Eltham CC

Match Report

Match report Eltham CC Vs Down Under Dragons CC

Alas, a huge downpour turned the Footscray pitch into a duck pond and even the best efforts of Mr swain pushing water around with a large broom were not enough to save the game. Match abandoned without Eltham having their innings. Matt Rosenthal will be providing his debut report on the down Under Dragon innings which consisted of poor catching, big hittings, comical fielding and one very large over...

In many ways this was an entirely forgettable contest. trying to write the match report a couple of weeks after event is proving difficult but I will do my best...

On driving to the match (typically slightly late), the downpour was quite a concern as my windscreen wipers struggled to clear the rain belting down. It was good to see my optimistic (and pretty damp) team mates had still set up the pitch ready to play as I arrived.

Pete walked out for the toss high fiving his compatriots, and laughing about putting shrimps on the barby over a cool stubby. Pete lost the toss, which has been a rarity this season. Was this an inside job? Only time would tell.

Joined by Matt's brother in law Gareth, we went out to field wearing as many jumpers as we could find. On strolling out The Skipper reminded us that if you didn't play in this weather, you won't get many games in a season. He was right.

The openers from Down Under we're running a little late. When all were present and correct, Pad and Ricky opened the bowling. Pad soon secured his only Bulpitt bear hug of the day by making the breakthrough in a characteristically tidy spell with the ball. Ricky put the ball of the spot, but bat no.1 was growing in confidence.

I don't remember too many other details from the match, but here's a short list: wind and rain, my own sloppy fielding (nasty bobbles in the pitch), wind and rain, tidy fielding from Gareth, wind and rain, dropped catches at gully and mid wicket, wind and rain, Ash and his turning circle, Bulpitt taking 3 wickets, and that over from The Friar. Let me expand on my favourites.

Matthew Bulpitt was making his usual windmill arms action in the direction of the skipper, and this time he gave in. As is often the case, he didn't let Eltham down. He bowled a destructive Aussie named Adam (I'll get on to that in a bit), bowled another and was aided by the reliable hands of debutant Jack Bates, the latest in the Bexley Grammar cricket production line. Well done Matt and Master Bates.

After misjudging the direction of the ball through square leg, Ash began chasing the ball to the boundary. He looked like the likely winner if he ran straight, but took a running line to make Pythagorus squirm, arriving just in time for the ball trickle over the boundary. Possible causes were: some shift in the Earth's gravity, having one leg shorter than the other, or Ash was looking after Will's wallet and was so weighed down on one side he couldn't run in a straight line. Who knows.

Now the real talking point of the match. Our trusty spinner Gary Bill had bowled a tidy fist over, using the gusty wind to outwit the opposing bowlers with some extra flight. That was the end of his fun as the first ball of the next over was clubbed past an athletic and superbly coordinated fielder at mid on. It went from bad to worse with another 24 runs bashed around the ground in the remaining five balls. It was fantastic batting, but 28 runs in an over can't be easy to take. They went across the boundary, over the boundary and over the fence. A weary Bill was taken to leave him with a few threads of confidence.

From there on, a few more runs, a few more wickets and a lot more rain. We went in for a cracking tea supplied by Collin on the balcony and the heavens opened once more. Jack had been looking forward to trying out his e-bay purchased ??400 bat, but was disappointed as the puddles grew on the wicket. The enduringly optimistic Pad did his very best to convince the rest of us we could still play, but no amount of sweeping with his broom on the wicket from The Skip was going to allow this match to continue.

We hunkered down for a few afternoon beers in the bar as Gary re-lived his torrid over telling us it was nothing to do with his bowling...