Cardiff Cavaliers Cricket Club

Match Report

Cardiff Bay Barbarians (Willow League), Thursday 8 July 2010

CBBs 108ao (19.1ovs, McVeigh 3/15, Graveson 2/17). Cav 93/8 (20ovs, Steadman 23, J Thomas 22, Payne 21no). Lost by 15 runs. CBBs 12pts, Cav 3pts

Scorecard

The game was played at Wenvoe. CBBs won the toss and decided to bat first. 

The Cavaliers started brightly, with Andrew Graveson causing the ball to shape away from the right-handers. He accounted for Mogridge (bowled for nought) with a delivery that initially moved away through the air, only to swing in late, and then to seam away off the pitch.

Pete Clegg and Mullius then put on what was to prove the most significant batting partnership of the innings. The partnership was brought to an end when Clegg was bowled by Duffy, for 38. Duffy bowled with a good deal of control and deserved his wicket.

Mullius could have been dismissed for 10 or so runs less, but Steadman put down a straightforward chance in the deep. Mullius was out for 31 to a sharp stumping by Parsons, off the bowling of Marchant.

CBBs were dismissed for 108 in 19.1 overs. Apart from Mogridge and Clegg, no other batsman managed to score more than 2. This high score of 2 was attained by both Dileep and Rushby.  One batsman (KP) managed to score 1, and there were four ducks. CBBs ultimately had just 10 players, so we only needed to take 9 wickets to bowl them out. 

A couple of the CBB players turned up late during their innings, wearing what would be regarded as untraditional clothing even in these pyjama-cricket T20 playing days, taking to the field with mobile phones in their jean back pockets and wearing dark-coloured T-shirts. I don’t know exactly (I do not care to know) what the rules are in terms of how many players can join a team and at what stage of the game, although in many sports it tends to happen that the teams are decided in advance and the make-up of the team is fixed when the game commences. I am given to understand that even Mr Capello announces his England team (such as it is) at least one hour in advance of the starting-time.

[Ed: just in case anyone should be left wondering: being a friendly sort of league and the fact that with mid-week games anyone can be delayed with traffic – especially with the dreadful mess that Cardiff Council continue to make of our fine city – the Willow rules are relaxed on such matters. Indeed, one of the Eclipse boys always reminds Sparkes who, on as a sub fielder when Dave was delayed, took the catch off the first legitimate delivery of the game a few seasons back. The only stipulation is that any player joining a fielding side after 10 overs have been bowled by them shall not be allowed to bowl any of the remaining overs.]

All the Cavaliers bowlers did well, McVeigh, Marchant, Duffy, Graveson and Jonathan Davies, all sharing wickets. Steadman and Graveson pouched one catch each in the deep. There were two run-outs. McVeigh wanted it to be mentioned that he, in particular, showed much verve, panache and quick-wittedness in effecting one of the run-outs.

I do not think the wicket improved. In fact it appeared to greatly deteriorate during The Cavaliers innings. Admittedly it was not good to begin, and nobody had ever expected it to be. The thinking was that it would be slow and low. It was more than this, however. Many deliveries reared up stupidly and many deliveries popped. Very few deliveries came through with any speed or reliability to allow for any reasonable shots to be played. 

The pitch broke up more and more as the game went on. The ball at times seamed ridiculously, there were the steepling deliveries and the ones that chose not to bounce at all. This was a wicket that is competition for one of Blackweir’s worst.

Jonathan Thomas gave The Cavaliers a good start, as he managed briefly to defy the pitch conditions to play some decisive shots down the ground. But when he was dismissed for 22, The Cavaliers innings declined. It was observed that Steadman did not appear to relish the pitch and he appeared to enjoy even less ...

[Ed: as there followed an incident described later by one Cavalier as “possibly controversial” and it involved our duty reporter for this game, it would be unfair to expect them to try and take a dispassionate view, so we defer at this point in the narrative to a colleague who was on the boundary edge …]

“…there was an incident, possibly controversial, involving Steaders. There was an appeal for caught behind – a confident appeal, it should be said, although there wasn't any sound or movement we could detect from where we were. The appeal was not upheld but it led to some comments with keeper, fielders and the batsman involved, which was a shame to see really as there was otherwise a good spirit to the game.”

[Ed: and so we switch back now to the duty reporter’s narrative …]

Imran (in a very pleasant, disarming way) reminded Andrew that we were only playing a game, and ALL of the CCBs team did apologize to Andrew after the game, leaving him to reflect on whether he could have responded differently to the events on the pitch. JT also questioned later in the bar what image we wish to convey to the other teams in terms of how we conduct ourselves as a Cavaliers side, and this is a point well-made.

As the required run-rate increased, Steadman proved incapable of increasing the tempo himself and was out caught (ironically) for 23, but not before he had involved himself in two run-outs, Chapman departing for 5 and Marchant without score. I am sure that Chapman and Marchant will have their views about their respective dismissals, and perhaps I will not try to guess as to what they are!

By this stage McVeigh (who opened the innings with Steadman) had been bowled for 2 and Parsons and Graveson for 1 and 4 respectively. Gareth Payne (like JT before him) seemed able to defy the conditions to some extent, unfurling one or two shots – scoring 21 not out. But, disappointingly, The Cavaliers could only muster 93 for 8. They fell short of the target by 15 runs. 

Pritpal provided some entertainment at the end of the innings, alternating between batting left- and right-handed. It was funny to see a CCB bowler stop in his tracks (in protest) as he saw Pritpal change from batting right- to left-handed, and then for the same bowler to return to his mark -- only for Pritpal, at the next delivery, to change his stance to left-handed once again, just before the bowler was in his delivery stride. Following the game, the team reconvened at the Wenvoe Arms.

Champagne moment: I cannot decide! Graveson’s delivery to dismiss the opening batsman was a splendid one, swinging in and away from the batsman, and then darting off the seam, before beating the batsman “all ends up, neck and crop, cliché, cliché . . .” On the other hand, Pritpal’s “right-hand, left-hand combination” batting was highly entertaining, even though it only brought him one run (not out), a top edge from a left-handed sweep to the final ball of the innings. So . . . Graveson for the cricketing moment and Pritpal for the comical value . . .

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Dave Parsons (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Michael McVeigh, Glenn Chapman, Jonathan Davies, Andrew Graveson, Gareth Payne, Jonathan Thomas, Pritpal Sagoo