It's Friday night and I am at home in the flat pondering tomorrow's fixture against Havering 3's. The phone is close by and I am praying I don't get a text or a call from the 2nd team Captain Dave Ambrose, as that means only one thing, someone from his 2's has dropped out and he is stealing one of my players from what is not our strongest XI of the season so far.
The weather forecast is good for bowling overcast and humid but we only really have 3 proper bowlers in our side, myself, brother Tim and Phil Turner. No Davey Nicholls, no George, no Lee Hayward, no Chips not even Ian McHattie's part time spin. What do I do if I win the toss tomorrow? I am half hoping I lose and the Havering Captain will be the one to make the decision to bat or bowl.
My flat mate is out and the other half is otherwise engaged this weekend, so I turn to one of my usual hobbies a good spot of YouTubeing. Cricket is on the brain and I flick through numerous video's before stumbling across a video about swing bowling. Matthew Hoggard goes off to University to unpack the science behind it all, and then Wasim Akram and Simon Jones pop up to discuss how they swung the ball. These two gents are two of the finest swing bowlers I have ever seen and as I am a left arm bowler like Wasim (nowhere near as good of course) I listen intently, you never know Greg you might just learn something! I re watch the video skipping the science bit I want to listen to Wasim again.
It's now the morning of Saturday 31st May 2014, matchday, we got through last night with no texts or calls from Dave Ambrose, and it looks like we still have our XI intact. I hope it stays that way Mum and Dad are busy this weekend and I can't even tell Dad to bring his kit with him just in case someone drops out.
It's lunchtime and all is well, I double check all my kit and make sure I have all the other necessary gear, scorebook, pens, match balls, team sheet, result card etc and I set off on the ten minute walk to Paul Webster's flat for my customary lift to the ground. Wickford Memorial Park is the venue for today's T-Rippon Division 10 encounter. Like most council owned pitches facilities are ok but not great but the dressing rooms have been upgraded over the winter and they are clean and modernish although not spacious.
We arrive at the ground one or two of the other lads are already there waiting for us and I detail off jobs as people arrive so we are all ready for start time and we can get cracking. I am slightly apprehensive knowing we don't have our strongest XI available but in the back of my mind I am keen to see if I can put anything I picked up on YouTube into practice. I greet the Havering skipper and we make the walk to the middle to do the toss. I flip the coin and he calls tails, we wonder over to see what way it has come down and it's a head, and I now have to make the decision I was praying I didn't have to. I take a glance upwards, it's grey but warm and there is a breeze blowing from off to leg from my preferred end. Instinct kicks in all I announce we will have a bowl. For some reason I always take 4 brand new balls to a match and I rummage through the selection in my bag and pick one out for our bowling effort. It's 99.9% the same of the others but this is the one were using.
We wait for the openers to get padded up and wander out to the middle to get things started. I will open from the bottom end and Tim will get first dibs from the top. I mark out my run and all feels well. My first over is a maiden and I am pleased with a decent line and length no swing yet but that's nothing unusual with the brand new ball, it can often take a few overs for the lacquer on the ball to wear off before it starts to swing. Steve King is dispatched to fine leg, he is looking a bit ropey like he might of had a few pints the night before but nothing unusual there, and I take up my usual spot at mid on. My reasoning for fielding there is that I like to be able to talk to the bowler as captain without having to run half way across the ground to do so.
It's Tim's first year of cricket for about 15 years and my advice to him is "it's Division 10 mate, your not gonna get many nick off so just bowl straight on a good length and you should get rewards" His third ball is short and wide and put away for four, but I am not worried it's just a loose one early, all of us bowlers have been there and done that. 5th ball and bingo Tim is on his mark, Brown prods forward and is bowled all over the place and were off to a good start. In the celebration huddle he chirps up that it's my turn next over. Cheers Tim no pressure then!
My next over is ok but Richardson gets me away for a two. Tim follows ups with a maiden. In my next Richardson gets another two before I get one on a good length and it swings in rips through a gaping chasm between bat and pad and the timbers are disturbed once more and we have Havering 8-2.
2nd ball of Tim's third over it gets even better, Havering skipper Kevin Stanbridge is eager to get some runs on the board plays across the line to one and is bowled. It's 8-3 and I am chuffed, things have gone as well as could be expected. It's high fives all round and then Tim pipes up again telling me I will get the rest of them out. This I think is highly unlikely given I have one career 5-for and only a handful of wickets to my name so far this season.
Not too longer later it's 10-4 I wrap Lambert on the pads and the appeal comes out automatically but I think it's a little high, I as turn back towards the umpire I am half trying to choke the appeal off but he has already made his mind up and puts his finger up and the batsman has to depart for two. Getting LBW decisions as a left arm bowler in club cricket is almost impossible, every week you hear the same rubbish about not being able to get decisions from opposition batsmen so I am thrilled with that one even though I am doubtful it was out, it makes up for one of the countless plumb appeals that have been turned down over they years.
Chinnery and Dent then put together something of a partnership but we are making them work for their runs and we are still well on top. Chinnery is a solid player a with a good defence and has made most of the runs and Dent seems to be a decent defensive player although he hasn't shown much instinct to play shots but then when you come in at 10-4 you probably wouldn't. The lacquer has now worn off the ball and with the assistance of the breeze I have got it swinging nicely, not too much but enough to keep the batsman honest.
I want another breakthrough though and with the score on 25 I bowl Dent through the gate in similar style to the Richardson dismissal. It's 25-5 and were all over them! In my next over I make it 26-6 as Chinnery is yep you guessed it bowled through the gate by another nice in swinger for 9. Ticker follows suit and we have them 31-7 and I have got 5 my 2nd ever 5-for. Maybe I had learnt something from Wasim Akram and Simon Jones after all. I can just imagine the scenes in their dressing room with kit flying everywhere and there is an almost constant change of umpires as guys have to run off to pad up and those who have failed with the bat have to make their way out for their stint in the middle.
Buckley and Brian Stanbridge follow for nought bowled by me through the gate and the score is 31-9 and nobody can really believe what is going on! Phil Turner then jokingly pipes up that I should save some for the rest of the team and stupidly as it turns out I agree. However it's 3rd XI cricket and you do want everyone to have a bit of a game.
I tell Phil and Steve King to get loose and give Tim and myself a rest. Chaos quickly ensues, Phil is bowling ok from my end but Steve bless him is getting tonked at the other end and Havering's total is growing by the ball.
Cuddles then pipes up "Put yourself back on for Christ's sake Greg before we end up chasing 150". He is right and I tell Steve to take a rest and tell Phil he is switching to the top end.
I bring myself back on and Summerville puts a rank long hop away through point for four, I am not pleased with myself. I hear Paul Webster chatting to the umpire at square leg who points out that's the first bad ball I have bowled all day, he is right but I want to get this innings over and done with. Thankfully with the last ball of my over I get Summerville out for 32, another bowled through the gate not playing for the swing. Southam is unbeaten at the other end with 22 and the innings is all over with the score on 86. We wander off and I take a stroll over to the scorers table to see what my figures are. Tim has finished with a very nice 2-35 from 9 overs and my figures are a scarcely believable 10-5-8-8. The brothers Griffiths have taken all ten wickets between us without a single fielder being involved in any of the dismissals.
Between innings I ask Kevin if he wants to do tea now or shall we just get the game done and then have a leisurely tea after the match and he agrees to get the match done first.
Andy Jellett will open with Cuddles, and Jellett gets us up and running with a few early boundaries, but we lose Cuddles for 6 with the score on 26. I am not worried. Tom Donnellan goes in next and he and Jellet take the score to 50 when Tom departs LBW for 9. Paul Webster is in next but not for long as he is bowled for a duck, and at 51-3 I am starting to get a bit nervous and wondering why on earth I had listened to Phil and not just kept myself on and got them out for less than 40. Kelvin joins Jellett in the middle and the boundaries continue to flow but with two required for victory Kelvin is caught for 20. Fairview legend Dave Webster heads out to the crease and blocks out the last ball of the over. Jellett drives the first ball of the next over through the covers for four finishing 43 not out. We have won by 6 wickets and taken maximum bonus points, as Captain you can't ask for anything more.
Tea and paperwork follow and everything is packed away and I call the man from the council to tell him he can come over and lock everything up. He sounds surprised that I have called so early and I laugh and explain it has been a quick match and there is nothing to worry about. We hop into the cars and make the five minute drive back to the sports & social club in Rayleigh for what is going to turn out to be quite a few beers. On arrival the club is empty and it dawns on me that the 1's and 2's are still playing, its only 4.30 in the afternoon and it might be a while before anyone joins us.
As the evening draws on the other lads arrive and it is quickly apparent word of my achievement has spread, everyone wants to talk to me this evening and congratulate me on my figures. To begin with I am not overly comfortable with this, I don't really like talking about myself but as the effects of the beer start to kick in I am more than happy to milk the limelight this once and hey why not it's not every week you take eight wickets!! Next week it will be someone else's turn but today and tonight are mine.
Our club motto is win or lose get on the booze and that night like many others plenty of money disappears behind the bar!
In the following days I check in on the Havering website to see they have described me as a useful but by no means devastating left arm bowler. Cheers Lads!
31 Jan 2021
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