Strollers withstand wet weather to see out season with win
posted: September 23, 2024
With dark skies overhead and the threat of torrential rain ever looming, we were delighted that we were able to complete our final match of the season yesterday, reaching the finish line after a fantastic fightback to claim our fourth successive win. After original oppo Agricola cried off, our chums the Highgate Irregulars gamely stepped in to take us on at Old Cams, equally unfazed by the poor weather forecast.
Sensibly reducing the contest to a 25 over match the HICCs won the toss and chose to bat whilst the pitch was relatively dry and initially made a good start with four of their top five batsmen getting well set and into their twenties. However Spencer's inspirational introduction of Tim 'Sturminator' Sturm into the attack (yes, you read that right) yielded three quick wickets with Abhik, Ron and the skipper himself also making inroads. Bizarrely the Irregulars miscalculated the number of remaining wickets they had at their disposal and somehow managed to send out a twelfth batsman (in the shape of Nick Woollard, making an encore) before Ali was thrown the ball to wrap up the innings, bowling Derek out to dismiss the HICCs for 149.
In normal circumstances that might have seemed a very gettable total but with worsening conditions overhead and underfoot with the wicket only getting muddier, on the resumption after tea we faltered badly. We lost openers Browns senior and junior early on as Vinny, the HICCs' paceman, tore through our top order on his way to a fivefer with none of our first six batsmen making it to double figures.
Just as we seemed doomed to a chastening defeat, Gaurav rose to the occasion and turned our innings around - unlike his comrades seemingly untroubled by the conditions. Ably supported by Tim (clearly buoyed by his performance with the ball), Gaurav notched up his fifty without incident as the two marched on and in the 22nd over we galloped over the winning line - Sturm unbeaten on 35 and Jain carding a superb 80 not out.
So it was with much happiness we ended what has at times been a troublesome season on a high. Whilst more often than not we may have struggled to get a full XI out on the pitch and we've had to cancel far more matches than we would have liked, when we have got a team together we are still pretty good on our day and win more than we don't.
In acknowledgement of one of our mainstays who had a superb season averaging almost 40 with the bat and 22.9 with the ball and, knowing he wouldn't be around to make our AGM later this autumn, Spencer awarded Abhik the Stroller Of The Year trophy then and there ...and richly deserved it was.
And, with that, the curtain came down on our 2024 campaign. Well Strolled, everyone involved!
Gavin Richardson
23.09.2024 scorecard >> |