JCL Div. 1 – Chiba Sharks vs Paddy Foley’s
Sano 3, September 1, 2013, by Chris Molloy
Having let Paddy Foley’s off the hook in our earlier encounter this season, the Sharks were determined to exact revenge this time around. Things were off to a shaky start, though, with two players suddenly unavailable late in the week. Fortunately, 12th man Mairaj was there to step up, but we were still left one short facing a team with arguably the most imposing bowling lineup in the competition.
The weather was equally imposing, with the mercury hitting 35 degrees at Tatebayashi station at 9:30 a.m. and threatening to go even higher. El Capitano Sancheti duly lost the toss, so out into the field we headed. Fronting up for the Sharks were Alwin, Charles, Dave L, Mairaj, Molloy, Navin, Scott, Sumon, Takady, and Vicky.
Bowling
Our performance in the field was wobbly at the start. Vicky wisely rotated his bowlers in short (mainly two-over) spells, knowing that they would probably struggle to maintain their strength in the fierce heat. Takady stormed in and bowled at lightning pace throughout the day, maintaining his recent consistency, while also showing superior fitness. Molloy failed to find his radar, and was dispatched over the suspiciously short square leg boundary. Vicky bowled consistently, while throwing in the odd effort ball to keep the batsmen on their toes, and Dave L was his usual miserly self, failing to bowl a single wide for the third consecutive match.
At several points, Paddy Foley’s threatened to take the game away from us, but we managed to take wickets whenever the situation seemed desperate. Several bowlers came back well from indifferent starts, as exemplified by Scott, who uprooted a batsman’s stumps immediately after having been dispatched for a couple of boundaries.
All in all, it was a mixed effort in the field. We dropped a couple of straightforward chances and misjudged a couple of difficult ones, but also took two hard, running catches in the outfield (well done Alwin and Takady). Charles had a good day behind the stumps, grabbing all four edges that came his way – one unfortunately turned down. Molloy returned later in the innings to bowl some leggies, which were described generously as “Steve Smith-esque,” and errantly as “unplayable,” but proved good enough on a couple of occasions.
|
Bowler |
Overs |
Maidens |
wd/nb |
Runs |
Wickets |
| Takady | 7 | 2 | 4/2 | 20 | 2 |
| Chris M | 8 | 8 | 64 | 2 | |
| Vicky | 5 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| Dave L | 6.3 | 1 | 0/1 | 37 | 2 |
| Alwin | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| Scott | 5 | 3/2 | 35 | 2 | |
| Mairaj | 2.5 | 3 | 20 | 1 | |
| Sumon | 2 | 2 | 18 |
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In the end, Paddy Foley’s were all out for 222—a target that would likely be challenging with only ten men, but hardly impossible. After wilting in the heat for 38 overs, we needed some time to catch our breath and replace some fluids.
Batting
When we went out to bat, though, the skies had changed dramatically, with dark clouds and thunder prevailing. Dave L and Molloy got the innings off to a steady start, reaching 35 without loss after 7 overs. But with lightning bolts frequently striking from the off-side as the bowler ran in to deliver, Dave thought that standing out in the middle of an exposed field might not be such a great idea.
Paddy Foley’s gamely suggested playing on, and for a while were even dismissive of the heavy rain that soon arrived. Their optimism soon vanished though, followed almost immediately by the team members themselves.
|
Batsman |
How Out |
4/6 |
Balls |
Runs |
| Dave L | NOT OUT | 2 | 28 | 18 |
| Chris M | NOT OUT | 1 | 14 | 10 |
| Extras | 6 |
|
||
|
7 overs |
0 | for | 34 |
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It was a frustrating end to the day, then, especially as we had seemed poised to make a decent fist of the chase. Still, at least no one got hit by lightning, or (presumably) the tornado that hit nearby Saitama the next day.
