Sunseekers Cricket Club

Jolly Sailor

Posted Saturday, April 9, 2005

Jolly Sailor 143-8 from 20 overs (J Downs 3-??)

Sunseekers 144-6 from 18.5 overs (W Evans 25 retired, Crawford 28 retired, Bennett 25 retired, J Downs 20ish not out with winning hit).

Report by Colston Crawford

This is what social cricket is all about, a tremendous 20-over bunfight played in a good spirit with highlights galore. Would I feel differently if we hadn't won it? Well, perhaps a bit, but not too much, honest.
It was one of those where everyone bowls and, given that the Hemington outfield is very small, we actually kept Jolly Sailor's score within reasonable proportions. Nigel Palmer was petrified about his first bowl for the club but managed, unlike others, to concede mainly only singles and gleefully celebrated his first Sunseekers wicket when an attempted hoik to leg obligingly dropped on to the stumps. Mogie and Chris were as tight as you'd expect, I was tighter than you'd expect and Jim Downs, with the sun falling behind his arm, gave it plenty of air to take three wickets. We don't know how many for... this one was clearly not going to be an averages game.
Will Evans kept wicket and came on to bowl, handing the pads to his father, prompting an amusing moment in the field, when Will swooped on the ball and was advised by someone (Fred, Jim?) to "throw it to your dad - carefully!"
We made a fairly careful start with the bat, too, but were soon up with the rate, although losing early wickets. Will's six over the pavilion signalled a bolder approach and he soon retired with a quick 25.
More surprisingly, your reporter then rediscovered an acquaintance with the middle of his bat which has been missing for some years. Three fours and, incredibly, even given the short boundary, two sixes off successive balls, sailed away to signal a retirement of the big silly grin variety.
What we needed then, with about 40 needed off 4 overs, was experience, oh yes, and what in all of cricket could offer more of that than another legendary partnership between Messrs Downs and Bennett, with 130 years of it between them?
All their experience was brought to bear in one breathtaking moment of purely intuitive cricket:
Jim (pushing comfortably into the covers): Yes!
Brian (although advancing several strides): No!
Jim (irritated and halfway down): YES!!
It finished off the Jolly Sailor's resolve. They were laughing too much to prevent Brian reaching his 25 and Jim slamming a four and a six to win the game in the next over with D Evans not required to take strike.