We are a London-based cricket club. Although we don't have our own pitch, we usually play our home fixtures in Greenwich Park. This blog records our regular triumphs and occasional failures.

Monday 21 September 2009

Final day triumph gives Cincers a winning season after Selfish and Jim put on a show


Cincinnati closed our 10th anniversary season on a high yesterday with a thrilling victory over Bedford Row at Greenwich Park.
The 37-run success, with Big Jim and Selfish Simon starring as match-winning all-rounders and JP shining behind the stumps, means Cincers have won more games than we lost for the 2nd successive season.
But this was no push-over, with Bedford pushing us the way in a hard-fought contest.
The day dawned after an overnight deluge in (sought-after) south-east London left the normally bone-dry pitch damp and stodgy.
Big Jim eyed up the pitch and send 'Bat first, Skip'.
Whereupon the Skip promptly lost the toss and got inserted by opposite number Richard.
Selfish and the Skip opened, with the aim of establishing steady platform.
That was the intention. The Skip, though, saw some mates arrive to mark his birthday, waved madly and then set off for a suicidal single.
A direct hit by opposition keeper Stephen meant no happy returns to the non-striker's crease and the Captain trudged off in search of compensatory birthday cake. It came later.
A mini-collapse - Frank got a good-un and new-boy Nick was caught - left us on 17 for 3.
Bevan isn't called Selfish for nothing and he relished the chance to score all the runs.
Aided by Simon Hall, Selfish notched up his 50 while the entire team score was only 65.
But the partnership with Simon H was crucial, taking us toward the 100 until 'H' tried to hit out and was bowled.
May be he was distracted by repeated yells of advice from Nick, who despite playing his first game and getting a duck, continued to reproach the Cincers' batting from the sidelines. Bit like Ash but with technique.
No doubt to Nick's disgust, Selfish then holed out for 60
An otherwise good-spirited contest got a bit spicy when Be.dford's skip appealed for a caught behind off JP's bat by sprinting up to umpire Toby (a mate of the Skip's and the guy he was waving at when he ran himself out).
Toby was unimpressed. 'Not out'.
Meanwhile, Big Jim got into his stride whacking his way to 35.
Late on, Abid and Andrew put together a vital last wioket stand which brought us to 175 off 34 after the skip told Bedford that Andrew was totally new to cricket.
They promptly - and very sportingly - slowed the bowling down and Andrew smashed his first ball for four.
'Are you a con artist?' asked Bedford. 'Yes,' shouted a Cincer from off the pitch.
A fine tea - supplied by Selfish and Mrs Selfish (aka Kerry) - fortified us for the struggle ahead with Bedford needing 5 an over.
Big Jim and Sam opened up, initially without success.
But Jim has been in unstoppable form with the ball and soon removed the Bedford opener's middle stump with a perfect yorker that left the batsman on the floor and the stump likewise.
Another middle stump later and Bedford were struggling.
A flurry of boundaries helped them back up to the run rate while a difficult chance off Sam's bowling went down in the deep.
Enter Selfish who not only pegged the rate back but snaffled a wicket straight away - the key one of Bedford number 3 Tony who had played some sumptuous drives.
At the other end, Frank - who had struggled to control his swing - got in on the act by bowling oppo keeper and fellow Aussie Stephen.
Strangely, Frankie didn't do his usual 'on your way, mate' cheerio thing. Must be a 'fellow Antipodean code' rule.
Wickets continued to tumble, with Nick - 'come on, Cincers - we're better than this' (no, we're not) - doing the cheer-leading.
He also took two catches, the second off Abid a top-rate over-the-shoulder effort.
One wicket to go and about 50 to win but the light was fading.
So at one end, the Skip brought his whirling, loopy leggies on....and watched burly Bedford skip Richard whack one for 6.
Gulp! Is the silly fool going to lose us the game?
JP, standing in manfully for absent full-time keepers Jack and Adam, clearly thought so.
When the Skip finally got one to pitch and turn, he whipped the bails off to stump Bedford's last man Daniel.
Game over! Season ended! The victory we'd been after.
All that was left was for Selfish to unveil a surprise birthday cake for the Skip, complete with several bottles of sparkling shared with our rivals Bedford who were fine sports.
The bowling figures: Jim 2 for 14 off 6, Sam 0 for 32 off 7, Frank 3 for 34 off 7, Selfish 3 for 18 off 7, Abid 1 for 20 off 3 and the Skip 1 for 17 off 1.5 overs.
We rejoice and are glad.
Men of the Match: Selfish and Jim.
* Many thanks to Chris for fine fielding at square leg and for not throttling the Skip when he didn't get a bowl, to Abid for turning up at very short notice to make us 11 and taking a key wicket, and to newcomer Nick for heckling us and fielding like a pro.
And thanks to everyone this season if you played only one game or played them all.
More than 30 people played for Cincinnati this year, easily a club record.
We had 19 scheduled fixtures not including JP's 40th game.
One match - v. London Saints - included two games. Only one fixture during the season was cancelled due us not being able to field a side.
Two went west after cancellations by our opponents.
Final tally: won 8, lost 7, drawn one.
See you all - or as many that can come - at the AGM.
** Picture caption: a suitably blurred snap of the Skip and Vice celebrating their fine bowler/keeper double-act which brought the curtain down on the 2009 season.

Friday 11 September 2009

Cincers snare Weasels in time game as Big Jim hits the button marked 'Magic!'

Stand aside, Stuart Broad - we've got the new Flintoff and he's called Jim.
The big fellow rescued Cincers from the nightmare of defeat to Weasels last Sunday with a blistering 75 not out - his best so far for the team.
Then he topped it with his first-ever five-for to ensure we won a nerve-jangling time duel.
In another first, Test Match made his debut as keeper with none of our regular wickies available.
Weasels won the toss and put us into bat in a time game on a sandy, slow-looking wicket.
Selfish opened up with the Skip for company and proceeded to pick off the accurate but gentle stuff being served up.
We got to 40 before the Skip made a big mistake. He tried to hit one and was bowled for a dazzling two. The score was 40.
Weasels' opening bowler Ged (I think) later lamented: 'Didn't mean to do that. All I did was bring in a batsman.'
Enter Test Match but Tim didn't find the two-paced, bouncy wicket much to his liking.
Right after the Skip mused to the point fielder what a good player he was, he sliced one straight to the same fielder.
Dan came in but also didn't fancy the wicket. He was caught before fencing a slow lifter on the legside.
The order was specially rejigged for this game, partly to let Max have a go as it might, sob!, just might, be his last game for us.
The homesick Kiwi showed his gratitude. He got bowled for a duck.
To make matters worse, Selfish got caught down the legside after another 50 (they come round so often, it's hardly worth a mention).
Cincers were rocking at 92 for 5.
David Hughes, making his first appearance for us this season, then steadied the ship with debutant Simon Hall who looked a handy bat.
Right on cue, then, he whacked one to mid-wicket and departed. 100 for 6, which became 110 for 7 when David went for a valuable 16.
Weasels were licking their lips. Victory at last against Cincers looked on.
It looked even more on when Jim half-lofted one just out of reach to mid-on.
That left Dan from BK, who was helping Cincers out, with Jim.
Sadly for Weasels, Jim then turned it on.
Ably supported by Dan from BK - who was helping us out on the day - Jim went ballistic.
One poor guy came on to bowl and disappeared for 27 (4, 6, 6, 4, 6, 1). He didn't get another go.
But Jim followed it up by hitting the last over for 23, including a couple of head-high no-balls which he blasted for sixes.
Dan notched up a useful 15 - his highest score of the season.
Cincers finished on 206 all off 37.
That left us roughly 30 overs to nail Weasels and keep the season alive (so far, we'd won 6, lost 7).
Weasels started cautiously against Jim at one end and Max at the other. There was no chance of them getting the runs.
Had we left it too late? Should the Skip have declared earlier?
Then Andrew, a new signing playing his first game of cricket, pulled off an inspirational catch at first slip. With the ball dying on him, he somehow got his fingers underneath it.
17 for 1. That rapidly became 22 for 2 after Selfish, fielding under a lid close in on the leg side took a fine catch off Max.
Wickets continued to tumble until Weasels found themselves 27 for 6 with 20 overs to go.
Stout resistance then kicked in. The Skip came for three fruitless overs (we'll forget the dropped catch, David) and Max took a well earned break, replaced by Selfish who had been desperately windmilling his arms to attract the Skip's attention.
It worked. He came on and quickly took a wicket, a slightly contentious LBW which had the batsman storming off and chucking his bat down not once, but twice, in fury.
At the other end, Jim got his length and finally bowled the last remaining Weasel with five overs left of the day and with Weasels only just over the 50 mark. Victory!
Jim finished with 5 for 19 off 11, Max 3 for 23 off 9 (his best-ever figures) and Selfish refused to be left out with a ridiculously-measly 2 for 0 off 4. Yup, four maidens. The Skip's return was 0 for 6 off 3.
Many thanks for new boys Simon Hall and Andrew Goodson for turning out at short notice and to Dan from BK.
So that's 7 wins and 7 losses and one draw. Win our last match on September 20 and Cincers will have a winning season
Man of the Match: the Skip for arranging the fixture, letting Selfish introduce Jim to the club and for putting Andrew at 1st slip. (Only joking - it's Jim of course).