Eltham CC

Match Report

Match report Eltham CC Vs Churchleigh CC

A good bowling performance made light work of the Churchleigh batting line-up this week, resulting in a fine 6-wicket win. Following the game a number of eltham players had a skinful in the Footscray bar and watched England draw 1-1 with the USA in their opening game in the World Cup. As a result we understand that Matt Bulpitt was persuaded to write a match report for this game. Nice one Matt!

So the day finally arrived and vuvuzelas were at the ready, as was Bevan's team USA t-shirt and the game was scheduled for a 12:00 start so that drinking positions and KFC family buckets could be ready for the 7:30 kick off.

Eltham arrived full of bounce and vigour, all things relative! Derek arrived with Chinese and Indian take away menus ready and Churchleigh navigated their way from Croydon - we were set.

Pete duly won the toss and put Churchleigh in to bat. Khurram and Tanveer given the new cherry and cheers of engerrlaaanndd were being prepared in the field.

As ever Tanveer was bowling with cunning variation in pace and bounce, and with the Eltham express charging down the hill it the openers were soon on their way back to the hutch. Khurram's pace was too hot to handle and he finished with enviable figures of 10-2-26-3. Equally Tanveer toiled away and was unlucky not to have taken more wickets in his six overs. So Skipper turned to another strike bowler! Bulpitt. Waddling in from the New Eltham End he exploited the Footscray bounce to keep Churchleigh tied down at one end. Derek took over from Khurram at the Farmyard Field End and got straight into the action. Trapping Woolgar LBW, then ripper that bowled Hafiz, which in turn was capped by a real cricket pitch-turn-edge-caught behind to leave him with 3.5-0-11-3. Churchleigh all out for 93.

Tea was taken and thoroughly enjoyed by those with the insight into bringing a bottle of squeezy Branston pickle to spice up the cheese sandwiches!

Pete and Asjad were sent in to wrap up the cricket so that we could even shower before the footie. Some quick lusty blows from Asjad meant that Eltham were quickly out of the blocks when he was bowled and in strides Page. When shock off goes Fisher junior too! John Fisher continues to put many of us to shame with a spritely 15 of nudges and nurdles and quick running. But it was not to these stalwarts of batting that Eltham left the responsibility of reaching the total. Up steps Bevan and Redman. With a crafty left hand and right hand combination they went about swatting flies and red cricket balls behind square on the leg side. Andy finished joint top scorer and saw Eltham home to a comfortable 6 wicket victory. Onto South Africa and a comfortable victory to start the World Cup??

Showered, changed and ready for a 3 hour drinking session before the game started! Derek once again produced his takeaways. Oh we'll sort that out later, came the reply??? I'm off to drop my stuff of to Nancy and get the Indian delivered, do you want anything? Oh we'll sort that out later, came the reply??? I've returned with plates, knives and forks and napkins, do you want to order? Oh we should sort that out, came the reply???

The match started, Derek was the envy of Footscray with his vegetable biriyani and the Footscray crowd were joined by Asjad, Tanveer and Khurram fresh back from their meal at the Kebab Ye in Catford!

The match was once again disappointing except for Bevan! The left over tea was the 'meal of the day' for most at FRC, and the crowds departed in taxis dreaming of what they could have eaten!

Bulpitt - Batsman number 11 reporting