Match Report

A fine win to end the season.

MSCC are sponsored by NOLAN GAS AND NOLAN OIL

Hampstead Norreys play in an unusually shaped venue. The pitch, in this case an artificial one, is sited in a three sided bowl with upward slopes to the South, the West and the North. Only the eastward aspect is flat. There is a dense beech wood to the South, a large village hall serves as pavilion and changing room, and a children’s playground is between the eastern boundary and a road.  The cool wind of the morning had moderated, the sun shone brightly as the Middleton Stoney team arrived at noon. Matt Bazeley’s advice that the boundary markers were too far away from the pitch were ignored by the home team as they prepared for play. 

A minor injury crisis, Rob Barton’s ankle, meant the visiting team were two players short, (Rob was due to bring Elliot). Jay Mumtaz accessed his extensive list of contacts and found another Jay keen to play to make sure 10 fittish players were able to play.  The toss was won, a forty over game agreed with Middleton to bat first. Both Jays were first into bat. Hitting boundaries up the various slopes was always going to be difficult. A thick outfield added to the difficulty. Hampstead Norreys were masters of the fielding placings, there were few gaps, and they knew where the ball would hold up short of the boundary.

Jay Mumtaz played the first over out as a maiden, the variable bounce of the plastic pitch already causing him some concern. Jay Manwani played his first ball, short and wide of the off stump perfectly into the hands of backward point. A golden duck on his debut.  This was the second time this year that a guest of Jay’s had been out first ball. Matt Dipple had pleaded to have a chance to bat up the order. Now was his chance.  Runs came slowly. There were more overs bowled than runs scored in the first six overs.  Matt guided a ball between the two fielders backward of square on the off. Normally it would have been an easy 2 runs. The slope came to the aid of the fielder who turned and threw with deadly accuracy. The direct hit left Matt stranded, run out for just a single.

 Jay was setting his stall for a long innings. The fielders seemed to stop everything but in the seventh over Jay hit the first boundary and double figures were reached. He had been joined by Josh Bazeley. Josh found some timing, but mostly timed the balls to fielders.  The opening pair of bowlers completed six overs a piece and were replaced. Hampstead Norrey’s best bowler, Gagay started with a maiden, the fifth of the innings so far.  Second change bowler, Arundh let slip the vice with two short balls, that were hammered by Josh through mid off, one shot hard enought to reach the uphill boundary. 

A change of ends saw the end of Josh, bowled by Gegay and MSCC deep in trouble at 21 – 3 after 13.  Replacing his son, was Matt Bazeley. He and Jay began rebuilding, slowly at first but then after the drinks interval more rapidly.  Highlight for Matt was a towering six back over Gegay’s head. The batsman began to ride their luck, both were missed twice from straight forward chances. As good as the home sides ground fielding had been they seemed unable to take a catch. The variable bounce was always a threat and made clean striking of the ball difficult. 

As the last 10 overs approached, Jay began to take on riskier runs. One second run proved too risky as he became the second run out victim of the day. The fourth wicket had added 67 runs in 27 overs. It was worth a lot more. Shaan was sent out with instructions to score quickly. As Sam Norley mentioned that no one had yet struck a boundary up the hill, Shaan did so, perfectly timing his shot through square leg. Shaan pushed Matt into some more aggressive running. A brace, a triple and another brace followed in consecutive balls. Matt was puffing. Opting for brute force over stamina he tried to hit Saurab into next week, but succeeded in finded Gegay under the ball at mid on. Sam Norley tried to press on, and was beaten by the low bounce. 

Shaan was joined by Tim R, several times Shaan’s call for a quick single was turned down. It can be tricky to steal a single to silly mid on. Shaan finally called yes once to often and was stranded by several yards. It was left to Tim and Ahmad to take the score into respectable areas, they did so with Ahmad striking the second six of the day.  At the interval MSCC has set 145 to win, and were confident that a win would be had.

In the Autumn sunshine,  the playground filled with families, the village hall overflowed with a Christening party and the doubty pair of Hamidullah and Ahmad took the new ball.  In a nice symmetry after we had opened the batting with two Jays, Hampstead Norreys did so with one of their own. Happily for MSCC, and less so for the hosts, this Jay underestimated the throwing arm of Matt Dipple. His direct hit from cover point was impeccable, the unfortunate Nikhil run out without facing. 

The home team were in little mood to defend. Three times Ahmad was dismissed to the long on boundary, one of those shots might have been saved had not Shaan lost his footing in spectacular style.  Ahmad was piqued, and took revenge with two wickets in his fourth over, hitting the stumps twice. Matt Dipple replaced Ahmad in the ninth over and bemused Basib into exposing his leg stump to also be bowled.  Jay had kept the score board moving. Although wickets had fallen, the run rate was being met.  Matt’s slower delivery was his undoing. The ball rose above wide mid wicket, slippy shod Shaan was moving backward, sure footed Sam Norley was moving forward. “Sam’s” yelled the skipper, just as Shaan held on above his head.

Hamidullah for once wicketless was replaced by Tim, Matt was followed by Shaan. Tim was disappointed when Hamidullah spilt an easy chance from the dangerous Gegay, and when Jay missed a stumping on opposition skipper Aadesh. He took revenge having Aadesh bowled and Gegay caught in the deep by a diving Matt Bazeley. Matt relieved as he had just spilled an easier chance from Shaan’s bowling. 

Shaan adopted the unexpected tactic of bowling a wide first ball of each over. Thereafter he would beat the bat three times an over in the remainder. He was unlucky when both Matt and keeper Jay missed chances in the same over. He was able to celebrate eventually when he won the only LBW decision of the day. Tim picked up a further wicket to leave Hampstead Norreys only just past 80 and 9 wickets down. Sam Norley and Jay Mumtaz were tasked with securing the final dismissal of the season. It should have gone to Jay at second slip. At that moment Jay was checking the India v Pakistan  score in the Asia cup and had wandered to close to third slip.

It was Jay who brought the season to a close bowling Sai to complete the win by 49 runs.