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| 1996 |
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Played 10: Won 2, Lost 4, Drawn 2, Abandoned 2, Cancelled 3.
Sunday May 19 v Radley Rangers at Radley - Abandoned
Sunday June 2 - Cricketer Cup first round v Haileybury Hermits at Haileybury - Lost by 62 runs Maybe there should have been relief that the game (nearly) went the whole distance. Given the propensity for collapse and an early finish in the cup games of the last few years, it was perhaps surprising that the match did not finish until nearly 6.45pm. But the result was depressingly familiar: a comfortable victory for our opponents. This year had been, optimistically, labelled as the 'start of a new era' for Pilgrims cricket. Bagnall's first two balls suggested otherwise. Eight runs conceded, followed by eight off Garrett's first over, and the tone had been set. And all this on a wicket that should have been giving plenty of assistance to the seam bowlers. It was hard not to feel sympathy with the new captain, Ricketts. He had called correctly and opted to field against a home side that was self-confessedly lacking a fifth bowler and more than four front-line batsmen. It should have been a difficult morning for Haileybury, but the Pilgrims's seam bowlers let their captain down badly. Between them, the four seamers bowled 31 overs; 172 runs came off those overs - a run rate of well over five an over, which was just not good enough. Pratt, in particular, and Ricketts himself bowled tightly in the last third of the innings, but by then the damage had been done and Haileybury were in a position to dominate the match. Ricketts had ever greater cause to rue the glaring missed chance - a fairly simple catch at first slip - off Garrett in the second over; Lewis was yet to score at that stage, and his 55 runs were to come off just 40 balls. But one dropped catch must not be allowed to disguise the fact that our bowling should have been so much better. Indeed, our fielding was wholehearted and saved a good many runs (in stark contrast to Haileybury's poor showing), with one good catch in the deep by Hargrove and a stunning low catch by Ricketts at extra cover late on, to go with a neat stumping by de la Hey. Gillett, however, will not remember his day in the field with any satisfaction. Haileybury lunched on 183-2 with 18 overs still left to bowl, and a target of 300 should have been within reach, but the Pilgrims' much improved effort in the field afterwards showed what might have been. 262 was a tall order, but not unattainable, given that the wicket was generally predictable, and given the depth to which the Pilgrims batted. Following the vogue, Bagnall was sent in to open as a pinch-hitter. (A rare first was recorded here, Bagnall opening both the batting and bowling. Dare one say, 'Never again'?) What was required was a swift start, but the pinch-hitting never materialised and Turner became bogged down to such an extent that one sensed a Test match innings was in the offing. Both openers perished for single-figure scores, which brought a pivotal pair together. Atwell looked in supreme touch, his timing as fluent as ever, scarcely looking troubled, while Hargrove was belligerent and powerful. They were taking calculated risks with their running, but at tea, on 58-2 and with the rate accelerating, there was every prospect of reaching the Haileybury score. The critical moment came when Atwell called for a sharp single that was just about on; Hargrove sent him back late and Atwell was on his way for 37. He said afterwards he did not feel as though anyone was going to get him out. It certainly looked that way from the boundary. The disdain with which the bowling was being treated had augured so well. But with Rydon, the cup stalwart, on his way to the crease, hope was still very much alive, and after a slow start, he was beginning to increase the tempo when another run out, a poor piece of calling from Hargrove, put him back in the pavilion for 14. This time, Hargrove looked mortified and visibly lost concentration. The next ball he faced he tried to smash through midwicket and was bowled for an excellent 60. The game was slipping away. Much now depended on the captain, at 141-5 and with the run rate at just under six an over. Ricketts looked accomplished and compact but, paradoxically, was unable to find the boundary, and although Gillett gave plenty of support, the target grew ever steeper. Once Ricketts was out, the match was all but gone. It was nice to make the 200 mark, but the wasteful bowling of the morning session had taken its toll. It is hard to know where improvement might be made to the Pilgrims line-up for next year. Ricketts was an excellent captain, doing what he could with his attack, and setting a wonderful example in the field, where he was surprisingly agile. Both spinners bowled well (and perhaps on the day there might have been a case for Atwell turning his arm over), while there was some good batting on show. Certainly the inclusion of Phil Hodges would have made a difference, if he had been able to play, but ultimately this game was lost by the seam bowlers. Haileybury's Hogue showed that all that was necessary was to keep the ball up to the bat and bowl straight: five for 26 tells its own story. All too rarely did the Pilgrims quartet follow that road. And again, we look to next year for solace. Sunday June 16 v Hampshire Hogs at Warnford - Lost by 3 wickets On a very hot day Will Hargrove won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat. We obviously hoped to get off to a good start but did not expect to lunch at 183-0. After a slow start, James Tweedale dominated all the bowlers in scoring his century before the interval, and Charlie Allen gave excellent support. Tweedale hit 29 boundaries, including 10 sixes, and it was a pity that he could not reach his double century. As he tired, the later batsmen were unable to score quick enough for an early declaration, and the captain decided that 300 would be too many. So the declaration came after 56 overs. Our opening attack of Bagnall and Hargrove dismissed numbers two and three, but the other opener, Gunyon, was obviously a good player and would require some removing. The first sign of potential problems for the Pilgrims was the sight of de la Hey coming on as first change, and later seeing Gillett on as the sixth bowler. The Hogs continued to score steadily through Gunyon, and later from a quick 47 from Bristow. Dropped catches and some indifferent fielding did not help our cause. Despite needing 126 in the last 20 overs the Hogs were always up with the rate. At 250-8 the match was evenly poised but the 9th wicket saw the Hogs home with two overs to spare. An excellent match that should really not have been lost after Tweedale's great innings, but the heat and, perhaps with hindsight a declaration an over or so too soon, coupled with the dropped catches, proved just too much for the Pilgrims. Saturday June 29 v The School at Sherborne - Drawn The Pilgrims were put in on a slow wicket and were in some trouble at 45-3. The innings was rescued and then built on by Pratt, Ambrose and Hattam so the declaration gave the School plenty of time to get the runs. After the School had lost early wickets it became clear they would not win. The Pilgrims bowled a lot of maidens but in spite of the regular fall of wickets were denied victory. Sunday June 30 v Dorset Rangers at Sherborne - Won by 4 wickets The Rangers won the toss and, after an early wicket from Bagnall, Cook and Morgan made the Pilgrims bowling look very ordinary with a stand of 135. This was broken by an excellent catch at mid off from Garrett, which started a mini collapse with a further three wickets falling for only five runs. Tight bowling from Nurton and Warren kept the Rangers in check and it was the last pair who nudged the score over 200. The Pilgrims started badly, with Tweedale out in the second over, but a sparkling 52 from Gent got things going. After a slight wobble at 154-5 William Wingfield Digby guided us home with an accomplished unbeaten 71. Sunday July 7 v Marlborough Blues at Sherborne - Cancelled Monday July 8 v Old Blundellians at Sherborne - Lost by 156 runs After winning the toss Blundellians had little difficulty in putting together a large score with Gray carrying his bat. The Pilgrims started well with 55 for the first wicket, but then wickets fell at regular intervals. Thorne was the only batsman to play himself in and work for his runs. Tuesday July 9 v Fettesian Lorettonians at Sherborne - Lost by 2 wickets This was a most exciting game played on a somewhat difficult wicket. We won the toss and were indebted to Thorne for a fine innings which ended with a flurry of boundaries - he was too tired to run in spite of the cloudy and cool day! The total should have been over 200 but 167-4 had quickly turned to 186-8 in a few overs. A sporting declaration meant that the Pilgrims would have to bowl the Scotsmen out, and this nearly happened. After a steady start, with the first four batsmen all getting 20 or more, they required 57 off the last 20 overs with wickets in hand. Tight bowling from Warren and Wingfield Digby (2-18), supported by good fielding, got the figures to 38 off ten and then 20 off five. Wickets had been falling and panic began to set in, but our visitors always seemed to have one over in hand which was proved when they scrambled home in the last over. Wednesday July 10 v South Wales Hunt at Sherborne - Lost by 32 runs Thursday July 11 v Butterflies at Sherborne - Won by 171 runs The Butterflies won the toss and must have regretted electing to field. The Pilgrims had a strong batting line up and the runs came at seven an over with fine striking from Reynolds and Rintoul. The excellent display of batting was followed by tight bowling from Hargrove (2-15), Rintoul and Morton: this cramped the Butterflies and none of their batsmen managed to stay and play a long innings. Sunday July 14 v Old Tonbridgians at Tonbridge - Cancelled Friday August 2 v Bluemantles at Tunbridge Wells - Cancelled Sunday August 25 v Cobham at Cobham - Abandoned After eight overs, which included a breezy 23 from Rice, rain was the winner. |