A regular winning habit?
posted: July 2, 2012

A number of remarkable events occurred at North London CC on Sunday July 1: firstly, a game of cricket took place. This, in this non-summer, after months of unrelenting rain in a ridiculous, dismal, sunless island, is noteworthy enough, but this was not all. The Strollers also secured an utterly crushing win: we handed the Irregulars their asses, in a way that we have often endured ourselves but have seldom inflicted. Moreover, no catches were dropped; all chances were taken, none were easy, and one was a stunning, match-winning effort (more of this below).

Finally, and perhaps most remarkably, when RK Boughey joined the field at mid on as substitute, there were, briefly, four father and son combinations playing for the Strollers. These were Boughey senior and junior (combined age 135 years), Brown senior and junior, Betts senior and junior and Morgan senior and junior (combined ages much, much less). Surely an occasion that has never been matched.

Fresh from losing to the Strollers in the T20 on the previous Wednesday, the Irregulars won the toss and took the field. The Irregulars opened with Steve Gray from the top end and Mike Hayden from the lower end. Mike is a good bowler, as we all know, and generated lively pace and movement both in the air and off the wicker. George was very lucky to survive a confident shout for a catch behind (very, very lucky as he had, in fact, edged it but umpire Boughey junior failed to discern this occurrence and George did not apprise him or the bowler of the exact circumstances). But this was not a costly missed chance: George soon departed off the inside edge.

This is when the Strollers began to take hold of the game — a grasp they never relinquished. Spencer joined David at the crease and runs flowed freely. David played some lovely offside, back foot shots and clipped the ball off his toes while Spencer hit straight back down the ground. David was unlucky enough to get a ball that jagged back a long way and kept low, and this brought Matt to the middle.

With the departure of Mike Hayden, all the bowlers took considerable punishment. Matt played his favoured on-drive thump, while, amidst considerable belligerence, Spencer played a couple of delightful late cuts down to vacant third man. Eat your heart out, Ian Bell.

It has to be said that the Irregulars did not help their cause with several dropped catches, all of them fairly straightforward. When Spencer was dropped in the 50s, it seemed hundred was there for the taking but he and Matt got into a mix-up and Spence was run out for 70. Matt was joined by the skipper and the tempo picked up even more, Tim driving Kyrakides down the ground and then back over his head into the pavilion (narrowly missing an apprehensive Boughey senior) for a huge six in the same over.

There were contributions right down the order. Tom made a herculean three ball 10 while Dickie hit a breezy 24 and the Strollers innings closed at a highly impressive 263-6 off the 35 overs. This was always going to be a big ask for the Irregulars, but they had one secret weapon in their arsenal: Patric Marshall. Giles Elwes departed in the third over, playing on to Boughey junior (whose figures at the end of his second over were 2-2-0-1, after which it was all downhill) and this brought Marshall to the crease.

Though perhaps lucky to survive a strong LBW shout first ball, he began to strike the ball cleanly. And we know what a clean hitter he can be. Harry bowled very well uphill (even Patric was unable to get him away for many) but while wickets fell around him Patric continued to mete out terrible punishment to Simon and Spencer in particular. As long as he stayed there, the Irregulars were still in with a chance. Then, on 45, he drove Spencer straight back up the ground, the ball scarcely rising more than a foot or two off the ground. It looked to all the world as if it would clatter into the sight screen but Tim, making ground to his right, flung himself at the ball and held on. Truly, a match winning catch.

Though there were good shots played by the remainder of the batting order, the game was over at that point. Jamie, Daniel and George bowled well (a highlight undoubtedly his gallop forward down the wicket at a gathering and increasingly alarming rate to take a catch off his own bowling and provide the comedy moment of the day). Spencer and Matt took difficult high catches and David kept beautifully, adding a catch and a lightning stumping to his earlier 26 runs.

We have waited a long, long time through weeks and weeks of dizzying rainfall for this Sunday game, but, really, it doesn't get much better than this.

Simon Boughey
02.07.12

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