Chiba Sharks Cricket Club
Chiba Sharks Cricket Club
2008/9 Indoor Comp: Sharks v Shano, etc
A veritable school of Ichihara Sharks (Dave L, Chris T, Markus, Navin, Nikhil, Varun and Kris B) rolled up for an important double header on Jan 31. We sat second on the points table to Team Mach after 5 games each. However, we faced third placed Sano, only one point behind after one less game and having, somehow, beaten the seemingly invincible all-female Team Mach. This was a crucial game and, wow, did it live up to expectations!
The Sharks won the toss. Sano batted first and despite some quite tight, but, at times unlucky, bowling, they managed to get regular singles and some back net action, not losing as many wickets as we would have liked. The most important pair for Sano was the last batting pair. Perhaps the key to their game – their one female player. What a difference a dame makes! (Sorry – couldn’t resist!) She was no pushover with the bat and was able to punish us with 37 runs (about 12 in real terms, which is not bad at all). Considering their total score was XX, her contribution was telling.
So, we had 94 to get so each pair needed to get a wriggle on! The first pair of Dave L and Navin did fairly well, but a few unfortunate moments of overzealousness saw us at 19 after 4 overs. Nikhil and Kris, under instructions to play safe, hit the points nets and not to get out proceeded to do quite the opposite. Uncharacteristically getting out 4 times, they did make it up with some heavy hitting toward the end. We still entered the last four overs needing a very difficult 54.
Thoughts, and calculations, turned not so much to winning but not allowing Sano a bonus point. THEN, with a clatter of flashing hooves, a crash of thunder and cries of “Hi-ho Siiiiiiiiiiiilver”, into the nets strode the twin colossus (or colossuses or colossi or whatever the plural is) – Graphic and Chris. A circumspect start saw them push it around a bit, but with some lusty blows to boot. But it was clear the eye of tiger was with them and with overly (i.e. each over) updates from Dave it became clear that we MIGHT have a very slim chance.
That was enough for these two warhorses – it was bloody well GAME ON! Kashiwa has never seen the likes of it and we know Sano hope they never will again. Sharp of eye, fleet of foot (well, fleetish), and with Popeye-esque power, the back net, not to mention the bowlers took what will go down in Ichihara Shark folklore as a damned good pounding! Like a batting Adam Gilchrist with a plane home to catch! It came down to the last over – 6 balls, 18 runs. No mean feat with most of the Sano team lining the back net. “I can see a gaAaap”, says Mr. Chris. “Bang!”, says Mr. Bat! Oh, yeah? “Wallop!”, says Mr. Adams! A couple of tight balls (and not only belonging to the ones watching!) saw the Sharks down to the laaaaast two deliveries needing, Jeez, Ican’trememberbutitwaslike ten. Crash! Six! THEN enter the nightmare of all bowlers, the spectre of the stumps, the wobbly wheels… The bowler dropped his bundle! A couple down leg saw us gifted four runs AND more importantly ANOTHER BALL. Tied. One to get. Graphic nudges it the side net. Chris takes off. Graphic goes hell for leather. The field converges. Arms flail. Teeth nash. Cheeks clench. And ………. IN! Sharks win, Kashiwa goes wild, Obama says, “Yes we can!” (again), Aso resigns, and fireworks light up the Kanto Plain. But… they were but a mere dim, flickering candle flame… to the pyrotechnics… we had just witnessed. Sharks 95 – San 94. Whew! BUT, we still had one more game to play and had to be on our guard lest we get complacent.
Yellow Magic might sound like a bathroom cleanser but we certainly did not want to get towelled up by this mob… Winning the toss again the Sharks showed we were still focused. Good teamwork all round had them minus 15 at the end of over one. They did recover somewhat to post a reasonable 52 but that was not going to stop the now rampant Ichihara Sharks! The batting was steading without reaching the spectacular heights of the previous game. The only one real dip in the batting was the rather fortuitous and rapid one taken by the newly-betrothed Varum at the non-striker end to avoid a murderous head-high drive from Kris. Getting the runs was not going to be a problem, however we wanted the extra bonus point by beating YM by more than 25 runs. A nice little reprise from Graphic and Chris saw us to that mark. Sharks 88 – Yellow Magic 52.