Hurlingham Club
- Saturday 13th September 2008
The first of the
season ending double headers took part in the remarkable 42 acres 'home to polo
within the British Empire', The Hurlingham club.
An impressive fleet of blazer clad players, wives, wags and a load of
kids, Conway with his omnipresent index finger and Pete Coleman with his array
of coloured pens took residence on the ground where a trace of an Indian summer
had replaced a month of rain.
LNZ have been playing Hurlingham for the past 5 years, having had the fixture
reinstated after the 70’s and had yet to be able to register a win. A fact
that was approaching embarrassing. An impressive batting line up was in tow to
take advantage of what we traditionally assume to be a 300 plus batting track.
This included the four top run scorers in the club for the season, including two
that had scored over 500 in Mike Miami Oliver and Blair Simm and additionally
bolstered by the presence of former New Zealand test opener Blair Hartland,
making his LNZ debut and donning whites for the first time in 14 years (which
still fit).
The 4 previous losses all had something in common, LNZ had fielded first. So
when I won the toss I had many doubts but still asked them to bat once more due
to a little damp from over night rain on the track and dew in the outfield.
VT & TBE opened up and tested the damp track, creating seam off the track and
some tennis ball bounce. It was TBE in supposedly his last weekend of cricket
for LNZ before taking up residence in Dublin that got the early break through.
Having been turned down for a fine LBW appeal which could be described as darn
close, when he next hit the same batsmen adjacent the following over, he didn’t
even turn to the umpire when asking the next questions and choose instead to
presume affirmative and commence a wild celebration. This was the first of many
fine appeals/rebel yells/ primal screams which was a sentiment reciprocated by
Hurlingham later in the day in a match that was fought for with keen interest on
both sides.
If that had been a moment of joy, his following wicket was ‘gold’. When bowling
to the former first class batsmen who of previous years had spanked us in
scoring a couple of tons with ease, TBE got one to jag back off the track which
was met with shoulder arms and continued on to take the off stump bail.
Hurlingham were 25 -2 off 10. Previous years this would have been 60-0.
Advantage LNZ. Mike Oliver came on and bowled with his normal pace and fire
accompanied by his customary sledging and mid pitch eye balling. It was
disappointing that Mike opted only for 3 overs to save something in the bag for
the following day. Or so we thought at the time…
Gerard Walsh then took over and only took 3 balls to carry out what he’s been
doing all season: taking wickets. This one to a fine catch by Tricky in gully.
Gerard was at it again the following over when taken on and Ben Dormer took his
obligatory catch at mid on. This took Gerard’s wicket haul to an impressive 19
for the season.
At lunch after the two hour session, Hurlingham were 114 -4 off 32 overs. We’re
ecstatic with our morning session and dined on a la carte chilli in the 1760’s
estate. We felt 200 would be a good score to chase.
It was back to the opening bowling partnership post lunch where Hurlingham’s
last 6 wickets fell for 26 off 8 overs. Most notably was Sam Martin’s slash
taken athletically once again by Tricky at gully and a fine catch taken by Matt
Reinholds at second slip.
TBE brought up his first 5 wicket haul for the club by bowling his final victim.
It was a great spell and great to see him unleash the potential he has in
buckets.
It had been a great effort in the field with attaching field positions, some
great catching and bowlers bowling to set fields whilst making the most of the
conditions.
Hurlingham all out for 139
Hurlingham generously applauded us off the field but felt they too had a chance
given their bowling attach.
Blair Hartland opened up with trophy chasing Miami Mike and did well to get an
edge on a ball that bounced and seamed. Mike there bore the brunt of some short
pitched deliveries had had few options but to take the odd body blow. Both he
and Matt Fanning slowly steadied the ship.
The second wicket partnership was worth 65, in the face of some particularly
fiery opening spells from ‘George’ the former minor counties pro and Sam Martin.
The trickiest stuff had been repelled only for Matt to ran himself out for a
well earned 21 having seen off the opening bowlers.
Things started to look wobbly when Dormer & Simm came and went, 75-4 & a further
65 for victory. But the seasoned pro Reinhold’s together with Miami Mike
steadied the ship and took on the rejuvenated fiery short stuff with great
success and carried the total to within 2 of the win.
Tricky having paced around nervously for most of the day then had the honour to
play and miss at a few before slotting one in the arc over and beyond to bring
up the winning runs.
During the day the New Zealand High Commissioner Derek Leask came down to offer
his support to the club and later joined us for Hurlingham’s End of Season
dinner. It’s great to have the support of the High Commissioner to the club as
he has done throughout the season.
The curtailed cricket allowed for an extended opportunity of pints and pimms
consumption with the company of peacocks that had a penchant for crisps. Later
Hurlingham had once again invited us to play part within their end of season
dinner and presentation. The magnificent room was a great setting for the fine
cuisine and speeches. Somewhere during the night talk turned to the immanent
North South game to be held the following day…
Photos from the
Hurlingham Dinner
Scoreboard
Hurlingham 139 All Out (40 Overs)
LNZCC 143 for 5 (36 Overs LNZCC win by 5 wickets
Batting
Runs Catches Stumpings
Stats
Blair Hartland 0
caught
Mike Oliver
69*
11 x 4s, 1 x 6 107min, 77 balls
Matt Fanning 21
1
run out
Ben Dormer
4 1
caught
Blair Simm
0
lbw
Matt Reinholds 31
1
bowled
Richard Keyse 4*
2
Pete Tippen DNB
Vance Thompson DNB
1
Gerard Walsh DNB
Tim Bills-Everett DNB
Extras
14
FOW: 0, 65,
74, 75, 138
Sam Martin
12 overs, 5maidens, 24 runs, 1 wicket
Bowling
O M R W
Stats
Vance Thompson 12.5 1
45 3 caught, c&b, bowled
Tim Bills-Everett 16 9 26
5 4 wicket maidens bowled x 2, lbw, caught x 2
Mike Oliver 3
0 8 0
Gerard Walsh 4
1 21 2 caught x 2
Matt Reinholds 5
0 31 0
Extras 17
FOW: 18, 29,
46, 49, 121, 126, 133, 133, 138, 139
GBK Man of the Match : Tim Bills-Everett
Umpire
: Martin Conway
Scorer
: Peter Coleman
LNZ won toss
and elected to field in this declaration match commencing at 11.10am
