Fielder of the day: Alex Mackay (2 catches)
On a picturesque afternoon at Old Haileyburians, Hill managed to cobble together a side filled with youth and promise (a welcome respite for the quinquagenarians in their midst) for their first non-abandoned home fixture of the season.The freshly manicured outfield was somewhat diminished by the lashings of cut grass strewn at regular intervals, meanwhile the largest boundary had been extended in a Putinesque move to the bordering fences, both meant boundaries might be at a premium on what is usually a mid-scoring track.
Hill’s gameplan of dismissing the opposition cheaply soon went awry; the visitors won the toss and inserted the hosts. The opening pair of Stupples and Hopkins took to the crease with the brief of getting the hosts off to a steady start. The latter chipping the ball up to mid-off in the early stages was not in the brief, but despite being handed a reprieve by the hapless fielder, Hopkins was soon undone by the pitch’s varying bounce and departed without scoring. This brought debutant Ahmed to the crease, having impressed at nets that week he was tasked with supporting Stupples. Unfortunately, his lavish drive for four was immediately followed with another unfortunate dismissal – the ball getting stuck in the track and another routine catch presenting itself to the opposition.
The only positive with being 13-2 was that the revered total of 26 was within reach. This meant Mackay had to fight his alcohol induced stupor and enter the fray; Hill were left hoping that his innings would be more successful, but possibly shorter, (?) than his best man’s speech the previous evening. Over to Hill’s Hare and Tortoise combination to dig them out of trouble once more.
The Tortoise and Tortoise would have been more apt, although the visitors did make canny use of the league’s bizarre offside wides ruling in bowling a negative test match line that rarely troubled the batsman but also offered few risk-free run scoring avenues. Sensible batting, supplemented with the obligatory extras meant that Hill reached drinks at 60-2 in front of the observing President. With wickets in tow and Mackay’s hangover abating, hopes of an accelerated push were realistic.
The pair upped the ante and the boundaries started flowing, most notably a ‘daddy six’ from Mackay. However, it must be acknowledged that he was running like a man twice his weight and he’d clearly indulged in an imitation meat feast the night before, and he was being outrun by his oft-maligned partner, resplendent in new shoes. The rejuvenated Stupples (36) departed after guiding Hill beyond 100 and Aarsh came to the crease. Having recently arrived back from the home of the IPL, he was in inspired form and blended chaotic non-communicative running with elaborate stroke play for a well-made 14. Mackay was eventually caught in the deep for a crucial 66. This sparked a mini collapse as 5 wickets fell for the final 5 overs and Hill posted a respectable 147. Credit must also go to Rolf, Ferguson and Barnell who all showed great spirit, particularly the latter two who both went in on hat trick balls and navigated them confidently!
After a lovely tea break that was notable for Stupples eating a cricket bag’s worth of Chow Mein (great addition to the spread), Hill set out to claim early scalps. The first ought to have come as Subramanium pinned the opener at the crease and probably snapped his big toe off in the process, only to be met with the ubiquitous yet vague rebuttal: “going down”… Unperturbed, the wily elder statesman removed the other opener as he looped up a catch to Mackay. Chipperton was keeping things relatively tight at the other end and was rewarded with a wicket for his industry. Hill continued to build pressure by fielding well and keeping a lid on extras, leaving the contest delicately poised at the halfway stage.
Whilst they ultimately came up short, Hill continued to plug away claimed further wickets through Smith, Barnell and Ferguson. Rolf also did a fine patrolling job on the boundary and Ahmed demonstrated leadership skills in the field, so there were certainly positives in spite of defeat!
Ploughmans are next on the horizon.
Park Hill Cricket Club 