Friendly Match vs Mechelen CC, 16th August 2008, London Fields

by Ben Sanders

The annual game versus our friends from Belgium - Mechelen Cricket Club - got under way on Saturday with overcast skies and a blustery wind. It was a 10 a-side and 30 over affair. MCC batted first and their openers looked assured with nice straight bats for the first few overs from Tyrone and Simon. This was not to last though. Simon bowled one opener behind his legs getting the ball to come back a fair bit with the batsmen leaving it thinking it was going wide.

This first wicket seemed to unsettle MCC and wickets started to fall regularly. Ty was bowling well without due reward but did get their dangerous looking number 4 out; caught at mid-off by Dave. Arthur came on to replace Simon and as, is now pretty much customary; he got a wicket with his first delivery. And his second. But failed to complete the hat-trick by bowling a cunning low full toss which was easily defended. At this stage of the game the umpire decided to get into proceedings and awarded Arthur another wicket, giving a close stumping out after good glove work by Paul Teasdale behind the stumps.

MCC were struggling by this stage and combined with a couple of run outs and Arthur collecting his 5 for not very many, a score of sub-100 was very much on the cards sitting as they were on 65 odd for 7. Richard Johnson replacing Tyrone went for a combined 10 off his first two balls but came back and bowled with good shape and accuracy and kept it very tight. However, JJ was now at the crease and had entirely different thoughts on his mind. He was steely in defence and cutthroat in attack. A pivotal moment in JJ’s innings came when he tried to pull Johnson and got a top edge straight up into his face. He received a nasty cut to his eyebrow but after a bit of mopping up of blood, application of a plaster and a few swigs from a fortifying can of lager he was back up. And now even more determined than ever.

Arthur seemed to lose line and length – perhaps his delicate persona was unsettled by the sight of blood on the track - and delivered a series of leg side full tosses which JJ gleefully swatted away, losing one ball in the process somewhere over near the lido. Matt’s left arm came on to replace Arthur and was much better. JJ was ably supported at the other end by MCC’s no. 10 who defended as if his life depended on it and then occasionally got a big shot out of his locker, hitting one glorious straight six then going back to dead batting it. JJ’s hit on the head seemed to do him no harm bar the need to mop the brow clean of blood every now and then, and try to steel the shakes and adrenaline running through him with another swig of lager. He batted with fortitude punishing the bad ball and having reached his half-century then upped the acceleration.

He was duly helped when Dave Hickey decided to turn his arm. Coming off the long run did little to strike fear into JJ and he helped himself, planting Dave into the trees for 6 a couple of times. Dave’s second over, having now resorted to left-arm around-coming-through-the umpire, faired little better and the LFCC collective breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Dave said to himself, “Thanks Dave. Take a blow there”.

With JJ poised on a century, Dave tossed the ball to Simon to finish off the innings. Rather than doing that he bowled a leg-side half volley which JJ clipped through square-leg for 4 bringing up his ton and receiving a very warm round of applause and congratulations all round. MCC’s innings ended on 182 all out with Simon getting JJ caught behind.

JJ’s sterling effort meant MCC ended with a respectable, total with something to ‘bowl at’. Jason Lord and Steve Fernbank strode out to open up and were met with the pace and swing of the MCC openers Shahid and Hans who made it hard going. Shahid was bowling good late inswing and Hans was giving a master class in how to bowl the outswinger. Steve managed to last 6 overs making 9 before being caught at point trying to put away a rare lose ball from Hans. This brought Johnson to the crease who after a slightly shaky start looked in good touch.

The less could be said about Jason who departed for 6. But to be fair he got what is known in cricket as a ‘jaffa’. From the sidelines it might have looked as if he gave up on the shot and walked to leg allowing his off stumped to be knocked down (which he did). But I can confirm the ball pitched leg stump, at pace, then proceeded to cut away viciously to off leaving Lordy all squared up with nowhere to go except back to the hutch while looking back forlornly at his flattened off-peg.

Jason’s wicket, however, allowed a certain Paul Teasdale to get to the middle. Having not known what to do with himself on the sidelines because of his move down the order to number 4, he certainly knew what to do with a blade of willow in his hand. RJ and Paul saw off the opening pair of bowlers and the tucked into the second and third change.

RJ was in particular fluent form hitting boundaries here, there and everywhere and cruising to 39 before being bowled, and then cruising off to Sadler’s Well with the wife. Arthur went for a disappointing 5, certainly disappointing his personal photographer, Sarah, who had come down to get a few snaps of the big man but he was a spent force all to quickly and she’d only had time to erect the tripod.

By the twentieth over LFCC were still 80 odd behind. Help was at hand though with Teasdale now joined by John Avery, both of whom proceeded to open up and dispatch the ball around the ground. Teasdale playing a memorable hoick off the back foot over long-on/midwicket (cow corner?!) which brought the comment from Dave H, "We’ve taught him that. Ruined a classical batsman". With only 6 required, and having 60 to his name, Teasdale decided to run about 8 yards down the wicket and was duly stumped. Dave H strode out and spanked the remaining runs required. Leaving Avery stranded on a quick fire 29.

LFCC and MCC soaked up the remaining dregs of lager lying around the boundary before a quick ‘Turkish’ and then more beer in POTP. The evening proceeded on to The Dolphin where there were rumours of a limbo-dancing contest and the chance of ‘cutting of some shapes’ to some electro nonsense, which some of us took up. A good game and day all round.

Ed says - Thanks to Mechelen for fulfilling their fixture, even with a weakened team. I'm sure they'll be looking for revenge next year.