Anyway, I do have the wagon wheels and the names.
The game was played on the ground here below "Admirals park". The ground's a pretty ground with a tiny little Pavilion. The ground is an odd shape and means that some matches are played with an exceptionally short boundary on the car park side, our game was played on the strip coloured green, so we played with this really short boundary. The ground slopes along its length with a pretty steep up hill run if you're bowling from the Park End. With the pavilion being so small, there are no toilets and you have to use some filthy ones in the park just outside the ground through the hedge in the bottom LH corner. But the teas were epic! Plus they were a nice bunch of blokes as well.
I have some vague memories of this game as it was one of the first games that I started to bowl Flippers as my stock ball in and I was suffering from a knackered knee. Given the fact that I had a bad knee and was coming in up a steep hill from the park end it didn't go that bad. The only bloke I really remember was this first bloke below because he didn't hold back! It may have been that it was a wicket that I'd taken that brought Muragesh to the crease. I'd opened the bowling and his innings was thankfully at the end of my spell having bowled 10 overs straight.
Bala Muragesh___________________________
This bloke came in at about no.4 or 5 and didn't hang about. Thankfully we managed to keep him at the park end and I think he may have been left-handed as I seem to recall him swinging across the line and putting the ball over the boundary on the leg-side and thankfully the leg-side was the longer one.
He was eventually caught with a cross-bat shot top edging it down towards 3rd man as indicated. I think the best advice is to keep the ball on or just outside of the off-stump.
Josh Vince__________________________
Not 100% sure I've got the name correct here, on my notes the name Vince is underlined as though I'm certain that part of the name is correct at least apologies if I've got it wrong. This bloke was one of their younger youth players. My notes say that he played well and scored 50 + runs, but as you can see from the wagon wheel, a lot of these runs came about through quick singles seemingly orchestrated by the other kid that he was batting with. The other kid (Harry Lloyd see below) was quicker and this led to this player eventually being run-out having almost been run-out several times during his 50.
As you can see a very correct player playing with a straight bat, so potentially an easy victim for any bowler that can get the ball to go both ways - a Wrist-spinner with a Wrong-un would be ideal.
Isaac Chalk______________________________
Another young player, my notes say this blokes around 16 years old and looking at his wagon wheel I'd guess he's a left-handed bat, but don't take that as gospel, my notes for this match are sketchy to say the least.
Harry Lloyd_____________________________
Harry Lloyd it seems was the driving force behind Josh Vince's 50. My notes say that he was like a little Jack Russel darting about, backing up and always looking for runs and in doing so putting the other bloke (Josh Vince) under pressure. Again another young player possibly under 16.
I don't think there are images, because these players were youth players. I did take pictures on the day as I shot images of he pavilion as it's pretty unique in that it's so small.
03.07.21 - Springfield cc 6th XI
This game was played at the 'Murrayfields ground' now probably known as the Basildon Sporting Village ground and it's been left to decline into a shadow of its former standard. There's no longer a square and the outfield is horrifically dangerous as it's so uneven, but then what do expect when you have a bunch of amateurs like BSV providing the facilities. All that's left is a uneven all weather wicket with holes in it.
The weather was a threat as I drove over to the ground with showers predicted. The first hour or so there were a couple of light showers that we played through. We won the toss and chose to bat. The 5th XI isn't my usual team, so I only knew a few of the blokes...
The contrast in the overall look of the teams was stark and more akin to the situation I've found myself in many a time with the 4th XI in that last 3 years or so. Our teams as you can see above - youthful with me in the middle the only old bloke. Included in our team 5 adults who all look like they're in their 30's? Whereas the opposition... 1 old bloke, 9 boys and one bloke who looked about 15 or 16. The outcome seemed obvious. But the approach of each team was very different. The captain Farhan (back row left) sent the adults out to bat and they went out swinging, not having a look with total disregard for the bowlers and yet these were decent bowlers. The inevitable happened and we lost the top 4 or so bats for next to no runs and it needed Fahran to come in and steady the ship with Reece (Back row, 2nd from right) and they got the scoreboard ticking over with singles and the occasional 2 and 4. We ended up with a respectable 140 + and given the potential bowling attack with these blokes it looked like tough task for Springfield.
The Springfield boys did well, really well I thought against adult bowlers some who had a bit of pace. Nice straight bats, good defense and techniques. Our fielding was pretty good and if I don't say so myself I set the standard with full stretch diving stops getting my body in the way of the ball at mid-on, with both their captain and their batsmen commending my efforts.
Their bats were all solid and most of them made contributions, but the didn't get the runs to allow the captain and the older youth player to come in and finish the game for them and they fell short by about 40 runs or so, leaving me wondering why they hadn't opened the batting or at least been further up the order. Anyway here's their wagon wheels below. I didn't take any pictures because everyone gets to uptight about it, which is a real shame because in the future these kids might look back at the pictures if I'd taken them with good memories. (Pictures to be uploaded over coming days/months.
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