B.O.C.C.

Score Card    Match Report

Score card:

Match Report:

Disclaimer:  These are Ollie's personal recollections and views, not those of the Club - any complaints, corrections, or abuse should be addressed to him !!

Twentieth Match v. Surbiton Imperial.

After three draws, one defeat and one tie, and of course fourteen victories, September 2^nd 2001 promised to be a momentous occasion.   It wasn’t of course, Martin Lawrence won the toss and chose to field, Surbiton were all out for 114 and Barnes won by six wickets.  

Barnes were lacking the top three batsmen in the averages and sporting the guest players of Richard Bell (of the two successive naughts) and Nick Benz (of six foot and ten inches).

Flower and Hogg opened the bowling and removed the first four between them for 16, before Tris (Jim) Embury and skipper Matt Cole began to reconstruct the innings.

Hogg was replaced after seven overs and Keith Seed produced a vintage display of wily out-thinking to extinguish any sparks of recovery.             But the important breakthrough, at 68, was made by the left-arm rubbish purveyed by Nick Benz.       His is a fluid action, which at its best will be extremely awkward to play.  But in his debut for Barnes he produced an intoxicating mixture of leg side wides and full tosses.     One such high ball induced a leading edge from Matt Cole for an easy caught and bowled.

One over later Embury followed his captain back to the pavilion having snicked Seed behind to Webster.                              A few small partnerships followed. Jon Hendy perished to another Benz full toss caught at cover by Flower.

The little Indian Raghu (slogger to his mates) came and went after bludgeoning a quick nine with beautiful straight hits.        He perished to a straight hit caught at long off by Flower off Seed, unable to clear the rope.

At the finish an appalling over of drivel from Haddow was spanked to all parts for merely twelve, it felt like more and Tagg closed the innings with the first ball of his third over, bowling the latest Surbiton base-baller for seven.

Lawrence was quickly into his stride after tea, stroking the first ball of the innings through mid off for four off the bowling of Mike Hendy.

Jon Hendy bowling up the hill kept it relatively tight until Lawrence got to his end and then his figures began to suffer.      From the opening partnership of 34, Mundy made four.            He had propped up his end in familiar style and sadly when the fast bowler that is Jim Embury came into the attack – choosing not to use his rather fine off breaks – Mundy was out.                            He cursed his choice of shot – he was looking for the cut!          But the ball nipped back and bowled him.

Nigel Saperia joined the fray.          Tim Mills an athletic looking quick bowler had replaced Mike Hendy down the hill, he bowled five very quick overs.               Four very hostile ones and one of total rubbish.                 Lawrence lost his confidence against the extra pace, and was bowled for a breezy 32.

In came Richard Bell to score his first ever run off the glove round the corner.  He played very well for forty minutes helping Saperia add 38 till he was out in the over after drinks caught off something between his glove and his pad for three.

Tagg batted at number five, slightly overlooked in the bowling department his elevated status came after Saperia had seen off the quick.              Nigel, seemingly undaunted by the huge leap before delivery took several steps down the wicket and smote him for four usually just in front of gully.

Mills lost it, his fifth over went for thirteen including two no balls and a wide, and he pulled up with some muscle pull or other at the end.

Raghu replace him, bowling sharpish off-breaks, or something.              Embury had changed two off spin but Tagg hit him straight for four, so he went back to his long run. Soon Tagg top-edged a drive to be caught by Mike Hendy.                           But now only seven were needed.    Eleven overs were left and Nick Benz strode to the wicket.        He was beaten all ends up by a ball from Raghu, but following a two (reduced to one, by umpire Haddow: “One short”) and a four through extra cover, the scores were level.   Saperia took another two through extra cover in the next over to finish 39 not out, and the race was run.

Five wins in a row equals a Barnes record and so to Westcott. 

Back