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.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Tempers fray as Cincinnati snatches victory from the old enemy BK in tense final over thriller

Three to win with three balls left...
As ever, Cincers v BK went down-to-the-wire contest last Sunday.
Tim 'Mixed Grill' Moynihan was the star man for Cincers with a superb 64 not out.
But the winning blow - off a shoulder-high full toss - came from the bat of Dee.
Funny, that, because he'd was 'out' LBW an hour or so before..
The day - a fractious one by Cincers-BK standards - began with the oppo rolling up with only seven men.
In yet another blunder, the Skip gave them two of our 11 - Zain and Kamran.
They were supposed to be making their Cincers' debut.
In the end, they damn well nearly won it for BK.
The toss? Well, why do we bother with that? The Captain lost it yet again.
Opening up at our new home venue of Footscray Rugby Club, BK's start was painfully slow.
They barely crawled along at two an over.
Superb opening spells from Majid and Chris P  pegged the batsman right back on a slow, low wicket.
It took some lusty blows from BK number three Hassan to break the shackles a little.
After a tricky spell v Saints in the last game, it was business as usual for Richard H with a good, tight spell.
Farhan also chipped in with seven mean overs.
Even the Skip started frugally, getting rid of Hassan thanks to a superb stumping by Dee.
By this stage, though, BK were upping the ante with 'traitors' Zain and especially Kamran opening their shoulders.
Kamran hit the Skip for a superb long-on six which cleared the rope by yards.
Along the way there were turned-down appeals for LB and at one stage, a full-scale, on-the-pitch technical conference about the 'hitting inline' rules.
A target of 146 off 35 was a mite more than Cincers had wanted - especially as Tim M was just about our only recognised top batsman on show. (Where's bat-fixing Selfish when we needed him?!)
The outfield was also desperately slow, with the recent rains preventing normal lawnmower operations.
The Skip - batting in a helmet two sizes two big because he'd left his at home - opened up with Dee.
The aim: see off BK's openers and pave the way to victory by supporting Mixed Grill.
Disaster struck, though.
Dee was given out LB early on - despite evidence that he had hit the leather off it.
A sporting gesture from BK skip Pete meant he was reprieved to come in at the end of Cincers' innings.
Of which, more later.
The Skip, playing one of his worst-ever innings, survived long enough to see Tim M arrive at the crease, almost ran himself out and was then bowled.
We struggled with the run rate, just about keeping pace with the four-an-over asking rate.
But only BK leaking extra after extra kept us in the hunt.
The strategy of seeing off BK's openers hit a big hitch.
Zain and Kamran, the two players loaned to the oppo, turned out to be pretty lively seamers.
Only Tim had their measure.
David H and then Majid kept Tim company but wickets kept falling.
Shortly after being urged by the Skip to 'play straight, straight', Majid did just that. He cross-batted it straight up in the air.
Panic stations for BK as four players converged on the catch...which plopped beautifully between them just behind the bowler's end.
Tim had raced (I use the term advisedly) to the striker's end to take advantage of the mayhem.
Sadly, Majid hadn't moved.
He was run out.
Rockie should have been the next man in but gave up his place to Chris P. Big mistake by the ex-Chairman (see below).
Bit by bit, Cincers somehow edged nearer.
Screams for LB went unanswered.
Time and again, BK shot themselves in the foot with a flurry of wides.
Chris P sneaked a couple here and a couple there, while Tim plundered the odd bad bowl.
With about 15 needed and three overs left, Chris P was bowled.
Rockie was next in, followed by Richard H.
At least, that's what the card said.
But the Skip (umpiring) had already told Dee to pad up ready for his return.
He controversially called him back out straight away.
BK politely asked about whether that was quite in order, etc, etc.
Edgily, the Skip muttered darkly about how we'd given the oppo two crack players.
Dee rapidly showed why he'd been recalled.
Opening his arms, he walloped a four to widish mid-off, one bounce over the boundary.
The pressure was still on.
But with the final over and five needed, BK's own Farhan nervously served up two no-balls.
Then a dot ball.
So three needed off three.
And then in a second, it was all over.
A full toss was tennis-smashed behind square by Dee for four. Should have been another no-ball but no-one was counting.
Tim ended up with a superb not out.
Extras was second top scorer - 44 out of 149.
Dee was 14 not out or 19 for one if you count his first effort.
Funny old game.
ROCKIE'S REVIEW:  There's a pouch in my kit bag. Never quite worked out what it's for.
May be it's to stuff a newspaper in. Or a freshly-baked baguette.
At Christmas time, it'd be ideal for a roll of festive wrapping paper.
Or a giant Havana cigar.
But one thing it's not for - a cricket bat.
Because there's no point my bringing one to a Cincers game. Grrrrrrrrrr!
(As shouted to the Skip).







Cincers' hit by 'bat-fixing' scandal after Selfish stages one-made show to sink the Saints

Cincinnati was last night plunged into a damaging internal row over claims that our star batsman had deliberately 'not got out'.
Simon 'Selfish' B was accused of a calculating 'bat-fixing'  bid to prevent other team members from having a bat during the victory over London Saints.
Sources claimed the opening bat sent a text after the game boasting of how he had deliberately prevented colleagues from taking the crease by scoring an undefeated century.
One source said: 'Selfish was crowing about how the sight of other Cincers' queuing up for a go  with their freshly-oiled bats had egged him on to not get out. Typical.'
The row threatened to overshadow a superb Cincers' triumph over Saints at their home ground of Elstree on one of  this summer's three scheduled non-raining Sundays.
After the Skip lost the toss (as usual), the game began with Robert de Q showing off at square leg by running out (controversially, according to Saints) one of their openers and then taking a lobbed catch off Abid.
Other highlights of Saints' innings included Abid and the Chairman (T. Ross Esq) snaffling three wickets a piece.
The Spinners Union (R. Hadlow and the Skip) had a mixed day. Richard got a bit of a biffing.
The Skipper went for (one) less than five an over and took a wicket. He was later seen buying a lottery ticket.
And so to our controversy-hit reply. Set 167 to win off 35, the Chairman and the aforementioned Selfish began slowly. Very slowly.
At one point, we were going at under two an over.
The Chairman in particular was struggling to find his usual form,
The impending arrival of new baby (Bill as he is now known) was doubtless on his mind.
But at the other end, Simon was getting into his stride.
The first wicket went down at 78 when Tim was bowled.
But only one more fell before Cincers overhauled the opposition's total with nine balls of the 35 overs to spare.
Simon finished on 117 not out.
Stat-watch:  Selfish has now played three times against Saints, never been out and has scored a 100 each time.
Saints' frustration was clear for all to see.
Sadly, so was the frustration of eager-beaver Cincers' batters (Dee and the Skip included) all padded up and nowhere to go after Simon's crease-hogging performance.
Selfish was last unavailable to comment - largely  because the blog didn't ring him beforehand!
* NEW FEATURE - ROCKIE'S REVIEW (EACH WEEK, THE FORMER CHAIRMAN WILL OFFER HIS CONSIDERED VIEWS ON THE DAY)
Hmm. As the person who coined the 'Selfish Simon' tag, I'm not surprised at these bat-fixing rumours.
Some people don't seem to understand that cricket's about partnerships, sharing, letting other people 'have a go'.
The batting crease is not one person's private property. It belongs to us all. It's our birthright.
It's as English as Magna Carta though I can't say I've ever met the lady.
If this goes on, there'll be no point anyone else bringing their bat along to games.
You might as well bring a stick of rhubarb. With some sugar and custard. Yum yum. Lovely!
(As told to the Skip).