Strollers Vis-ably denied second tour win after epic run chase
posted: April 29, 2014

In general, the second match of any tour arrives a little too early for most Strollers. While the events of the previous night were not, perhaps, characterised by the Babylonian excesses older Strollers recall with pale faces and trembling hands, it had still been quite a full evening. The greater part of it was occupied by fine dining and drinking at the farmhouse restaurant and vineyard run by Oliver (El Presidente of Vis CC), during which Oliver had entertained the assembled and startled masses by manually stimulating his clearly enraptured pet dog Pecoc at the dinner table.

There was also a sing-off with some keen Croatian vocalists, including a full length Bohemian Rhapsody, led by Gav, and as the hour grew late, Strollers concluded proceedings with a truly appalling tequila or two at Vis bar Bejbi’s during which George ‘Mad Dog’ Brown exchanged a few pleasantries with the locals.

These events obviously took a toll upon us all, and there was a bit of groaning and moaning next morning. Older Strollers (this bloody writer most of all) felt very creaky and achey as well and were moving with all the freedom of Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein. Our numbers were also reduced to nine, Matt having had to do an early morning exit to Zagreb. So it was with no enthusiasm whatsoever that we greeted the news that skipper Tom had lost the toss and we would field.

The weather was also sunnier and warmer than on the previous day, which, given the condition of most Strollers confronting the prospect of 30 overs in the field, was not necessarily a good thing. However, we got off to a good start. Opener Stanko lifted Simon to extra cover in the first over, where he was caught in by Tim in best, approved All Blacks catching mode. In his next over Simon induced Rob, one of the better Vis players to play on and the oppo were two down for not very many.

But we knew that this didn’t mean an awful lot, as Craig was now in and nothing was certain until he was out. The Strollers have played a few teams over the years which depend on one player before but never one in which the contrast between this one man and everyone else has been so apparent. Craig is a very, very good batsman, one of the best we have ever played against. He set about all the bowlers mercilessly, only Spencer (who bowled beautifully, swinging the ball away from the right-hander, but remained wicketless) and Gideon (also bowling very well) escaping dire punishment. The cause of the Strollers was not helped by having only nine fielders and Craig picked his fielders and his gaps very well.

He was given extremely valuable stoic support by Istok, who had a few chances missed in the slips, the best chance falling to Simon who contrived to be thinking about something else when the ball came to him, and thus depriving Gideon of a well-deserved wicket. He eventually carried his bat for 44 runs.

Craig was once almost run out, but apart from that offered only one chance in his entire innings (a rocket fuelled low thump for six to long off) and it would have been a chance to no-one else on the side but Spencer. Searching desperately for a willing victim, Tom turned to Davey, who semi-willingly doffed the keeper pads and began bowling his little leggies (he’s a little lad – Ed). His very first ball – a rank long hop – was flat-batted with ferocity to long on where Spencer took a fine running catch.

But by that time the damage had been done. Craig had scored 137 and Vis eventually made 243 off their 30 overs. One hundred and sixty of these had come off the final 15 overs. The carnage was horrible to watch, let alone field to.

At the beginning of the Strollers innings it would be fair to say that few of us thought we could go along at eight an over to win this one. But we proceeded to bat as well as we have ever done, certainly in the memory of this Stroller. There were runs all the way down the order. Indeed, at one juncture, skipper Tom observed that the scorecard looked like that of, you know, a proper cricket team. Having posted a solid and quickfire opening stand of 71 with Gav, the skipper was unluckily run out for 36, after playing some good shots, by the long-haired Medic, who tossed the ball onto the stumps while supine, a feat he could surely not have repeated.

This brought Ron to the crease with Gav, which is the big guy’s cricket heart of darkness. “Oh, the horror, the horror,” he could be found murmuring to himself, clearly in the grip of terrible recollections, hours after the game had ended. Ron runs like a young hare on amphetamines, and Gav, err, does not. Ron would screech “TWO!” as the ball meandered towards the covers, in a voice that might have been heard in Split, and then motor down the wicket at a rate of knots as the big guy set off for the other end at a slightly more pedestrian rate and with an expression of mounting alarm (and depression – Ed).

Before long, the inevitable occurred and Gav was run out after scoring 28, which brought young Davey to the crease. At this point we were still on the rate and Dave and Ron continued to push on nicely, Ron at one point lifting the ball for a sweet six into the vineyard and David timing the ball well. With a lot of batting to come, not least Spencer, and with us never falling off the rate we could feel comfortable. Even when Craig brought himself on to bowl, his pace was too lively for the ‘keeper and numerous byes added to the total. The chunky ‘keeper was also the chef of the excellent Vis fish restaurant, outside which young Davey had contrived to vomit copiously on the opening night of the tour – no tour (or century - Ed) involving Couldrey being complete without at least one such episode.

Ron was eventually bowled by Craig three short of his half century and David was unluckily caught down the leg side by the chunky wicket-keeper/chef after gloving El Presidente, but there was no cause for alarm. Spencer was at the wicket by now and doing terrible execution, at one point hitting a majestic straight six back over the bowler’s head and ably supported by début tourist Gideon.

The climactic moment arrived at the beginning of the penultimate over, which began with 12 runs needed and which looked utterly gettable. In fact, there were only 8 runs needed, it later transpired, but there had been a scoring cock-up which did our cause no good. Gideon was out at the beginning of the over, and George couldn’t get the ball away. That over came and went with only run scored and suddenly the dynamic had shifted. Four were scored from the last over before Spencer was bowled by Craig with the Strollers falling only three runs short.

It had been an heroic effort and one that ought to have been crowned with victory. To deprive a team for whom one player had scored 137 of a win would indeed have been a great triumph. But a wonderful tour, and there was always beer to console us. We had been royally treated by our hosts; in fact, it is fair to say that we have never received such warm and hospitable treatment in any tour. We were fed and watered like kings. A big thanks to all at Vis CC and long may cricket prosper in this unexpected corner of the cricketing cosmos.

Simon Boughey
29.04.14

scorecard - match two
match report - match one
scorecard - match one