JCL – Sharks Vs Predators, 29/3/2009
‘Sharks’, ‘predators’ and ‘friendly’ – words that don’t really seem to fit together. In fact ,‘Sharks VS Predators’ might seem like some desperate would-be Hollywood script-writer’s idea that has missed the boat by several decades and movies. But Sunday March 29 at Fuji was the Chiba Sharks Cricket Club VS Tokyo Predators Cricket Club for our first out-door outing for the 2009 season and, despite the suggestion of teeth and claws, both teams enjoyed a great game played in a spirited, but gentlemanly manner.
We were hoping to take a large squad to the game but we ended up with 10 players making the trek. The Predators graciously rotated a sub when we fielded and also allowed us to bat one player twice. The weather was fair, but with a wind that blew across the ground all day – jumpers were of great value.
The Predators won the toss and put us in under clear skies. Opening for today were Chris and Prashant. It was game on from the start. The first ball, short and quite a way outside off stump, saw immediate action. Chris managed to nick it to the ‘keeper for not only a ‘royal’ duck but one off the very first ball of the season (if there is no official name for that I am sure Chris thought of a few). The bowler and fellow Predators went ballistic and, understandably, did not quieten down for some time. This brought Pat Giles-Jones to the crease. The first run off the bat to Pat saw him also collect the ball heaved from point fair in the back of the head (non-helmented) as he crossed the non-strikers end for the run. Not a great start, but one both openers will remember (or perhaps not). Getting runs was tough going for the first few overs. The Predators had their collective tails up and were very vocal in their encouragement in the field. But once the opening bowlers began to tire and the batsmen found a rhythm the game began to go the way of the Sharks. Prashant in particular dealt severely with anything pitched up, short, on the off, on leg, sending the ball several rows back into the grandstand (if there had happened to be one) and Pat was a great support, also playing some sumptuous drives and cuts. Although the Predators tall spinner did cause some problems with his height and drift in the breeze, after 20 overs Prashant and Pat had knocked up very entertaining 176-run partnership, with Prashant making his first hundred (114 eventually) as a Chiba Shark. Being a ‘friendly’ Prashant was ‘ forcibly retired’ and Dave Lollback joined the well-set Pat. Although the Predators came at us with a bit more intent after the break the runs kept coming, with both Pat and Dave opening up their ample shoulders. The neighbouring field of baseballers were by now all wearing their batting helmets. But all good things come to an end and Pat was caught and bowled off a slower one for a very well-compiled 78. As is sometimes the case after such batting domination, in incoming batmen, well, ummm… our bleedin’ fins fell off, din’ they!! It was mayhem in the middle, with Varun (1), Kris (2), Dave (21), Brett (2), Alexis (0), Levi (0) and a reactivated Prashant (no addition to 114) ALL being CAUGHT trying to force the score, but often hitting straight – and I mean straight – to fielders. Credit to the Predators bowlers as I think they kept their line and held the ball back a bit to let the wind do some work. Held the catches, too. But it was not as much a ‘collapse’ as a ‘beaching’, and there was a lot of the latter going on as well.
Equal, if not superior to the on-field malarky was the headless chook-type balletic performance off field as the revolving door of the dressing-room (if there had happened to be one) tried to synchronize itself with the musicals chairs at the scorer’s desk. Andrew Lloyd-Webber should have been scoring it – in both senses of the word. It may have been easier for someone to take the book, pen and other high-tech instruments into bat. To make matters worse (or probably better) Kris (who happened to be seated and scoring when the beaching stopped) was given a reprieve by Chris and joined Zulu in the middle as the last pair. A couple of more judicious shots saw the score over 250 with Zulu being caught for 6 and Kris n.o. 5, reprised. Sundries were a juicy 28. Chiba Sharks Cricket Club, all over the shop, 257 in 38.1 overs.
While we were probably hoping for something well in excess of 300, given our deep bowling attack we felt 258 was going to be tough for the Predators. Pat opened the innings from the farmland end with Alexis at the river end. By now the wind had a nice little chill to it (but at least it wasn’t raining). It did not take long for Pat the make inroads. The opening strike just could not lay decent willow on ball, if at all, and was on his way LBW by over’s end. But as was for the Predators, there the joy ended for a while. The next pair proceeded to put together a partnership that threaten to take the game away from us. Still playing and missing, getting fortuitous thick edges, these two played themselves in against a variety of our quicker bowlers in Varun, Dave and Levi. It was just not a good day for the quicks. Once set, the batsmen found the middle and the boundary more and more often, and the score fairly rollicked along. After drinks break things started to turn our way. The opener departed for a gritty 47 and although the incoming batsmen played good support, Graeme, the key Predator bat, started to find fielders with his lofted drive and chips, though we did put down a couple of varying difficulty. He finally went for 88, caught at long off by Kris of Zulu. This set things off, with Dave, Levi and others hanging on to chances that came their way. And with the wind still blowing across the pitch, the likes of Prashant (2 wickets), Zulu (2), Brett (1) and later Pat bowling spin (3) took full advantage and were too much for the Predators. Prashant picked up both of his wickets bowled, setting the batsmen up beautifully, and he was unlucky not to get more. Both Zulu and Pat were at times unhittable and it kept ‘keeper Chris on his toes. Brett worked admirable through the tough middle of the innings and was rewarded at the end with a stumping. Alexis also chimed in for a wicket. The one out not taken by a bowler was from a great second effort from Varun to get the ball back to Chris for a run-out. In the end, Tokyo Predators Cricket Club, all out 236 in the growing gloom.
It was a good team win and a good team effort, with Pat and Prashant being obvious standouts. (Note: Prashant is most likely in a select few of cricket players in history to get a hundred AND a duck in the SAME innings!). Everyone was involved either in making some runs, taking wickets, holding catches and keeping the runs down. While we should probably be disappointed we did not support the upper order in batting, but the wickets were shared around and those bowlers who did not take any were unlucky at times. There were some notable fielding efforts. Dave never stopped his boundary riding all day and probably saved ten or more runs in keeping fours down to twos, sometimes in spectacular fashion. Varun was also running down the ball with regularity. Kris in the deep held on to the sharp one from Graeme and, when we needed it most at the death, as a team we held catches and put a lot of run-saving pressure on the new and nervous batsmen.
Thank you to the Predators for the game and we welcome another worthy opponent to our league. We look forward to facing them again in the coming months. See their report at http://www.tokyopredators.com/matchreports.php
