Strollers plundered in Portugal (day two)
posted: May 20, 2025
The second game of any Strollers tour is always challenging and, still licking our wounds from the fallout of the day before, our first challenge was getting everyone out of bed in time for the 11am start. For some, bedtime had only come a few hours earlier and with only a handful of Strollers ready at the changing rooms at the appointed hour and with Harry still absent, vice skipper Spencer went out to the middle for the toss with Prem – Oporto’s affable fixture secretary who would captain Oporto himself for the Sunday game. Prem kindly agreed to a delayed start time for a 35 over match and, knowing a few of our number would need to leave early to catch planes and trains that evening, suggested we again field first so we could get a full XI on the pitch.
Once enough of us had arrived we got underway and Oporto kickstarted their innings, carrying directly on from where they left off the day before, with powerful opener Anantharaman hoisting Kash’s first ball of the day for four over square leg. Still ambling around in the doldrums our spirits were lifted when Ali casually kicked a football off the pitch only for it to bounce directly back on from the wall beyond the boundary. Everyone chuckled and our collective fug lifted.
Oporto’s batsmen made steady headway to reach the fifty mark in the ninth over but were stilted when George, who had unluckily seen a chance put down the previous day, was brought into proceedings early on and bamboozled the young Ghazwan with a loopy off break allowing Tom – fancying his chances as keeper for the day – to whip off the bails and claim our first breakthrough.
Anthony Chambers came in at three for the oppo and immediately imposed himself with some powerful hitting to match Anantharaman who, passing fifty, had developed a taste for launching everything square of the wicket, although was constantly unable to read George’s flight. In the end it was Spencer who got him though when he top edged one and Tom scrambled forward to hang onto a difficult catch.
Chambers belligerently battled on and took his side up to the 200 mark but around him wickets fell with frequency as Nidhish picked up a brace, squaring up Cox and having Raman well taken by Gaurav. Harry emerged from wherever he’d been and came on to get straight into the action and had Prem caught at cow corner once again by Gaurav who clearly was seeing the ball beautifully. Nidhish took another in the deep to see off Nirijan and Gaurav cleaned out Arriscado for a duck. This was going better.
Chambers was incandescent at himself when he fell short of what looked like a bolted on hundred when he holed out to Tim who took a trademark rugby style catch off Harry at deep cover and with Oporto’s late order only adding a handful of runs the oppo closed on a Benaud-sounding 222-8 …a good total for sure but well within our normal range to chase down within 35 overs.
After another leisurely lunch washed down with a healthy glug of port, we set about our response. After some heated discussions about the batting order the previous evening, Spencer decided to shuffle the pack and sent in Tom and Ron to open our innings. Sadly neither found the task any easier and Ron was dismissed early, snicking to gully off Oluwadamilola. Ali, promoted to the Ricky Ponting number 3 slot (mainly on account of having to check in for his return flight rather than any particular cricketing reason) chose to seize the moment and unleashed a flurry of powerful hits that sailed more upwards than outwards and managed to scamper to 7 before chipping one back to Oporto’s big opening bowler.
Tom, having stoically dug in sadly couldn’t make inroads and was sent back to the hutch with an 18 ball duck having scooped one up to Prem. Gav, in at four, managed to carve a trademark cut shot to the boundary before Cox squeezed a yorker under his bat and Tim nurdled his way to 7 until he too was caught off Patel. Thanks to a combination of some super-sharp fielding and our inexperience on the artificial track, we just couldn’t get going and found ourselves slumped to 57-5 after 15 overs… was this to be a repeat of yesterday’s debacle?
Typically, Harsh had other ideas and if anyone could be trusted to right our ship, ‘The Judge’ was our man. Channeling the spirit of 2009 (when he blasted a towering and unbeaten 142 on the same ground) with a trademark flat drive over long on for four Harsh lit the touch paper and, for the first time this weekend, Oporto had to do some thinking how to contain us. Whatever their plans were, they didn’t work as Harsh defiantly took the game to the oppo with a flurry of blows, including a brace of big sixes over midwicket. Joined by Gaurav in the middle we finally eased into third, then fourth gear and our pace picked up sharply, bringing us ever closer to the challenging required rate.
Having taken our 6th wicket stand past 80, Harsh turned for two to reach his thoroughly-deserved half century and, with that, elected to leave the stage on 51… his years catching up with him and, in the humid heat, collapsed on the boundary’s edge to catch his breath whilst his team mates gleefully applauded a potentially game changing innings.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t sustain the momentum and Gaurav – who had reached a very respectable 37 – counted himself unlucky when he was caught on the square leg boundary by what he felt sure was an above-the-waist no ball. We passed the 150 mark but from there our progress sadly slowed with Harry caught cheaply by Oluwadamilola. Spencer enjoyed a moment for the history books when, with his fourth single, he brought up his 7,000th Strollers run, a towering achievement and a club record. Alas, no sooner had he raised his bat in celebration than he found himself bowled next ball by Raman… cricket in a nutshell.
Kash could only add a few more before he was caught off Niranjan, making way for a weary Harsh to return to the crease. His tired legs were spared though when Nidhish, last in, was bowled by Ghazwan and, with that, the game was up, Oporto winning by 58 runs – certainly a decisive victory but one by no means as crushing as Saturday’s game and we ended our tour with pride at least partially restored.
Once again we repaired to the clubhouse terrace for drinks and a dip in the pool, Tim determinedly swimming fifty lengths to secure a half century of sorts on tour. The weekend had certainly had its lows but undoubtedly its highs too and, at the invitation of our kind hosts, we pencilled in a return to Oporto in 2029 …potentially a stylish way to celebrate what will be the Strollers’ 40th anniversary.
With Kash, Ron, Gaurav, Tom and Ali all departing early, those who remained took the opportunity on Sunday evening to dine at Graham’s port lodge and enjoy the finest fare on offer whilst overlooking a stunning vista across Porto, the sun setting on another truly memorable tour. Our sincere thanks go to all at Oporto for their peerless hospitality over the weekend and especially to our own Tour Secretary Ron for arranging a truly epic weekend. We now look forward to our domestic season ahead.
Continuem Passeando!
Gavin Richardson
20.05.2025
scorecard >>
tour report (day one) << |
