Eltham CC

Match Report

Match report Eltham CC Vs Morgan CC

A fantastic win to report on this week - in fact, the largest chasing total I've ever been involved in I think (but see also the Swanscombe game later in the season for a bigger first innings - Ed)

Now, Morgan were not our original opponents for this game, but due to the vagaries of club cricket at the "derriere" end of the scale, we were left late in the week with nobody to play. However, thanks to frantic emails, telephone calls, begging, sobbing, and offers involving nuts, the unknown quantity of Morgan Cricket Club, travelling all the way from Ealing to Footscray, were found to fill the void. Game on!

Skipper Swain won the toss and decided to put Morgan in to bat, possibly in the hope that they were car-lagged after their mammoth travels on the South Circular. It was also agreed at the toss that this was to be a 35-over game (described by one wag as "neither one thing nor the other", last heard as a comment on the name of NZ cricketer Bob Cunis) - it had taken Morgan rather a long time to arrive at the ground. The Eltham players looked a tad miffed at the news that they were fielding since the weather looked pretty warm - and had they known how much chasing of the ball would be needed, they might have grumbled more!

Eltham opened up proceedings with Tanveer and Swain in full flow. An early breakthrough from the Skipper, bowling the Morgan opener all ends up, maybe made the home supporters (both of them) think that Morgan would not post much of a target. This was reinforced shortly afterwards when Wouldham snaffled a chance at backward square off Tanveer to see off the No.3, and even more so when Swain then bowled the No.4 shortly afterwards. 50-3, and all seemed to be set fair. However, a fine 150 run partnership then followed between Rohit and the smiling Basil, the latter of whom employed an unorthodox but effective technique which always kept the fielders interested.

The opening bowlers were seen off, and Webber and Wouldham found the going tough, both returning economy rates of over 7 and both deciding that they would have a better afternoon if they were allowed to field out in the deep and not have to bowl! The batsmen were by this stage tonking the ball all over Footscray, and things were not looking nearly as rosy as earlier.

Somewhat desperately, Swain turned to Bulpitt and Bill for something out of the ordinary to curb the flow of runs. He certainly received something extraordinary, with the run-rate actually increasing! Morgan were now going at around 10 an over, and Eltham hearts were sinking. With Gary Bill pulling what remains of his hair out, he was replaced by Seeds, who immediately found Turn and Bounce (distant cousins of Flight and Guile, who last played for Eltham in what are affectionately known as "The Cohen Years".) The score by now was over 200-3, and those that played against Simba in 2008 were looking shell-shocked. Del was having none of this namby-pamby thinking, however, and mixed 4-balls with some fantastic deliveries, and picked up two quick wickets to peg Morgan back, first bowling Basil who had made a storming 56, and then inducing an Andy Redman stumping. The Eltham fielders had renewed hope, which even the arrival of Bisley as a bowler could not dampen. Splinters did not disappoint either as he got an LBW and a caught'n'bowled (getting the opener who had made 115 - no mean feat) at the death, the benefit of bowling straight. 35 overs, 255-8 - surely Eltham couldn't do that - could they?

Tea was taken, and it was immediately apparent that, far from being overawed as maybe they had been against Simba in the previous season, Eltham had grown in confidence, and much was made of the fast outfield and true wicket. Skipper Swain made his intentions clear, that the Eltham batsmen should attack, attack, attack - and the Eltham batting line-up were certainly listening. A solid partnership between Asjad and Will started things off at a brisk pace, with the 50 coming up off just 7 overs, but Will was then undone by a good ball. Matt Bulpitt then came in, and started hitting the ball as hard as Asjad almost immediately. Another good partnership took the score to 119-2, when Matt got deceived and was bowled out. However, Eltham were very definitely still on course, and had the knowledge that there was still plenty of batting to come. John Fisher was next in, and nudged and nurdled beautifully, giving the in-form Asjad the strike almost at will.

Asjad was still scoring freely, and the Eltham supporter (one had left to listen to a repeat of Gardener's Question Time) was starting to believe! Asjad and John kept going, helped by the introduction of slightly looser bowling, and the scored moved rapidly to 200 from 30 overs. With the required run-rate climbing to over 10 an over, however, the game was in the balance. John was run out for a lovely 41 going for another quick single (did he fall on his sword, we wonder?) and Pete Swain strode to the wicket, grinning as he did so at the bowler. What did he have up his Aussie sleeve?

As it turned out - quite a lot! With Eltham needing 46 off the last four overs it was going to take something a bit special to win the game, but this was exactly what we got. Pete scored 28 off just 10 balls, leading Eltham home with an over to spare by hitting a huge 6 over what the French call "Le Coin de Vache". Asjad finished on 99 not out, a fantastic knock much appreciated by his team, but he remained philosophical and said he was happy just to win. Yeah right, Asjad! A century would have been just reward, but Asjad is a good team man and looked as happy as everybody else at the end result. It was an amazing finish to a great game to play in, and everyone who played weill remember it for a long time.

The players returned to the bar to try to take in what had just happened. A few beers helped, and it was widely agreed that it was a bloody good job we hadn't sent Wouldham in!

Your reporter: Colin "Up-to-the-minute-reporting" Wouldham