Strollers finally victorious!

It was not without a due mixture of elation and relief that the Strollers celebrated their first victory of the 2008 season with a fine win over the Highgate Irregulars at the Hampstead Heath Extension on Sunday.

From the outset it hadn’t looked at all hopeful - with Gav struggling against nearly every conceivable obstacle in getting a side together over the preceding 48 hours, he had to endure a rude awakening with a 9am phone call from the opposition – justifiably irate at the prospect of having to cancel the fixture at the eleventh hour with the Strollers numbers having dipped to a paltry 7 ! However, in true Dunkirque spirit, the remaining hands did all they could to find souls willing to step up to the mark and Sunday morning’s frantic search bore fine fruit with the very welcome returns of Mickey Leighton and Bill Ward to the side along with father/son combo Simon and Harry Webb, drafted from the morning colts session at NLCC. And, after a somewhat surreal search for the pitch in the middle of Hampstead Heath at 2pm the game, finally, was on!

Gav lost the toss, but was not unhappy at being asked to field first on a spongy green-top wicket that looked like it would do little to aid the batsmen. With a good attack at his disposal, Simon and Mikey opened the bowling with excellent line and length and the Strollers had the Irregulars pinned down from the off – after ten overs the score had reached only 35 without loss.

However, on the hottest day for several weeks, both bowlers looked to tire slightly as the batsmen began to hit their stride so Gav switched to spin with Graeme and Mickey brought on in a double change. This seemed to unsettle the batsmen further until Patel took a frustrated heave, lobbing the ball high in the air, and Graeme took a well judged catch off his own bowling, with the score on 46.

A flurry of wickets then followed shortly after when George took the first of two excellent diving catches at deep mid on off Mickey’s bowling, dismissing the Irregulars’ other opener, Elwes. Graeme then trapped Mitchell – apparently the prize wicket – LBW for a duck. As Mickey collected his second wicket, with a catch again taken by George, the Irregulars slipped to 56-4 and the pressure was on. The field closed in as the Strollers crowded the bat and the game entered a tense stalemate, with the Irregulars’ middle order doing well to survive, pinching runs here and there until both Graeme and Mickey  each completed an excellent spell.

Believing the pressure to be off, the batsmen’s eyes clearly lit up when eleven year old Harry Webb took over from Graeme. But their relief was short-lived as all assembled looked on in amazement as his first ball whizzed through at breakneck speed to keeper Bill Ward, beating the bat. That amazement was amplified to yelps of disbelief and delight from his team-mates when, next ball, Harry clean bowled the Irregulars’ belligerent number six, Charles Trevor! Harry number two (Brown Jnr) took over at the other end, also demonstrating some impressive pace, and all around looked on with satisfaction as the ‘Strollers Academy’ took the controls.

Now the Irregulars knew they had a real scrap on their hands so Webb and Hamilton set to work with a series of lusty blows that finally brought up the hundred in the 26th over.

George was brought into the attack to restore some order and immediately unsettled the batsmen to the point that Hamilton hit his wicket, breaking an ominous looking partnership. Next in, Mitchell Jnr didn’t last much longer as he scooped up a catch to Patel – kindly subbing from the Irregulars – at mid off. Still, Webb hit his straps and as the innings neared it’s close managed to hoist the Irregulars total up to something like competitive with several more boundaries square of the wicket.

Mikey was brought back into the attack for the final overs and, on the penultimate ball of the innings, reaped just rewards when he clean bowled Gray. Webb ran a single on the last, closing with the Irregulars total on 160-8 with his own score a well earned 39 not out. The Strollers walked off in upbeat mood, feeling they had turned in an excellent effort in the field and given themselves a reachable target.

After the briefest of teas, Gav and George marched out to open the Strollers innings, hopeful of emulating their good stand of the previous game. Sadly, it was not to be as with the Irregulars’ opening bowlers Mitchell and Patel both skidding the ball low along the grassy surface, runs were hard to come by. Frustrated, George took a heave down the wrong line and was bowled by Mitchell and several balls later Gav holed out with a cover drive to (apparently) the Irregulars’ best fielder – both dismissed for just a single apiece.

With the early loss of both openers, the Strollers were on the back foot so both Bill and Mickey dug in. For a while the runs dried up as the Irregulars’ attack probed a nagging yet accurate line limiting scoring opportunities to the bare minimum and, after 10 overs with the score just on 29-2, the Strollers began to worry.

Bill sensed the urgency of the situation and made an admirable fist of attempting to kick-start the innings and with a series of punchy shots got himself up to 25 before the Irregulars’ first change bowler Gray sent down a nigh-on unplayable delivery that broke from leg at speed and bowled Bill through a very narrow gate. Still, the momentum had begun to gather pace and with the arrival of Graeme at number five, things were not about to slow down.

Graeme upped the ante with some neat running between the wickets whilst Mickey elected to save himself the bother and, with his eye now in, began to lash out with a couple of big sixes to mid on. Graeme too worked the ball well square of the wicket and the hundred came up at a kilter in the 27th over. Still the required run rate had snuck over 6 per over and, despite the flowing batting display, the Strollers’ nerves began to rise. Nerves not helped by the sight of Graeme’s dismissal who, having made a typically feisty 31, saw his off bail dislodged off the probing bowling of Mike Phillips.

With 50 still to get in the remaining seven overs, the situation seemed tailor made for Mikey – whose explosive run chases are now the stuff of Stroller legend – and, as he marched out at number six, there was a sense of make or break about the Strollers’ chase. Despite surviving a couple of close LBW shouts Mikey got straight down to the task at hand and, with the assured calm of North London regulars, both he and Mickey struck the ball well to all corners of the ground — and all on the boundary were delighted to see Mickey reach his fifty with another glorious six over the bowler’s head. With just 21 now needed off the last five overs it looked to be almost a done deal until the alarm bells were set off when Mickey, having made 63, was caught behind off the leg break bowling of Patel Jnr.

With Gav busy umpiring, Simon dutifully saved the nerves of the junior ranks and promoted himself up the order and with true Bob Willis grit marched out to hold up an end and farm the strike to Mikey who, unfazed, made quick work of knocking off the remaining runs and with one magnificent six over mid on secured, at long last, the first Strollers win of 2008!

The Irregulars were the first to congratulate the celebrating Strollers and, despite the doubts at the start of the day, all present were glad to have enjoyed a very competitive match in fine summer weather. It had been a true team effort both in the field – where the wickets were shared around – and with the bat, with at least three key partnerships helping us over the winning line.

Having undergone something like the full gamut of emotions from the despair of failing to get a team together to the jubilation of a memorable victory in the space of a day – Gav and his team mates adjourned to the pub for a well earned drink and the mouth watering prospect of our next game against The Village this Wednesday, where another win now seems possible. Hopefully a corner has been turned! Stroll on…

Gavin Richardson
14.07.08

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