Stacked with Class!

The two teams circled each other warily on a beautiful Sydney Sunday morning. Why warily? Mad Dogs didn’t know the calibre of the carefully selected Newington team….except….it contained several Timpsons, a Saunders and a Mad Dog quisling in Richard Ansell.

(Disbelief; Confusion; Inebriation)

Newington could see that Mad Dogs was stacked with class; not high class clearly, but class nevertheless.

(Putting his back into it)

The Dogs won the toss and Newington were batting first. Sean Garvey’s opening delivery was dispatched for 4. Free Hit. But the very next was feathered to Keeper Keith. 4/1 after 2 balls.

This brought youngster Louis Saunders to the crease. The bowling of Sean and Simon was tight and it was not until the fifth over when Sean obligingly took a catch off his opening bowling partner.

(Off his long run)

A loose over from first change Adam was followed by a fine c & b in the second.

Newington struggled against mean bowling. Billy, Visu and Jon Gill all kept it tight, and it wasn’t until the appearance of Marcus Timpson at the crease (and Keith with the ball) that the tempo increased. Eventually an unlikely but respectable total of 132 was achieved, which included a generous 10 wides.

(Like Viv Richards in shorts)

Mad Dogs’ first innings featured some mighty blows from Billy (who claimed he was only out going for a celebratory six on which to retire (bowled by Traitor Richard Ansell). The bowlers were just not good enough for Keith (30 retired….that’s how it’s done Billy….). James Riley was also undismissable; and a cameo from David (3 scoring shots for 11) brought together the redoubtable pair of Bourne and Suttle who both contributed undefeated 14s that took the total to 146-4, Newington having been even more generous with wides: 12.

(Change of pace)

Newington virtually lost the game in the first 6 overs of their second innings. Miserly Keith and John King restricted scoring to 17-2…a lead of just 3.

Masterly bowling changes saw Jon Gill have a snicked viciously spitting out-swinger taken at first slip (comments that the catch was simple defines the calm skill of the catcher, me), and James Riley took two in two balls but couldn’t hold the return catch offered to complete the hat-trick.:(And a late flurry achieved a Newington total of 102, setting 89 to win.

Sean Garvey set the tone of Mad Dogs’ chase with a monumental straight driven six of the very first delivery! He and stalwart Gill put on 44 for the first wicket when Garvs was caught off a child’s bowling. Gill perished soon after, but with our King scoring 19, and wides a credible 9, it was left to President Bourne to majestically score the winning run.

VICTORY to Mad Dogs in the17th over by 5 wickets!!!!