Highgate Irregulars di-Spenced

Vice captain Spencer Fowler was at the helm for the T20 match against Highgate Irregulars in George's absence at North Middx on the last day of a sun-blessed June and turned in an all-round matching winning captain's performance.

He took four wickets off 3.5 overs, held a catch, participated in a run out, scored 65 not out and hit the winning runs with a straight drive for four. About the only thing he didn't do was mow the pitch before the game, but no doubt he'd have done a very good job of that too.

Winning the toss was the first act of Spencer's successful evening. He inserted the Irregulars, who, without wanting to be ungallant, make the Strollers look extremely youthful. The first three balls, bowled by Boughey, were eventful. The first one was thumped back down the wicket and the bowler decided to stop it with his shin. It made a crack that could have been heard in Holloway, but Boughey stared down the wicket at the batsman unflinchingly as if to say, like a 11-year old schoolboy, "That didn't hurt at all." It later swelled up like the egg of a T Rex.

The second ball was edged for a cheeky single, Couldrey fired at the stumps, backing up was minimal and it went for four overthrows. The next ball climbed, seamed and took the edge where Graeme took the catch at first slip - never a particularly usual sight but nonetheless extremely gratifying.

Wickets continued to fall but the runs mounted as well. No-one went round the park, but after 10 overs some 70-odd runs had been scored. Chris Lucas, with his new revised windmill in slow motion action, took the important wicket of Hayden with David Couldrey (probably a third of the age of most Irregulars) taking a fine catch on the square leg boundary, but a score of 150 still looked on the cards.

It was then that Spencer got in on the action. He has a nice knack of taking wickets, Botham to Boughey's Hendrick, if you like, for those of us with clear memories of 1970s cricket. First of all Hamilton stepped on his wicket, then Spencer bowled the dangerous Singh just as he was getting going. As the overs ticked away, the Irregulars began to lose their cool and there were two run outs in consecutive overs which the Strollers handled coolly. Needless to say, Spencer was involved in one of them.

Paul bowled nicely whilst Graeme received the sort of luck usually reserved for Boughey, Chris Bucket Hands Lucas dropping one at long off and then John Lucarotti and Spencer managing to collide while attempting to snare the same top edge in a manner that would have delighted Hal Roach (look it up....).

But the Irregulars committed the cardinal sin of not completing their 20 overs and their final score of 124 looked well within our compass. But the Strollers don't do things easily. After Chris and Graeme were out relatively cheaply, Spencer and Matt struggled to dispatch some accurate bowling. The asking rate gradually mounted and, with only 36 balls to go, it stood at over seven an over.

It now got very tense, but Matt and Spence kept their heady and some timely boundaries relaxed the sweaty palms. The key over was the 18th, which was bowled by Phillips and for once contained hittable balls. Matt hoisted one over square leg for six, and another for four. Suddenly it looked only a matter of time.

Matt fell in the same over, but young David and young Spencer took the Strollers home in the next over with three more boundaries as the Irregulars's bowling fell away. The Strollers strolled home to the third win of the season.

Simon Boughey
01.07.10

<< scorecard