Mad Dogs Come Home

While it was technically an away game against the Browns at Birchgrove Oval today, it was a homecoming of sorts for The Mad Dogs. Although the Alan Davidson Oval has been home for a couple of years now, The Birchgrove Oval is effectively the Mad Dogs' Spiritual Home. The first Ashes matches that gave rise to the club were often here. On many occasions we have taken advantage of the wonderful nets facilities here, and in 2009 the legendary Mad Dogs Christmas Booze Cruise boarded at the Birchgrove Oval Wharf. It is close to our hearts and we wish we could play there more often. Although you wouldn't know it from the sign on the fence (pictured - I've Richard Steyn to thank for that observation.)

The ground is quite beautiful, nestled at the far end of the Balmain penninsular alongside Louisa Avenue - where you can find some of the most expensive real estate in Australia. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the back drop and the water's edge so close you can smell it, there's something very pleasant about playing cricket where yachts pass by serenely on a regular occasion. (The ground is home to me too, I live around the corner!)

On this occasion we got to know it a little better also. Billy Cutler had had a conversation with someone who had lived near the ground for 50 years and apparently explained that you should ideally bowl when the tide is high because the water table of the pitch rises which is better for the bowlers. We didn't win the toss but we bowled first anyway and the tide was high. Things looked as if they were in our favour right from the outset.

Sure enough, the Mad Dogs bowlers scythed through the Browns' top order with apparent ease. Early wickets fell at a regular rate and pretty soon they were in disaray. Their run rate was slow and with a sluggish outfield it was hard for them to get boundaries. Furthermore the Mad Dogs captain - Keith Saunders - set a close fielding strategy which paid dividends and Browns runs were hard to come by.

Then Pete Macgregor took the ball and with a deciptively slow but devilish spin he took three wickets in his two alloted overs. Very quickly the Browns' were sending in players for secondary innings to make up for the fact that a few of their players hadn't made it along. A tail flourish though salvaged some dignity and ultimately, when I took the last wicket in the final over, the Browns total had reached a very respectable 86 which gave the Mad Dogs a fair target to chase.

But we saw the Newtown Browns' spirit was palpable as they blooded a new young player with his own brown cap and arched him onto the hallowed turf. Clearly this ground meant a lot to them also. The game was still on, they meant business.

But the Mad Dogs top order quickly got to work at an impressive run rate and were 70-3 after only 10 overs. Things were made worse for the Browns as two fielders failed to shout for a catch they both wanted and collided badly. While there was no need for the ambulance we initally feared, neither player would ever be the same again I suspect. With both Luke Knowles and Keith Saunders retired on 25 and Marcus Timpson got an uncharacteristic six, and after 20 overs the Mad Dogs finished on 130 with 2 wickets to spare. The Browns had 42 to score just to get to parity. There was a sense that the back of the game was now broken and a legendary Mad Dogs win was on the cards.

The second innings is where the rot really set in for the Browns though, as the legs of the their 11 started to give way and hamstrings started twanging like a Keith Richards guitar solo. Soon between batsmen, umpires and runners there were more Browns on the pitch than on the hill. Particularly since a few of the them had apparently nicked off to the ODI at the SCG!

At one point it seemed as if they might struggle to make the 40 plus lead we put on. Another three wickets for Pete MacGregor made things worse. Eventually they made 82 when a ring-in they summoned from the beach arrived in time for the last 5 overs and organised a rally.

The Mad Dogs fielding was some of the best there's ever been and Richard Steyn, Billy Cutler, Ed Suttle and Brendan Parry all took a pair of stunning catches each. Stumpings were also common as execution was rarely scruffy. Clearly, the Dogs were enjoying their return to this special ground.

So when the second batting innings for the Mad Dogs came they only had a target in the forties. However, so many of the Browns had either gone home injured or gone to the cricket that Dogs had to supplement their fielding and bowling side - to the point that their name changed brielfy to become the Brown Dogs! (A point I'm most bitter about as my stumps were obliterated by Luke Knowles for only 1 run!)

So in the end the win was comprehensive. But the entertainment was rich and the banter between teams very amusing. The fixture will be repeated and everyone who took part will look forward to the re-match. All that was left was for the presentation of a very well deserved Man of the Match Gnome for Pete Macgregor for his 6-for and the winning runs. Once again, a great day out and many enduring memories. Welcome home The Dogs!

More pictures here.

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