OECC 203 for 6 (40 overs) vs BOCA 204 for 6 (36.3 overs)

Heading into what is surely Surrey was an unusual journey, but with a side packed full of young talent (notably N Byers and A Hammond), there was a perhaps misplaced confidence from OEs that our bottom of the table team could upset title challengers BOCA. Win toss, bat first, no matter how dodgy the pitch looks – that’s the philosophy, and it got another run out here. Irv and Keeran were faced with the vertically challenged pace attack of BOCA that, despite both striking their first balls for four, proved to be tricky to negotiate. It became even more tricky to negotiate for Irv after a lone, apologetic appeal generated the dreaded finger of ‘last year’s league leading batsman is always out’ and Nick Smith went to join Keeran. With the pitch displaying some mildly variable bounce, Keeran battled away, before being caught at point with the score on 29 for 2. Joining the ‘hit your first ball for 4’ club, Hammond joined Nick and they settled in to build a partnership. With a fair bit of playing and missing, some nice strike rotating singles and the odd lusty blow, they took the score to a far healthier 90 for 3 before Hammond picked out BOCA’s best, and least athletic looking fielder in the deep. Reyhan’s 20 included a super reverse sweep for four – good to have him back, but he fell with the score on 123, and Conor was sent in to see what he could do.
What he did was to mix his favourite mid-wicket brutality with some innovative reverse scoops or ramps or whatever these new-fangled shots are called. By the time he was given out LBW for 46 off what must have been less than 30 balls, he had nearly caught Smith and OEs had reached 194 for 5. Rikin joined Nick, who reached his 50 and after Rikin’s dismissal, Nick B joined Nick S to close out the innings on 203 – what seemed a defendable target on a pitch showing occasionally wicked bounce.
And on a pitch showing occasionally wicked bounce, who would you like to unleash? James Bush opened the bowling (with Conor at the other end). Bushy’s height and pace took the variable bounce to another level – nobody would have fancied facing him on that pitch. His first wicket, pinning their opener plumb in front, before smacking the other opener on the unprotected head – how he stayed upright, nobody knows. After a short break and some unconvincing head-injury assessment from his team-mates, Bushy finished him with a snorter that he could only spoon to Smith at point. We all hope he is safe and well (due to, or despite, the brandy his skipper was giving him medicinally on the raucous sideline. BOCA’s innings continued to follow ours in its pattern, with a more substantial third wicket stand broken by Keeran’s catch from Reyhan’s bowling. BOCA’s number 5 now tried to hit every ball for 6. Sadly, he succeeded on a few occasions, and by the time the next wicket fell , at 117, to a neat catch in the deep by Irvine off Conor, the growing scoreboard pressure had been eased. A disappointingly competent opposing captain joined their anchorman and with some big shot-making aided by some errant bowling, some disappointing catching and some non-given probable caught behind and leg before decisions, these two put BOCA within reach of victory. Despite Bushy’s best efforts (9-0-26-2), we simply couldn’t take the second wicket that one is always supposed to bring, and Reyhan’s second wicket (again caught by Keeran who had a tough day keeping on this track) was too little too late.
Despite some fairly dismissive opinions being offered during the second innings by BOCA’s spectating batsmen, we felt we had pushed them hard and with a little more luck and some better catching, this game could well have gone the other way. An encouraging performance to take back to College Meadow next week to face Wickham Park.
Awards went to:
MOM – Conor (Callum?), with nominations also for Nick S and Bushy
DOD saw plenty of nominations: Irv, for lighting his own blue touch paper and not retiring to a safe distance, Reyhan for an awful dive, Vik for forgetting his shoes but the winner was Conor who was psyched out by his own team calling him Callum.
Champagne moments could have gone to Bushy for his effective use of bouncer theory, Irv for his cover drive for 3, but also went to Conor (on for a clean sweep of awards at this rate) for the second consecutive scoop for 4.
The Maidstone moment, despite an honourable mention for Reyhan’s dive, was clearly Rikin appealing for leg before following a perfectly normal backward defensive shot middled by the BOCA batsman.
Hammer Super Supporter of the week – Nicola Fuller
Mappy Magic Finger – Vik (missing off)
Sue Doyle tea award – the tea dog