Match Report: 11/08/2007 – 1st XI vs RACS
| Result: | Chislehurst Win |
| Chislehurst and West Kent: | 146 – 9. |
| Opposition: | 143 AO. |
| Highlights: | S. Meyer – 3-27 S. Hirst – 3-55 S, Meyer – 51 |
Report:
Crowdy and Lloyd-Jones reignited Chislehurst’s summer with a 25 run last wicket stand to win the match from a seemingly hopeless position. Crowdy’s decision to give up on cricket forever and concentrate on tiddlywinks appears to have induced a spontaneous internal combustion as his body rejected the idea and produced two match winning not outs, a series of wickets and the priceless quote: “I suppose, when you think about it, it’s not a bad old game”.
Rather than risk another cardiac arrest and stretching the limits of the club thesaurus to the max by describing the most nerve-racking win in recent Chislehurst victory, a vital contribution from every team member will be described here to give doting fans an impression of the new and improved Team Chislehurst:
Meyer: 50? Yes. Wickets? Yes. Outstanding catch? Yes. Dropped catch? Ye…what?? It’s true, superglue Sys dropped a catch and this drove the Angriest Man in Chislehurst to new heights of apoplexy and the unfortunate RACS boys suffered. So a dropped catch as his most vital moment? Undoubtedly yes!
Ferdinando: Young Ferdinando is famed for his charming perma-smile, but the Chislehurst faithful were treated to a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde moment following his dismissal early on in the innings. Henry calmly walked off, but spectators in the changing room vicinity were worried that Godzilla had broken free. Bats and pads were scattered far and wide as Henry vented his frustration. Henry is a talented player and will undoubtedly be in the runs again next week if he continues to display the determination that characterises the new Team Chislehurst.
Skipper Hirst: Collected his customary bag of runs, wickets and catches in another heroic performance to galvanise Team Chislehurst in their end of season push. Most vital moment occurred at the end of the night though as Hirst picked up the tab for the post-match curry. What an example of inspirational captaincy!
Van Poorshot: Feeble in the field and useful rather than match-winning with the bat. Best moment came as he skilfully manned the scoreboard at the death and alerted tense spectators who had gone under cover in the pavilion of the brave efforts of Chislehurst’s last pair with his encouraging roars at every defensive prod.
Sheftel: Let the nerves get to him as he compiled a patient 0 and was overheard muttering about how easy the openers have it. Let’s hope the nerves don’t overwhelm him this Saturday! Excellent in the field once again and his best moment came as he took another vital catch at gully to help Hirst dismiss RACS’ highest scorer from the previous encounter. Had he not taken this catch heads would have gone down and the game would not have gone Chislehurst’s way.
Battarbee: Rolled back the years as he produced a devastating spell of fast bowling that yielded two wickets and plenty of acrobatics (yes it’s true!) from Crowdy in the slips. Chris made 7, but the pace he injected into the innings gave Chislehurst the impetus they needed for victory. Most crucial moment: dismissing RACS’ most destructive batsman for 5.
Buggers Meiring: Meiring’s rallying cry has been missed in recent weeks as work and domestic commitments intervened. It can come as no surprise that the atmosphere in the field was the best it has been for weeks as the team pulled together and exerted positive pressure on the RACS batsmen. Without Meiring’s suicidal brand of committed fielding Team Chislehurst would have found themselves chasing at least another 10-15 runs which would almost certainly have proved beyond them.
MacCullum: It’s difficult to measure MacCullum’s contribution to this match in terms of runs, catches and stumpings – mainly because there weren’t any! His keeping was very smooth on an up and down wicket though and he was his customary Mr Motivator self. Rumours that he uses eyes in the back of his head to spot Dutchmen forlorny trudging along the boundary with hands in pockets have yet to be confirmed. Ali’s most vital contribution of the day was his introduction of a new soul to the club. Stuart is expected to make his debut in two weeks time and will add to a long line of destructive Kiwi batsmen at the top of the order.
Crowdy: Best not to mention the fact he is on a hat-trick (again!) with his first ball on Saturday lest his ego explodes into orbit. Apart from his well documented heroics with bat, ball and hand (did I mention the three slip catches?) Crowdy’s crucial yell of “Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo” as he lobbed the ball back to the bowler only for him to spill a dolly must surely qualify as his ultimate, match-winning act.
Whitfield: A blind man would think Keith the youngest man in the team. Keith’s boundless enthusiasm and mobility in the field spurred his team mates on to greater things – is it a coincidence that Team Chislehurst has strung two wins together since Keith’s introduction? Keith’s most crucial contribution was his solid defence on the Chislehurst dustbowl as the ball turned hoops around other players’ bats. His innings allowed Crowdy to cut loose and find his eye. Keith’s delicate shot for four also must go down as one of the shots of the day.
Lloyd-Jones: Affectionately known as “Dobby”. His win record with the Team Chislehurst reads: “played 5, won 3”, surely a feat unheard of since the halcyon days of Davis, McEntire, Bolton and cohorts. Not for the first time this season, Lloyd Jones showed the virtues of a straight bat and a long stride can get you a long way in life. His generous decision not to hammer a long hop for four allowed Crowdy the opportunity to score the winning runs and enter the Chislehurst Hall of Fame. Best moment apart from the coolest 2* ever seen on the Chislehurst common has to be his unnatural ability to hammer all and sundry at Boundary Boules.
