Cardiff Cavaliers Cricket Club

Tour to Amsterdam, 2008: match report

CC Bloenmendaal (Holland), Saturday 2 August. Cavaliers 186 for 3 (35 overs, Hutchings 102 retired not out, D Parsons 31, Armstrong 28). Bloemendaal 187 for 9 (34.3 overs, Bowen 4/28, Armstrong 2/16, Moore 1/3, Parsons D. 1/24, Marchant 1/32). Lost by 1 wicket. Scorecard

As the coach made its way out of Amsterdam in the late morning sun, you could sense the eager anticipation of the squad. Those keen to play had spent a quiet first evening on this the first Cavaliers overseas tour, partaking in a restrained couple of beers, a leisurely meal, and a good night’s sleep in the comfortable Hans Brinker Hotel. There was none-the-less a sense of disappointment in the absence of the mastermind behind the tour Graeme Brown, not least given his foresight in selecting the subtle tint of Azalea for the tour t-shirts, ensuring that the squad fitted in well with the weekend’s Amsterdam Gay Pride celebrations.

At the picturesque Dorlaan Ground in this charming seaside resort, the tenor of the game was set from the start, with the Dutch skipper, having won the toss, generously asking Cavaliers captain Jimmy Marchant whether he wanted to bat or bowl. He did raise the stakes a little by suggesting that the pitch was capable of accommodating a score of over 300 an innings from the 35 over game.

Jim’s scepticism was borne out as the opening pair of Dave Parsons and Nick Hutchings took a little time to come to terms with the extra bounce generated by the matting wicket. However, having eased themselves in gently, they upped the scoring rate, and eventually put on 95 for the first wicket, when Parsons was trapped lbw for 35. First changing his gloves, and then his bat, [Ed: and then calling for a drink one over before the scheduled drinks break] Parsons had looked the part as a genuine opener. Radar Davies quickly came and went caught behind, but Armstrong joined Hutchings to establish another solid partnership of 75. By this time Hutchings had recorded his first century for the club, retiring at 102 having struck 13 boundaries [Ed: thanks to sterling work with the scorecards by Wardy and Papa, and on the electronic scoreboard by JD, we were all able to follow Nick’s progress with great anticipation run-by-run].

Armstrong quickly followed to the pavilion, bowled for 28, and it was left to Adams and Duffy to see out the innings. The score at 186 for 3 was a little short of the projected 300. The pick of the bowlers in this multi-national Bloemendaal team was Thomas, with 2 for 25 off 6 overs.

[Ed: Simpson and Roake, among the non-players for this game, then blotted their copybook severely by helping themselves copiously to the players’ tea only for the skipper to find, after he’d warmed down from his exertions of captaining from the sidelines, which mostly included some sort of gesturing to get on with it that may have been interpreted differently had we still been at the heart of the Gay Pride celebrations in Amsterdam, to find there was none left for him. The Judge was able to ensure that justice was both full and swift in court later.]

The score of 186 looked a lot more promising after 2 overs of the Dutch innings, by which time both openers were back in the pavilion, with wickets to opening bowlers Bowen and Moore, courtesy of sharp catches in the field [Ed: Adams took the first off Bowen to claim both their places in the Cavaliers’ history books, and Buckle took yet another exceedingly difficult catch which he made look quite straightforward such was his aplomb and modest demeanour.].

However Matchett and Banya gradually rebuilt the innings, the former in particular punishing the loose ball, and together they took the total to 105 for 3, a partnership of 103. Matchett and Eilers then put on 44 for the fourth wicket, when Matchett was well caught on the boundary by Hutchings for 89. With wickets and overs in hand, and only 38 required, it seemed as if the match was still heading comfortably Bloemendaal’s way. 

However, a good performance from all the bowlers, ably supported by a competent field, saw 149 for 4 rapidly become 155 for 6, and the result was looking rather less predictable. At this point, however, Nienhuis joined Eilers, and together they took the score to 179, when Marchant took a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss Nienhuis for 12.

With Bowen recalled to the attack, and taking 2 wickets with 2 balls, the last man arrived at the crease with 5 runs still required. However, the No11 bat De Jong, the Bloemendaal captain, played himself in carefully, before hitting the winning runs back over the bowler’s head with 3 balls remaining.

The pick of the bowlers was Bowen with 8 overs 2 maidens 4 for 28, although Amstrong’s 2 for 16, and Moore’s 3 overs 2 maidens 1 for 3 were also notable performances. Parsons and Marchant chipped in with the other wickets. With the latter, captain Jimmy Marchant equalled the club record for the most wickets in a season.

All around it was a good Cavaliers performance, if not quite good enough. An enjoyable afternoon was completed by exemplary hospitality, and the tourists were in no hurry to return to the Amsterdam celebrations.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Geoff Lewis (wkt), Dave Parsons, Nick Hutchings, Richard Davies, Warwick Armstrong, Nigel Adams, Nigel Moore, Martin Buckle, Ross Bowen. 12th man: various members of the tour party