To the untrained eye, it might seem that a pattern is developing. Chase a gettable total, get off to a good start, then collapse and scrape home nervously. Of course, it did end up as another victory. And no, this is no pattern. This time, it wasn’t us that cocked up in the middle order.
Quick Nijmegen arrived in the rain, as they generally do in Oegstgeest. The weather shortened the match to 45 overs a side, not too bad at all. And on our little postage stamp, we were happy not to see Mark Muis there, who could have taken us apart in the first few overs.
Well, they didn’t need Muis. They had Bocko. Fourteen came off the first over, and none of them came off the bat.
We sort of redeemed ourselves after that, wickets falling regularly until 104/5. Tomba was his miserly self again, picking up 2 for 18 in his nine overs. Nelly took a remarkable slipcatch, stunning Quick’s coach. Lanny was bowling quite economically as well, until mister Butt slammed him for a couple of giant sixes. That partnership needed to be broken and Lantra broke it. Then the Judge was called upon for just one over, he took one for none. In the end, 177/7 became 177 all out, and Quick didn’t score in the last two overs and a bit.
We gave away 50 extra’s. A total the ladies would be ashamed of. Take away 25 and the target would have been around 150, no problem at all.
Nelly and the Judge apparently thought we were playing a twenty20 match. They slammed 95 off 14 overs, until Nelly was given leg before, trying to swat another boundary through midwicket. The Judge tried one shot to many when 49, bit disappointing really. Still, 130 for 2, plenty of time, no worries.
Tomba wanted to sweep a ball that was going down leg. It brushed his pad, and instead of getting a wide, we got a finger going up. Bocko was bowled by a bellybuttonhigh full toss, but at least that one was going on to hit the stumps. The next ridiculous dismissal was Fat Tony, nowhere near the ball, given caught behind. And then Dr. Phil, waiting around in his crease for the next ball, was run out. (Although according to most spectators, he did lift his foot at some point.) Grobs had seen the fielders miss some easy chances off Nelly, but was himself caught one-handed in the (relative) outfield.
At 164/8, buttocks were again clenching involuntarily. The sound of nails being bitten was only scarcely interrupted by the gnashing of teeth. Rolly limped to the crease with a bad back, but a good bat. He top-edged his first ball for six, then Lanny smacked a four and a six and what had seemed easy and had become difficult, was easy again.
And so it was time to blame the umpires for everything. O, sure, they had a hand - or rather a finger - in making the match a lot more exciting than it should have been. On the other hand, maybe we should use the bat for what it’s there for. Hit the ball, and even the blindest of umpires can’t give you out.
So, we took revenge for two defeats at the hands of Quick last season.
Another victory, could that be an emerging pattern?
Some highlights:
- Nelly’s catch
- The girls’ beer hut
- Werners take down leg
- Bocko’s first over
- The Judge’s last over
- OJ’s match: didn’t bowl, didn’t bat, didn’t catch
- The second coming of Rudolph Nureyev. The biggest highlight of all was undoubtedly umpire Klein trying to keep warm at square leg. He hopped from one leg to the other, ith two hands behind his back, and kicking his straight legs out to the side as far as they would go, it is a sight that will stay with me for a long time.
