Bricklayers Arms build insurmountable total against the Strollers

A shortage of available bowling options meant that the Strollers were unable to prevent the Bricklayers Arms from posting an impressive total of 270-7 at North London CC last Sunday. For the Strollers it was a big ask, ultimately too much so, in a game not without it’s fair share of highlights and incident.

Having won the toss on a fine flat pitch, opposition skipper Fred Shiels unsurprisingly opted to bat first. Although Chris and Graeme led the attack with accuracy, the Bricklayers’ openers didn’t waste time as they hit their straps early and immediately scored at a healthy 6 per over.

Nevertheless the first breakthrough came soon enough when Brunner was beaten by a well judged yorker from Chris, stilting the Bricklayers’ progress. Matters looked even rosier when, just a few balls later, John Lucarotti took an exceptional diving catch high to his right to dismiss Davidson, again off Chris’ bowling.

However this brought Fred to the middle – still feared by many in the Strollers camp thanks to a big hundred he scored against us a few seasons back. Fred didn’t take long to take the attack to the Strollers’ bowling – helped, as some suggested, by the possibility that Gav was treating him with too much respect with the deep set field. Always open to suggestion, the skipper duly moved his fielders round in various permutations but to little effect.

Matters were made worse when first change bowler Wellington, making his Strollers début, broke down with a hamstring injury in the run up for the first ball of his third over. Having demonstrated nippy pace and variable bounce off the seam in his first two overs, the Strollers looked on in sorrow as he was helped off the field.

It was not only the Strollers who succumbed to injury though – that same over as he turned for a second run Fred’s right knee broke down. Struggling through a few deliveries he soon had no option but to call for a runner – whose presence was clearly lost on the Strollers’ skipper who – attempting a run out whilst Fred stood still – only realized that his loud cries of “bowler’s end, bowler’s end!” would be of no effect when he looked up and noticed the bemused expression on the faces of his team mates …Gav returned red faced to mid on.

However, the discomfort clearly bothered Fred as, having made 39, he stabbed a mistimed drive back to George who caught him sharply off his own bowling. The Strollers gasped a collective sigh of relief at the sight of the opposition’s fiery number four returning to the pavilion. In the meantime, the progress of the Bricklayers’ opener Watson had almost gone un-noticed as he continued in circumspect fashion to push his side’s total along.

Before completing his spell, George picked up two quick wickets bowling both Evans and Meek and so collecting a valuable threefer. Graeme returned too to use up his allotted overs and insodoing removed the struggling Winpenny with Chris collecting a regulation catch at short cover.

By now though, with the absence of several key members of their usual attack, the Strollers were struggling for options in the bowling department and this allowed the Bricklayers the opportunity to mount a frustrating sixth wicket partnership between Watson and Ahmed. Watson notched up an untroubled half century as the overs were shared between the likes of John, Andy and Gav – none of whom had bowled in anger in some considerable time and, despite their best efforts, each went for around 10 an over.

It was not until the Strollers turned to the junior element in their ranks that some sort of order was re-established with Harry Brown brought on at the pavilion end and he found a good line straight away. In his third over Brown Jnr’s efforts were rewarded when Ahmed skied a catch to Gav, waiting at mid on. Chris and Josh completed the final overs as tidily as they could manage and the Bricklayers closed on 270 with Watson carrying his bat on an unbeaten 79, leaving the Strollers to take tea with the prospect of chasing down a large total weighing heavily on their minds.

Conscious of the daunting required rate of 8 runs per over – and the fact he had to rush off early to see The Police (the band, not the fuzz) – Gav, opening with George, decided to play with greater abandon than usual. The ploy seemed to pay off as both got their eye in quickly and got the scoreboard ticking over nicely with a number of well-timed boundaries. The 50 partnership was reached without incident in the eighth over with George working the ball well square of the wicket whilst Gav unleashed a series of powerful straight drives including a punched six over the bowler’s head.

Fred pushed back his field as the total approached 80 without loss. However, the introduction of spin into the attack brought the Bricklayers their first wicket as George played down the wrong line to Evans and was bowled having made a useful 24. As often happens, wickets come in pairs and Gav followed suit a few balls later when, having made 38, he played onto his pads with the ball somewhat unluckily rebounding onto the stumps.

At this point details become sketchy as your trusty reporter had to leave the game to attend the aforementioned popular beat ensemble’s engagement at Hyde Park, but from what can be gleaned from the scorebook it seems as though Matt and John only managed a brief stint in the middle with further wickets falling at regular intervals thereafter – although Chris chipped in with a useful 22 along the way and Josh made an unbeaten 11.

The Strollers’ innings closed on 162 all out, over a hundred runs shy of the target. Perhaps a greater total could and should have been reached but, in fairness, the win had not looked likely. Doubtless with more strike bowling available, the Bricklayers would have been restricted to a lower total and a more reachable target.

Whilst there can be nothing but thanks for the efforts of the eleven Strollers that took the field on Sunday (particularly the juniors and our latest newcomer, Wellington) we can only hope that in the busy period to come we will be able to put out a full strength side as often as possible, as there is certainly plenty of match-winning potential there. We just need all guns to be available and firing! Stroll on...

Gavin Richardson
30.06.08

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