The Intellectuals
5th Sep 2017 - Alicante
Lost by 18 runs - NRR = -0.9
We arrived at the ground for our second match against The Intellectuals feeling quietly (yes, even Duffy) confident in view of the events the previous day, where we had been mediocre but nonetheless won. A neutral observer might have considered our confidence misplaced: clearly three nights out in a row was starting to take its toll on even the hardiest amongst us. The fact that Torrance had decided to play that day in a kilt and woolen socks should also have been a warning sign. As it happened, there were no neutral observers present to break these home truths to us, and consequently we swaggered onto the field in the manner and with the confidence of the great West Indian teams of the 1980s.
We had agreed with the Intellectuals that we would bowl first, given that our northern contingent of Lumsden and Jolly had to depart early for their flight back to Manchester. Lumsden took on the roll of captain, and opted for the fearsome combination of Jolly and Grant to open the bowling.
It must be concluded, given the number of wickets he has taken over the years, that the sight of Jolly skipping to the wicket in the manner of a Narnian fawn instills great fear in many fine batsmen. Unfortunately, the two batsmen we faced this day were more than up to the task, and dispatched the ensuing array of leg stump long hops to the boundary with ease.
At the other end, Grant (switching between spin and medium pace apparently at random) did a better job at troubling the batsmen, but did not manage to dislodge either. Indeed, this was rather the theme of the innings. Prothero, Spurr, Lumsden and Milton in turn sought in vain to secure our first wicket. Their valiant efforts in the searing midday sun were, it has to be said, not supported by the fielding: a total of six catches went down in this period, with notable mentions going to Dean and Bailey for dropping two each. With the benefit of hindsight, we could perhaps also have helped ourselves by having more than one fielder in the fine leg to cow corner sector, where the majority of the runs were scored.
Eventually one of their batsmen reached his century, and retired, then the other also reached his century and retired. But with the score now at over 200, the two quick wickets secured by Prothero and Dean (decent catch by Duffy) and run out (by Milton and Dean) were scant consolation. The Intellectuals finished on a challenging but not insurmountable 228 for 3 off 30 overs.
As a team used to playing 20 over cricket, scoring at 7.6 runs an over for 30 overs ought not to be too difficult. That said, our record in chasing down large totals (particularly in the absence of star batsman Simon Thomas) is shaky at best. And so it proved again.
Jolly and Lumsden opened the batting, but their eagerness to get to the airport showed: Jolly lasted just two balls, with Lumsden scratching around a little longer for 11. Wilson looked even scratchier for his 11 (strike rate of 28), and was eventually (and unjustly) put of his misery by the kilted Torrance, who adjudicated him LBW. Duffy looked more fluent in scoring 12 at nearly a run a ball, but tried to find the boundary one time too many and was bowled. Grant also perished, as did Bailey (who took 13 balls to score 1 run).
At this point, we were plodding along at less than 3 runs an over, rather than the required 7.6. A humiliating loss by a huge margin seemed inevitable. However, Torrance (sweating into his woolen socks and kilt) and Milton (just sweating generally) had other ideas. A superb 100 partnership, with Torrance ending up on an unbeaten 55 and Milton scoring a rapid 50 of 27 deliveries, invigorated the crowd and showed what could be done. Unfortunately, it was too little too late, and we ended up on 172 for 7, a losing margin of 56 runs.
Batting
| Player | Runs scored | How Out | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Jolly |  | ||||
| Stuart Lumsden | |||||
| Justin Wilson | |||||
| James Duffy | |||||
| Andy Grant | |||||
| Jon Bailey | |||||
| Bruce Torrance | |||||
| Chris Milton | |||||
| Andy Spurr | |||||
| Mark Dean | |||||
| Rob Jackson | |||||
| Extras |
CIPA - 172 for 7 off 30
Scorebook
Fielding
| Player | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | SR | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Jolly | ||||||
| Andy Grant | ||||||
| Andy Spurr | ||||||
| Stuart Lumsden | ||||||
| Chris Milton | ||||||
| Mark Dean | ||||||
| Extras |
Scorebook
Catches: James Duffy,
Drops: Mark Dean (2), Jon Bailey (2), Andy Grant, Mark Jolly,
