Hurlingham

Match Report

Following two more very damp days in London, the sun was shining for the Stragglers at Hurlingham. The toss had been decided in advance (unusually, the Straggs were confident about being quorate by 6pm and took to the field with 9).  Playing an unusual format of 10 overs from one end and then ten from the other to speed the game up (it worked), Will Falcon and Nick Wright alternated overs from the bottom end.  Will struck with the first ball, the batsman chopping on, and Nick W 2 for 24 bowled a great spell, but runs kept flowing, reaching 50 in the 6th over. Hugo was his typical miserly self, conceding only 13 runs in four overs, and the Chairman (2 for 35) managed to get the ball in the air, George BW catching a steepler at very deep cow corner, and then Patch M darting in from mid-wicket to catch a miscue with a wonderful one-handed rolling dive (champagne moment contender!). Kieran was still dealing with the Milstead slope in his head and tested everyone’s understanding of the waist-high no ball rule. Had every wicket been allowed, he might have had a five-for, but had to settle with 2 for 27 as the Hurlingham innings rather drifted to a close at 153 for 8.  It might have been fewer still had Toby turned up before the 19^th over.  Hurlingham is a small fast ground and holes in the field are easy to penetrate.  However, on such a small ground, it was a credit to the bowling attack that no sixes were conceded.

The Straggs batsmen did not start well, George BW and Theo back in the bar with the score on two.  A rebuild was required, and, at very different tempos, Ben (back after becoming bionic but batting steadily) and Patch calmed things down, putting on 91 for the 3^rdwicket, initially at a very modest 5 runs an over for the first 7 overs. On the arrival of James Grant in the crowd (and so taking all the credit), Ben and Patch launched into some dramatic stroke-play with sixes disappearing into the undergrowth all around the ground. When Patch fell for 45 from 28 balls, skipper Charlie continued in the much the same vein (3 sixes in a 22 ball 42). Ben was undone for 49, and with a late rattle of stumps, there was some hurried padding up in the pavilion, but Toby (another huge 6) and Hugo brought matters to a tidy conclusion, a win by 6 wickets with 8 balls to spare. Stragglers have not always chased to best advantage, and nearly always inject a degree of jeopardy at some point in the innings, but three successful chases on the bounce is unusual, a great start to the season.