Midweek vs Phil XI
Author: Gerald Duckworth
Match Report |
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One week ago, the members of Putney CC gathered for a midweek T20 unlike any other this season. It was a cause for celebration and some sadness, as we said goodbye to Tush and Phil who each captained a nine-man side in a match filled with big shots, at-crease drama, and inappropriate boundary music. Looking at the head-to-head between the two captains, Tush had the obvious advantage. He was the more experienced of the two in this format of the game, having played five leaving matches in as many seasons (seriously Tush, when are you leaving?) Phil’s side took to the field first and were greeted by an opening pair of Devon and Ockers. Both batted well and the runs flowed freely. The former was clearly enthused by the prospect of a few hours without having to look after his new-born son, the latter eager to impress after hearing a rumour that 1st XI skipper Hopey was en route for a scouting mission. Devon eventually departed, but Ockers pressed on. He was joined by Tush and Rohit in the next few overs, both of whom scored 17. At this point, Ockers started ruining the match by taking it too seriously and scoring too many runs, so he retired. Phil rotated his bowlers, using nine in total. His ‘chop and change’ mentality forced the issue with Sayer, Chacha, Oli and Sam taking wickets and running through the Tush IX middle order. I later chipped in with a cameo of my own from number seven and took the wise decision to run Brian out early (in fairness, he did call yes). With our tail severed, Ockers returned to the crease to ruin the match a little bit more and inflate his average in a ‘Last Man Stands’ format. By the end of our 20 overs, the Tush IX ended on 182. With the light fading, it was a quick turnaround and straight back out to the field. Big Rak and Max opened up for the Phil IX. Both made seven runs before departing which left Phil and Chacha at the crease. What followed was the most dramatic moment of the evening. Looking to take an extra run to the arm of a youthful, handsome, gun fielder at deep point (no, not Doug Shaw, try again) there was a comical mix up. Chacha refused to run. He remained rooted in his crease, watching Phil stride towards him. With the bowler's end devoid of a batsman, Phil was run out in unfortunate circumstances. Phil was out. But it was his last game. Surely, he could not depart his own leaving match in this manner? He quite rightly invoked his ‘it’s my last match’ rights and Chacha was ordered back to the hut. My sources tell me he was not happy with this decision. With Phil reinstated at the crease, he gave us one last glimpse of how to heartily smite some sub-par bowling to the boundary. Unfortunately for him, his teammates did not hang around long enough to pose any real threat to the Tush IX total. Phil eventually departed having made 43. He fell to an excellent one-handed catch from Macca on the boundary, and perhaps keen to invoke his ‘it’s my last match’ rights for the second time, questioned whether Macca's foot had crept over the line. It had not. It was a great grab and no doubt the fielding highlight of the day. With the match petering out, we were all treated to one last piece of vintage entertainment. The batting of Jason Beedle. He reverse swept my part-time off spin for four (not ideal) before hitting Piers’ full-time medium pace for a one bounce four to third man (vindication). After the match, we returned to the clubhouse to hear some warm words said about Tush and Phil, drink a few Thunderbitch fines, and give our clubmates a worthy send off. They will be sorely missed. |
Date | Time | Team | Opposition | Location | Putney | Opposition | Result | Scores | Points | Toss |
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12/08/2020 | 5.30pm | Midweek | Phil XI | H | 182/7 | 138/8 | W | 0 |