Match Report

The twenty over season concluded this week with the visit of South Oxford Amateurs. It concluded in the damp and dark with both teams in with a chance of winning in a game that had been reduced to 12 eight ball overs. SOA were a team of all sorts of talents, incuding a member of the Souther Vipers squad, a father and son and a pair of Simpsons. 

So keen were SOA to play that all 11 members were on the ground before a single home player had arrived, one of them offering the excuse that until late in the afternoon he had been lying in a hospital bed expecting an operation. SOA meanwhile were using the nets, recently trimmed by Paul Wordsworth, going through pre game warm ups and eager to run their own flag up the pole. By the scheduled start 10 of the Middleton team were assembled just in time to see rainfall sweep in from the West.  With 25  mins lost time and the skies remaining uncompromisingly grey a shorter game was agreed upon and the eleventh home player had duly arrived.

SOA opted to bat first. The ball soon became clammy and difficult to hold as the openers stroked the ball through the damp grass. Hamidullah and Matt Dipple kept boundaries to a minimum in the first two overs. Sharp fielding from Ahmad at square leg earnt a runout for the first wicket.  Middleton spread the field far and wide, with the ball following David Cole and avoiding Stevyn Jackson. Just past the half way mark a promising second wicket stand of 50 runs was broken when Ahmad proved the fastest to move toward a skied ball from his own bowling. 

Cowley, the Souther Viper, dispatched two high full tosses to the square leg boundary before becoming a victim of Arvand’s only over. As the innings neared its conclusion George Robinson bowled the penultimate over taking a wicket with his first ball. The ball was struck high toward the legside boundary . The skipper helpfully shouted “Matt’s” as two Matts converged on the ball. Matt Bazeley held the catch. The skipper then moved Matt Dipple around the boundary, to see the next ball hit to just where he had been.

106 from 72 balls was a significant target on a slow outfield. Sent out to make a positive start, Sam Norley and Matt Dipple did just that. Sam showing no fear and Birthday Boy Matt intent on reaching the retirement target. Sam mis-hit to cover for 9 but had set the tone. Matt and Matt maintained momentum so that at the halfway stage Middleton were 60 -3.

Matt B holed out on the leg side boundary where SOA had wisely stationed their most able fielders. Stevyn caressed his first ball through extra  cover for a 2, and then galloped a 3 in support of Matt D.  Stevyn was caught at cover bringing Ahmad to the wicket. 

The first ball that Ahmad faced was full toss from C Simpson. He wound up and smashed it deep towards the pavilion. He slightly underhit the ball and was well caught on the boundary. A call of “no ball” then issued from the umpire, a decision that Michael Simpson who had turned up to watch regarded as one of the finest decisions made by the father of the batsman all season.

Ahmad did not last long, caught soon after at long on. To win the game Middleton needed to keep scoring from each ball, David Cole attempted to do so, Matt D was desperate to get on strike. In the gathering gloom seeing the ball was getting harder and harder. A smattering of wides and leg byes kept MSCC in touch with the target but the boundaries dried as the fielding team were sent out  in the deep. 

Matt reached 30 and retired. Arvind and David took the score to 95 with one over to go. David was bowled going for a big hit from the first ball, Tim Riley joined Arvind  and called Arvind for a suicidal single to keep the strike.  Shaan at number 9 was going to run for everything,

Tim clubbed a ball to Cowley at long on. She has a remarkably powerful throw, Shaan took her on and sprinted for a hopeless second. The ball bounced and skidded on the wet grass it hit the waiting bowler on the frame of his glasses, who slumped to the ground in agony. His father, the SOA skipper ran up to check that the glasses were not broken as the fielder tended to the injured party.

Six needed to win and three balls remaining. A single and then a brace for Shaan meant Shaan would have to hit the last ball wellto win. He made good contact but found a fielder waiting, so Middleton finished the Wedenesday season with a one run defeat.

As the players searched in the darkness for the lights of the pavilion the rain returned. Rona and Andrew ensured that the standards of hospitality at Middleton Park were maintained as we now look forward to the remaining Sunday matches starting with the Authors this weekend.