Match
reports
“The art of being wise is the
art of knowing what to overlook”
William James, 1842-1920
The Cavaliers’ third consecutive
victory, this time against the Lower Red Lion, was largely
due to the measured batting of Paul and Jamie Wise. By patiently
seeing off the better bowlers, blocking and leaving sensibly
and waiting for – and punishing - the bad ball, the
brothers eased the Cavaliers to a small but still competitive
total with 32 balls to spare.
On a scorching day, and in the lovely
environs of Verulam Park, skipper Gareth Lloyd - after last
week’s temporary aberration - reverted to type and
lost the toss. With little surprise, and with only 10 men
due to Jim Handford yet to arrive due to late night Jacuzzi
shenanigans with Aaron Terrey and two Surrey lovelies, the
Cavaliers were sent out to field. Nick Brindley and Tim
Foster took the new ball, and both bowled well, albeit without
a great deal of reward, while the Cavs struggled to cope
with the fielding permutations required for a left./right
combo a man down. The breakthrough occurred when the left-handed
opener block Fraser Tant’s first ball back to the
bowled and called for a suicidal single. Tant gathered and
lobbed the ball to Foster behind the stumps, and the Lower
Red Lion were 35 for 1. Brindley took a swooping caught
and bowled with the last ball of his excellent spell (1
for 16 of 7), while Tant and Handford kept the runs in check.
For wickets, however, the Cavaliers had to call upon Timothy
Firmin, who followed up his ferocious spell last week with
an even better one this. With a run up staring behind the
boundary and a follow-through of beyond the slips, our sweat-banded
hero cut a swathe through the Lion’s middle order,
removing one middle stump, luring a lofted drive excellently
pouched by Wise Jr at mid-off and claiming a caught and
bowled. Nick Francis and Foster bowled at the death and
ensured that our hosts didn’t plunder any late runs,
and the target was set at 156.
The Cavs’ reply didn’t
begin well. Terrey, fresh off the back of his ton against
the ‘bush last week, was still preoccupied with a
more recent bush conquest and edged one to slip in the second
over, to be replaced and quickly followed back to the hutch
by Handford. At 10 for 2, the Cavs had work to do. Enter
the Wise fry. Jamie has been in good nick this year (every
year, actually) and he never really looked like getting
out, while brother Paul has not picked up a bat for a year
and looked like he’d never been away. Initially the
batting was watchful, but as the Wises got their eyes in,
the runs came more quickly, with little buffet on offer.
First came the 100, then the 100 partnership, then their
respective 50s and, when the winning runs were hit in the
29th over, Paul was 64 not out and Jamie 61. To their great
credit, they made it look very easy; had either fallen early
it could have been a tricky afternoon for the rest of the
batsmen, and what in the end seems a comfortably win might
have been different.
So, on the back of three wins in
a row, the Cavaliers face their biggest game of the season,
against Harpenden on the common. With a few key faces back
in the side, the Cavs will have arguably their first choice
side on display and will be looking forward to giving a
good account of themselves.
Man of the Match: Paul Wise, just
pipping Jay.
Orange Cap of Shame: Jim Handford, for rocking up an hour
late, sauntering over the park to the pitch, taking twenty
minutes to get changed, not taking a wicket, one calamitous
misfiled and a shaking 5 runs. The orange cap ALWAYS inspires
the man in it, so put your money on Jim for a big score
against the ‘den.
