Tarbarrow

Match Report

The Stragglers returned to winning ways at Torry Hill, with an all-round performance of such strength that even dropped catches could be considered as minor misdemeanours.  Tarbarrow arrived from Gloucestershire a couple of men short, and, as the Straggs now regularly play IPL rules with an ‘impact sub’ on hand, Will Fenwick was hired out to assist.  Will’s lawyers are in detailed negotiations about how much of his performance for Tarbarrow (he top scored with 46) might be included in the Straggler season averages.  Torry Hill looked an absolute picture as the Stragglers were invited to field for the 6th game in succession.  The outfield had been mown tight and well-struck drives were rewarded, while the meadow beyond the boundary was so bounteous that there was concern that the afternoon might be spent looking for balls lost in the rough, but eagle eyes kept ball-hunting delays to a minimum.

Hugo opened with a maiden, what else?  Ed Wright then got his season underway with a wide full toss, which Ed Gordon Lennox could not resist, but merely served up a gentle catch to Jonno Ross at mid-off.  Alex Gotley arrived at the crease and began to find gaps in the field, the pace of the outfield ensuring that the run rate ticked along nicely.  However, Hugo then produced an absolute peach, which beat Alex all ends up, and clipped the top of middle.  When Ed (2 for 17) removed another with a toe crunching yorker, Tarbarrow were 45 for 3.  Will Fenwick, the other opener, had kept Hugo, Ed and then Toby and Jonno at bay, and was now joined by John Gotley for some rebuilding, and, for 15 overs, they defended stoutly and despatched the occasional bad ball.  The partnership took the score to 117, when the next bowling changes brought a second flurry of wickets, Alex Reese (2 for 46) having Will smartly stumped (Will tucked his bat under his arm and away already on his way before Tom McCarty had removed the bails).  Will Attwood (2 for 34), in his first Straggler outing for some time bowled with great guile, but it took Harry Wright to remove Angus Lambert, who had arrived at the fall of the 5th wicket with a boundary a ball in mind.  The Straggler bowlers did well to hold Angus in check, although he had been dropped early at long-off.  With Angus gone, and Alex back from the other end, Patch put his body (or at least one broken finger) on the line to take another magical catch, and Tarbarrow were all out for 217, leaving two overs unused.

After two games in which Straggler batting had been somewhat under par, today’s openers, Tom McCarty and George BW, clearly had a pub to get to.  Tom, in particular, set off at a gallop, with George trying to keep up.  The pair passed 70 in the 9th over, and it only came to an end when George (20) picked out Will in the covers; Will allowed the ball to bounce from his chest and then juggle at least three times before finally holding on.  The fall of the wicket, however, did not help the Tarbarrow bowlers, who now had to cope with Harry Wright, who, with exquisite timing and precision, unfurled a series of glorious drives.  Tom continued to dominate from the other end as well, and when Harry was caught for 45, the score had marched on to 172 in the 23rd.  Tom reached his century with another long boundary, and ended undefeated on 124*, as he and Ed Wright (14*) took the Straggs to victory by 8 wickets in the 28th over.