Ticknall - 25th May
Posted Sunday, May 25, 2008
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The weather looked decidedly dodgy but since both teams had turned up it was decided to give it a while and see if the rain stopped. It did so a 20 overs game was agreed, both innings to be played with tea to follow, everyone to bowl 2 overs. Anticipating a duck in the run chase and a good slapping around the park when bowling, the skipper unilaterally declared it would be a non-averages match, a decision that would prove to be controversial when it came to light later in the day!!*
an act of brave captaincy
After faffing with the sight screens the game was finally underway. Unfortunately, the Ticknall decision looked to be the right one as Nicholls went for 0, caught in the covers. Gibb and Carpenter led a recovery as the rain returned, taking the score to 41 before the latter was out lbw, soon after hitting the first 6 of the innings. Wenn joined Gibb and the score moved forward, reaching alnost 57 by the end of the tenth over, someone remarked that anything over 100 would be a really good score to reach.
At the fall of the next wicket, Sam Taylor had pretty much decided that 100 was not going to be much good and struck some fine blows to rapidly increase the total, whilst at the other end, Gibbo, playing the anchor role, steadily added to his score, eventually reaching his 50. This, coupled with Coxon's contribution of a 4 and 2 singles, took the score to a very respectable 153, more than we normally expect in a 40 overs game in decent weather!!
So out we went to field. The Ticknall opening pair made a reasonable start then Nicholls dismissed both in the same over, one caught and the other bowled. The Ticknall score mounted steadily as Magson and Randall proved hard to shift, and with something like 70 needed off the last 4 overs, Wenn and Ashford knew they would need to bowl well. It was an act of brave captaincy to keep himself back for the pressure of the last 2 overs (or so the LFC said at the end, having gone for 29). Happily for us, Ashford bowled with great guile and made up for the skippers slow long hops on the leg side (no wides) and kept Ticknall down to 132.
KW
* Footnote from CC: No-one is more aggrieved than Gibbo, who has just worked out that he would be avergaing 87 without this undemocratic decision by the LFC. Imagine what Wenn would be saying if the boot was on the other foot!
