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THe first match in a brand-new scorebook - but this was a performance to match the President's men of old. A day by turns hot, cold, breezy, sunny and gloomy - and the weather was much the same. Our old friends and foes the Ringers to bat first on the furthest-flung of the Raynes Park pitches - a hike from the pavilion, the outfield green and spongy. The match reduced to thirty overs because of a late start.
The somewhat depleted Ringers quickly lose Walters to a good catch by young Hamish Frew off David Naude, but the young O'Grady marches out in his one-day shirt and soon looks more than competent. A brisk start and it's 24-1 after five overs. Tim Scandrett then departs, spooning one up to a shocked-looking Mike Edwards, who has time to wonder whether his newly repaired knee is up to this - but a late fling forward and a fine low catch. But the runs keep coming - 50-2 after ten overs.
The Presidents then start to exert some grip and pressure. Danish and Ravi stem the flow - two wickets to Ravi - and just five runs from the next five. Halfway through the innings and the Ringers looking fragile on 55-4. Lloyd begins to find his range with the bat, but the wickets keep coming. After twenty overs it's 79-6 - and the Ringers have to pad up their three duck-makers to bat again and try to do better second time around.
A great spell of 4-17 from Ravi - his last wicket a breath-taking caught-and-bowled - a feat of, well 'athleticism' is not quite the word I'm looking for, but to get there without athleticism made it even more admirable - and by gosh, by golly, he got there and clung on. But the Presidents are a now a little short of further bowling options - Praba, Prakash and Tanzeel all absent. Mike Edwards and his new knee have to try to ping a few down without a run-up. Lloyd is still there - and Walters, second time around, is determined to make amends. The next five overs bring thirty-eight runs. Five overs to go - two batsmen well-set - and at 117-7 a good score is still within sight. Khalid comes back and rips out the tail but a final score of 145 on a slow-scoring outfield is going to be a challenge.
Time for tea - well worth the hike back to the pavilion - sandwiches of every denomination - pork pies and sausage rolls - and countless little cakes - none of them big enough to feel you couldn't have another - and another - and another. Well played, Nola Frew - a great old-fashioned tea - and in the world of cricket teas, 'old-fashioned' is, as we all know, a term of lavish praise.
A heavy-footed and sated group of Ringers take the field and we give them some extra fielders (rather ill-chosen ones as it turned out). Andy Scott departs for five to a great swooping, diving, showy, slow-motion sort of a catch at slip by our own David Naude. But our new Canadian opener Philip Rambow delights us all with a fine imitation of dear old Clive Lewis - working it to leg, working it to leg, working it round the corner - and then when the fielders are becoming sleepy slapping it through the off. Mike Edwards is constrained by the new knee but pushes on to 12 before falling to O'Grady - and the score begins to mount - 28-1 after five overs, 66-2 after ten.
Danish joins Khalid at the wicket when Rambow falls to the veteran Panch - how many years has he been troubling our batsmen? At 99-3 after fifteen overs things are looking serene as the evening light illumines the final stages. Our two most prolific batsmen are sailing home - but trying to do it with art and not with energy. Sharp singles and hard-run twos are spurned - they'll do it in boundaries - and at walking pace. A strolled single to Danish - and the scorer is asked whether he is recording that as a run or a 'walk'. Two towering sixes to Khalid silence the critics.
But we see a small cloud on the horizon. Danish is caught in the deep. David Naude is bowled next ball. But at 128-5 after twenty overs - just eighteen needed to win off sixty balls - five wickets in hand - we are surely going to keep the winning run going. Surely. Surely.
Robert Frew caught for one. Ravi bowled for two. Will comes out to hold the fort while Khalid takes us home. More singles are spurned to presrve the strike. And then Khalid hits one high but not long - and who is that fielder bulleting across the outfield - making what? - thirty, forty, fifty yards to get under it - yes, it's our very own substitute fielder Danish, who takes the catch with great aplomb and quite superlative sportsmanship. If only he'd run like that when he was batting - we'd already be toasting victory in the bar.
Just six runs are added between over twenty and over twenty-five. It's agony - and in slow-motion at that. Will finally smacks one through mid-on - only to see the giant Richard uncoil his full length to stop a ball that should have passed four yards to his left - and would have done if his full length had not turned about to be just about four yards. And then a whipped-in return - what's all that rubbish about big men not being able to get down? Will Thorogood - stranded and kippered in mid-pitch. A fabulous piece of fielding and one that's won the Ringers the match - because by now they have discovered the bowlers they need. Young Du Toit 4-11 off six overs - slow but straight. And an impeccable spell of 2-8 off five by another veteran in Chris Watts - the eternal virtues of line and length. Dut Toit accounts for Jerry and young Hamish Frew (the only batsman in the tail who looked to have the confidence to take us home) is left high and dry. The Presidents have subsided from 128-3 to 137 all out - the last seven wickets going down for just nine runs.
But a great game - cricket the winner - you can never take her for granted. And it's good to see the Presidents take it all in good heart and in the right spirit - pleased to see a makeshift Ringers side reverse all the odds and probabilities. It gives us all hope. Apologies to our absent skipper for throwing away a chance of going through the season unbeaten - but it wouldn't really have been us somehow.
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