Jul, 2013 – Shoddy Sharks Lose Their Way Again

JCL1 – Sharks vs Wyverns at Sano3
29.06.13. By Anton Lloyd-Williams

Our second tussle with the Wyverns in as many weeks was a much less one sided affair. The advantage ebbed and flowed but in the end it was the Wyverns who finished on the peak of a wave that took them to victory and gave the Sharks another defeat to rue.

The day started a little ominously when our in form speedmeister, Awal, retired hurt at 0730 following an incident with a bicycle. A quick ring around proved fruitless so we took the field with 10: Vicky, Molloy, Adit, Anton, Dave L, Sagar, Takady, Sumon, Alwin and a super trim StatNav 2.0.

Sano 3 was already steaming by the time we got there to lose the toss and be offered the field. Umpire Mee checked the field, the batswoman (Yep! Yamamoto from the national squad) took middle and off, Takady went to his bowler’s mark and it was time to……..hang on. No ball? Skipper Sancheti retrieved it and play started.
The match can quite easily be separated into the 6 sessions. Like drip-tray dregs in a Glasgow pub, the sessions went to whoever fought hardest for them. Session 1 – Overs 1-15.

Bowling

The opening exchanges were suitably cagey. The bowlers struggled to find a good line, Sumon who had gamely agreed to be gloveman for the day, was having a bit of trouble picking up stray balls and the batsmen couldn’t get much out of the square.
Ogawa, fresh off 208* played and missed at a few but made the first real impact by sending a couple over the boundary. While he blasted, Yamamoto prodded but didn’t get much joy out of the sticky turf. Her’s was the first wicket to drop as she was caught behind after swatting at a Takady lifter. This lifted Shark spirits ut the joy was short lived. Inexplicably, we dropped our guard and got sucker punched with two’s and fours for the next 40 minutes or so.

It didn’t seem like we had lost the ability to bowl and field – it felt like we had lost the will to do so. A couple of catches went begging, wides meandered past the pads, balls careened away from slow diving bodies and chasing fielders gave the impression that they were running into a strong wind. It wasn’t the heat though. It was a collective coma that we would need to shake ourselves out of sharpish.

We staggered back to our corner after 15 overs, slightly bloodied and bewildered. The score had moved onto 101 for 1 and we hadn’t really noticed. Session 1 to the Wyverns, clearly.
Vicky rallied the troops and a stiff word or two from the lavender-tongued Lollback put a bit of spine back into the Sharks. We retook the field with vigour and noise for Session 2 – Overs 16-30. Our new resolve was personified perfectly by Adit harrying and hustling up the hill to the already set batsmen. He soon upset their afternoon of ease by getting the ball to move off the seam on a good length. Dot balls started to spatter the scorebook and the batsmen’s banter turned to wry grins as the edge was beaten.

Hanada looked particularly uncomfortable against this barrage and looked to get off strike. This he managed by allowing the ball to upend his woodwork, swatting at one that he should have blocked. As Adit turned up the pressure valve with a testing line and length, Ogawa looked to let off some of the steam with a flick to leg. He didn’t read the leg cutter though and the ball skewed off the top of the bat to be pouched by Sagar running in from point. An outstanding piece of pressure building from a genuinely canny bowler. Even the Umpire expressed his admiration. The Sharks ramped up the noise and everyone was eager for the ball to come to them. The normally talismanic Chino was having a torrid time against Vicky’s speed and line and the scorebook was seldom troubled. Oooh!s and Aaah!s rang around the square with increasing frequency as the bat found nothing but air. Something had to go. It was Chino. Struck plum by a Sancheti Special on the toe playing all over one.

Alwin also played his part and kept an end pretty much tied up with a testing line and so it was a boisterous crew of Sharks who took drinks at 30 Overs. We had sent 3 dangermen back to the hutch for a snivelling 37 runs. Session 2 firmly to the Sharks then.

It became clear that the intensity that burned throughout Session 2 had been extinguished by Pocari Sweat and Aquarius during the break. Our bowling lost its penetration and our fielders lost their way as they manoeuvred under balls dropping from the skies. Despite some tight work from Lollback with the ball, with wickets in hand, the batsmen teed off making the boundary a busy place to be. Fours were really just short sixes as the ball took to the air. Wyverns had a fair amount of luck too – balls dropping between fielders, inside edges missing stumps etc – but they deserved it.

A groggy bedragglement of Sharks found their way back to the tent having seen 81 fly off the bat in 10 overs (and that, even in spite of two Lollback maidens!). The Wyverns closed on 219 / 5. Session 3 to the Wyverns.

Batting

Half an hour or so for lunch and it was Molloy and Lollback back into the breach to set about the Wyverns total. A Required Run Rate of just 5.5 meant that “Steady as she goes” would see us over the line if we could keep our wickets intact in Session 4.

Lollback set out his stall with a series of flamboyant leaves to anything that looked dangerous and some graceful strokeplay to balls that drifted offline. He provided good support for Molloy who drove at thin air before finding his range on a couple of solid cuts that hit the rope. The partnership survived a dropped catch out at cow corner and moved on to 35 before an uppish Molloy drive ran out of breath and dropped into the hands of deepish mid off.

Alwin came in and looked solid in presenting a straight bat to preserve his wicket. It was up to Lollback to whirr his blade and cut loose with some trademark cuts and long, looping drives out to his buddy at long off whose hands were slippery enough to keep the Lollback show on the road till drinks. At 64 for 1 we could be a little generous in saying that it was honours even in Session 4. We would need to find another gear to start pushing for a victory. We barely got out of neutral though. Alwin was first on the chopping block. He fell cheaply by prodding at one that never seemed to reach him. StatNav followed in an almost identical pattern – playing his way in through a flurry of full toss pies and then thoughtfully providing dessert in the shape of some catching practice to the ring (not that they needed any more bloody practice!).

As the wickets fell so the required run rate started to rise. Captain Sancheti’s job now was to steady the ship and leave Dave to do the muscle work. As before, he applied himself to this job with relish and picked up his half ton in the 20th over. He was dropped again but ran out of lives a few over later, caught well by Ota on the run near the cover boundary.

The rest of the batsmen followed in a stately procession. Takady was caught behind chasing one down leg while  Anton was cleaned up offering something horrible to a good length ball. This took us to drinks with 126 on the board and the Wyverns now well on top. A sticky feeling of resignation oozed through camp Shark at the realisation that we would need more than 10 runs an over to get close. In addition, Vicky had twisted his ankle and could barely walk let alone run.

El Capitano Sancheti, pumped up his chest, puffed out his cheeks and hobbled back out to take the fight home. Sumon played a few tasty strokes, but was caught easily at mid on. Vicky on the other hand started blasting away like a madman. 6s started searing through the air and the run rate was reached, over after over. His 50 came off a suitably enormous drive that almost cleared the river bank. It was an awesome display of direct and powerful batting and the bowlers did not know where to run. The Sharks under canvas began to entertain some wild hopes of victory but Ota wasn’t keen to oblige and accounted for Sagar’s furniture. Adit hung around just long enough for Ota to pop one under another expansive Sancheti drive to bring proceedings to a end. Sharks 179 all out.

Well, what can you say? We had our chances but didn’t seem to press them home. We had too many spells where we were too ordinary. We will need to turn up the heat again if we want to return to winning ways. But if it’s heat we need, July is here and August is just around the corner. Oh joy!

Many thanks to Umpire Mee who did a great job, to the Wyverns for a good game and to Chris Molloy for acting as Match Organizer for the day.aracerdeeo.ruсоздание продвижение и оптимизация сайтовhackask онлайнсумки для макбук эйр 13быстрые деньги займ на картуonline casino spiele ohne downloadescorts agencies dubaicasino listesibeste-onlinecasinos.comкилиманджаро турагентстворадиаторы в квартиру