score, and a very big score looked to be on the cards as Jasper set about the bowling.  However, when he found a fine edge on 25, and Theo was adjudged leg before a few balls later, a spot of rebuilding was required.  George has a habit of nibbling an early ball through to the keeper early in his innings at Hurlingham.  He did so again today, but was reprieved, as the ball went to ground. Having survived the chance, his confidence grew, and joined by Charlie, the innings was given substance.  Both batted with atypical application, Charlie eschewing his favoured ‘dilscoop’ until he was past 50.  However, with only a couple of overs remaining, both fell to the opposition skipper, Alastair Dean, Charlie with 53 and George 58.  This presented Toby (batting on one leg, and only just arrived from a dental appointment in rural Kent) and James Stabb an opportunity to thrash a few boundaries (James after the careful forward defensive to his first ball was roundly booed by the crowd).  James and Toby took the score to a respectable 182 for 4, although, having seen well over two hundred scored on this ground, nothing could be taken for granted.  The Straggs had picked up a trick from the IPL and were playing a squad with specialist impact players – Toby, having made an impact, settled into a beer rather than go to all the bother of fielding.

In the absence of ‘hat-trick hero’ Hugo from 2022, the Straggs opened with Jasper and Nick Wright, who gave little away, Nick inducing a false drive to Charlie at mid-off.  The advantages of a total lack of pace were demonstrated, when the Chairman (2 for 21) was introduced at first change.  If the bowler is not imparting pace to the ball, the batsman is obliged to try to do so, and is offered far too much time to think it all through.  The first over induced three catching chances, all of which went to ground.  With Alex Reese now bowling leg spin at the other end, the runs dried up, and wickets kept falling.  Behind the stumps, Theo, fresh from three catches at Wellesley, was in electric form.  If the ball is not coming to the batsman, the batsman goes looking for it, and finds himself a long way out of his crease, when the ball finally turns up.  Four stumpings in a match is very likely to be a record but will involve substantial research to verify.  With Ed Hewens (2 for 13), a first Straggler appearance since 2014, working on his caroom ball, the Hurlingham lower order begin to fade.  James Stabb (2 for 11) nipped out another, and both combined for a sharp run out.  Harry Churchill was invited to perform the coup de grace, which he did with great aplomb, and will begin his next Straggler spell on a hat-trick ball.  Hurlingham were dismissed for 110, victory by 72 runs.