Friendly Match vs Strongroom, 23 August 2008, Highgate

by Dave "Taz" Miller

With everyone keen to do the double over Strongroom we headed off to Highgate Woods sports ground - a very picturesque ground, surrounded by forest. On arriving at the ground we were met with the sight of an equally pumped up Strongroom side, all warming up in the pitch-side nets.

The pitch was quite damp, so ideally we wanted to bowl first; however Dave Hickey uncharacteristically lost the toss and we were sent in to bat. Things were going along nicely after 18 overs with the score at 68 for 0, with both Hickey and RJ looking well set, picking off the loose deliveries.

However the introduction of the Strongroom's leg spinner, Schneider, soon changed proceedings. First to go was Hickey, trying to smash a full toss out of the ground, but only succeeding in holing out to deep mid-wicket for a well made 37. RJ followed a few balls later for 27, bringing Alec McCrindle to the crease. The first ball spun past a forward defensive prod - the second ball he tried to slog but missed, only to be bowled next ball by a full toss. A tough day for the Saffas, as the Springboks were also beaten at home by the Wallabies....mwahaha.

A timely drinks break was called, having lost 3 wickets for no runs. However, straight after the drinks break, Matt Cowie was also bowled for a duck and the score was now 70 for 4. Taz and Jason looked to carry on from their recent partnerships, but Jason was soon trapped in front for 4 by another Schneider full toss and departed with a muttering of expletives. This brought the big hitting Arthur to the crease, who together with Taz looked to lift the run rate. A brisk partnership of 40-odd followed, including several lusty blows by Arthur until he skied another full toss and departed for a quick fire 27.

Paul Teasedale gingerly made his way to the crease, feeling considerably under the weather (although this time not as a result of a late Dolphin session) and only lasted a few balls before skying another catch on 2. Colin Black and Simon Lee both departed for ducks, leaving the Fields precariously placed at 146 for 9.

All was not lost however, with the arrival of Steve Donelan who belied his No.11 status by taking on the bowlers and pushing the score to 171, finishing not out on 17 with Taz also not out on 30.

With a score of 200 in mind before the start of play, we felt we were a few runs short, but things started well when the new ball was given to Arthur and Steve D, as Steve struck in his first over. The run rate was kept below 3 an over, as Steve continued to bowl a tight spell and Taz chipped in with a tidy 4 overs, but a second wicket proved elusive.

The breakthrough arrived with a master stroke of captaincy, as Matt C was brought into the attack. In a 4 over spell with more variety than an Argos catalogue, involving numerous no-balls, wides and full tosses, Matt took 5 valuable wickets (mostly with full tosses) and the Strongroom scoreboard was in tatters.

Some synchronised diving at mid on and mid off by Taz and Arthur nearly resulted in spectacular catches, but the judges wouldn't have been happy with their landings, both ending up on their heads. The highlight of the day also involved Arthur. A ball was lofted to deep cover and both Arthur and Steve D converged from opposite directions. A diving Arthur prevented the boundary, however Steve arrived slightly later, and in a scene reminiscent of the Steve Waugh - Jason Gillespie collision in 1999, Steve's legs were swept from under him and he landed gracefully on his face, resulting in a pair of smashed spectacles and several facial cuts. Full marks for dedication in the field, a trait that typified the day.

The tight bowling was continued by Simon Lee, and Colin chipped in with 2 wickets to leave Strongroom at 96 for 9. With the game seemingly over, the dangerous Schneider had other plans, bringing up his 50. But with some clever captaincy we were able to shut down his scoring shots and keep the pressure on.

RJ finally wrapped up the innings with Strongroom falling 45 runs short of the target to complete a convincing win.

Here's the scorecard:

London Fields Batting

Batsman	Scoring	How Out	Bowler	Total
Dave H		caught	?	37
Richard		caught	?	27
Jason		LBW	?	4
Alec		bowled	?	0
Matt C		bowled	?	0
Taz		not	out	30
Arthur		caught	?	27
Teasdale		caught	?	2
Colin		caught	?	0
Simon Lee		LBW	?	0
Steve D		not	out	17
			Extras	??
Total 171-9 from 35 overs

Strongroom Batting
126 all out

London Fields Bowling

Name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average
Arthur	5	-	20	0	-
Steve D	8	-	23	2	11.5
Taz	4	-	10	0	-
Matt C	4	-	20	5	4
Simon L	7	-	23	0	-
Colin	4	-	20	2	10
Richard	1.4	-	7	1	7