Saturday 23 July 2016

Monster


Sat XI v Grendel (H)

"Grendel is one of three antagonists in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf (AD 700–1000) usually depicted as a monster or a giant. Grendel is feared by all but Beowulf." (Wikipedia)

Late July and the hogweed is high around the lanes of Farmborough where the Cowboys take on the monster. RT1 wins the toss and opens the bowling with Iggy on a flat, sun-baked track offering little help to the bowler. The opening batsmen are solid and hard hitting and manage to accumulate at about four an over, aided by a fast outfield and some inflexible Cowboy spines. RT1's unlucky not to cling on to a sharp return catch but eventually breaks the partnership in his penultimate over. Iggy sends down a couple of maidens and has a few fruitless shouts but remains wicketless.

Michael replaces RT1 from the top end with his parabolic run up and your correspondent shuffles in from the other. Having knocked last week's scab off his knee, he's now bleeding from a shaving related injury and there's more blood around than at the BRI Haematology department. Happily, he bowls 'a dirty grubber' in his first over to remove the other opener and gets his trumpet out to announce his 100th league wicket, then puts it away quickly when demands for a jug are voiced.

Pokemons are becoming easier to catch than a ball off Michael's bowling and the big man is unlucky and disheartened not to claim a scalp during his tidy spell, although later earns a Cider nomination for his 'Oscar-worthy strop'. Iggy gets in on the Cider too, with his should-have-gone-to-Specsavers moment, adjusting his sunglasses while the ball plopped to ground nearby. Ollie also sips from the Cider cup, with some stumping-related aggro after the umpire was too slow to notice the batsman's raised foot.

The monster's getting away a bit, cruising past 150 for the loss of two wickets, but then Westy gets his darts throw out to execute a run out and Ollie takes a stumping, the first of three, in Ev's first over. The monster has several heads however and keeps thrashing about until the final over, knocking the usually economical Raj for a few and despite Ev taking four wickets from his first three overs with some floaty, flighted guile. Still, the Cowboys do well to restrict Grendel to 192 and take all ten wickets, with another couple of run outs and the aforementioned stumpings.

With a wholesome tea, Iggy shows everyone how to feed the five thousand with a trip to Lidl and still turn a profit.

Adam and Raj pad up and go out to bat while everyone else ponders the scariness of the monster's seven foot opening bowler. Fortunately, his height is more impressive than his speed and the batsmen negotiate the first few overs while keeping up with the run rate until Adam goes, caught behind. Westy joins Raj and looks solid and comfortable until he's bowled in the 12th over with the total approaching 50.

AJ, playing his first innings at Farmborough, helps Raj add 81 for the next wicket as the pair seem unruffled by the Grendel attack, which is leaking some helpful extras. Ev meanwhile shows that he's no Beowulf, cowering with his pads on and bleating about the fiery monster as the scorer unwisely tries to multitask and join in with Westy's now obligatory Torygraph quiz. When AJ departs LBW in the 27th over, the Cowboys have reached 128-3 and Raj has accumulated another assured, elegant half-century. Happy takes a different approach, flailing his sword at the monster and occasionally connecting, smiting three boundaries until he loses his stumps: 150-4 in the 30th. Ev has by now conquered his demons and even Michael is smiling, fortified by some red stripes.

It now seems entirely likely that the Cowboys will overhaul their target and it's even possible that Raj will reach his ton, but selfishly Ev scores 9 runs and leaves his partner on 93 not out. The monster is dead and Grendel is feared by none, especially Man of the Match Raj.





http://cowboys.play-cricket.com/website/results/2635424

Sunday 17 July 2016

View From The Grand Stand

                      1st Test Day 4, before the wheels came off: Yasir Shah to Alex Hales.

Scorecard