Match Report

Middleton Stoney won their second consecutive game in the Sunday Friendly cup by beating Isis by five wickets. A first innings total of just 87 always looked to low to challenge a strong Middleton batting line up. Isis fielded well but lacked the strength of bowling to back up the tidy work of Wyatt.

With that rarest of things, all the home team on the ground before any opponent had arrived there was plenty of labour to straighted the sightscreens and fill in the multiple hare holes that have blighted the outfield. Even then there was time for a fielding pratice warm up. “This will intimidate the opponents” said one player as the practice catch was missed and the three players backing up failed to lay hands on the ball.

Winning the toss Isis chose to bat first on a strip that looked as if it might offer the seam bowlers some help. Hamidullah and Tim House exploited that help and put Isis on the back foot from the off. With the ball keeping a little low, playing on the back foot was always a risk. The pitch was tricky but far from impossible to bat on, and what demons were in it were largely in the batsman’s imagination.

Captain Richard Stephenson was the most experienced and able of the Isis batting. He played some firm shots back past the bowler and was the first player of the day to see a well struck ball pull up short thanks to the slow outfield. It was a surprise to most when the umpire raised his finger for LBW, after a speculative appeal by Hamidullah. Some thought he hit it, others that it was clearly too high. The umpire just thought out.

Tim House bowled a very strict line and length. He was rewarded by his first wicket when the edge of Penhallurick was neatly caught by keeper Carpenter. In his seven overs, Tim bowled just one bad ball. The first ball to Stoneman was a juicy full toss, distpatched to the boundary for the first four of the innings. Tim cursed himself for his foolishness on his way back down to fine leg.

It is not unusual to have fathers and sons playing in the same team on a Sunday afternoon in Middleton Park. It is rather more unusual to have Grandfathers and grandsons playing in the same team. Extremely unusually Isis featured two grandfathers and three grandsons. It meant that there were some younger batters at the crease. J Lamb the oldest of these held the rest of the innings together. 

He showed the determination of a young Geoffrey Boycott in keeping Tim and Hamidullah at bay, valuing his wicket, giving nothing away. It did mean that at the half way stage the run rate was only just over two.  12 of those runs came from the first over of Khalid Hussein, playing in his first Sunday fixture for Middleton. The hint of the imminent drinks break proved inspirational for Khalid whose next ball was hit into the waiting hands of Ahmad at cover.

Khalid and Shaan bowled the middle overs with very little now given away. Isis’s youngest grandson, T Aylett made a poor decision in taking on Ahmad’s throwing arm. Stranded many yards short of safety to be run out.  Tim Riley and Ahmad bowled the remaining overs. Ahmad,after being hit for a boundary through extra cover, was stung into bowling the second best ball of the day, far to good for top scorer Lamb who was cleaned up for the day’s best score of 37.

The tail fell in quick order, Ahmad too fast and too straight, Tim too devious. Only 20 runs were added in the last 10 overs. Only Wyatt added some dynamism into the innings, entertaining his team mates with some vibrant calling of yes, no, yes, wait at the top of his voice.

John Springer had been due to make his season’s debut in this fixture. He had pulled up lame earlier in the week. Fortunately it did not stop him from baking some stunning cakes which were enjoyed by all. Thanks John and family for making tea despite his injury.

With no need to rush back onto the field, Jay Mumtaz  and Matt Bazeley were well fed and watered before strolling out to the middle. Wyatt bowling from the Church End showed the greatest effort in trying to win the game for Isis. Grandfather Ponsford was rather less effortful but somehow convinced a succession of batsman that he was a demon bowler.

Jay was undone by the best delivery of the day. He could do nothing other than admire the ball which drew him into a forward defensive shot. It then swung late, just enough to pass the edge and hit the top of the off stump. Meanwhile Matt had battled his demons and decided that attack was the best policy. He realised that Ponsford could be played comfortably for ones and fours and that Wyatt would overpitch once an over. The field adjusted hoping that Matt would mis cue. He did and was out for 22 caught off a spiralling outside edge at point.

Ponsford was too slow for Sam Norley. He waited and waited, then missed the ball which gently nudged into the middle stump and dislodged a bail. Mark Ford Langstaff was joined by Shaan at 30 – 3. Wyatt was seen off, Ponsford negotiated and the change bowlers came on. Lamb the younger was the pick bowling leg spin that Shaan could not pick. Shaan’s scoring came mostly from the top edge as he tried to sweep.

Mark sensed his moment had come. First he hit a back foot off drive to the longest boundary. It held up and only a double was taken. Then he picked up a full toss and dispatched it to the foot of the oak tree for the day’s only maximum. He had moved inot double figures and was seeing the ball well. A short ball was struck firmly toward the boundary, right out of the meat of the bat, but straight into the waiting fielders hands.

Matt Carpenter had a brief stay, moving smartly to seven before attempting an ugly carve to midwicket from Lamb’s leg break.  Shaan continued to battle, but Ahmad batting at number 7 made a mockery of everyone elses hardships and dominated the bowling from the moment he arrived at the crease. The game was over in a flurry of boundaries, just as the regurlar evening supporters, and a couple of Texan visitors came through the gates to watch the finale.