A season of top performances and gutsy victories hit a new peak at Clare College sports ground last night with a highly impressive six-wicket triumph against a formidable Chemistry side.
Clare is one of my favourite places to play cricket. It also, incidentally, one of my favourite girls names. A girl called Clare used to rub my legs in English lessons at school - but that's a different story.
On an exceptionally English summer afternoon, with a salad bowl of open green sighing with contentment beneath a fluffy sky, UCLES once again took to the field first, this time inserted by the Chemistry skipper. Danson and Siyambalapitiya were handed the new ball and began brightly with a decent share of movement and accuracy. "Nice shape Danny" could be heard from Lawrence behind the stumps. I've no idea however whether this was referring to the veteran's gentle away swing or his enviably trim physique.
Despite the strong early bowling performances, it would be a run out that brought the breakthrough. Linsdell and Danson combining to remove the bails on a night where Chemistry attempted and often successfully completed a number of very optimistic singles.
The running was however not as optimistic as the other Chemistry opening batsman who had obviously been watching too much 20Twenty cricket. Playing with all the elegance of a duck caught in fishing tackle he consistently charged the omnipresent Danson to deliver a wild collection of poorly-timed thumps and drafty swipes. UCLES frustration was then only fuelled by Linsdell's low-key attempt to affect a leg-side catch.
Skipper James replaced Danson after a decent spell yet the left-armer was struggling a little for length, with Chemistry batsmen consistently working the ball to leg. Credit here should go to Visage who patrolled the mid-wicket boundary with all the tenacity of a WeightWatchers class chasing a pork pie. In one Skipper James over, Visage clocked up enough air miles for a family vacation to Madeira. Rarely had I ever seen a man so out of breath. But then at that stage, I hadn't seen Dagless bat.
With the home side moving themselves into a position of some strength, Skipper James turned to Bean to replace the unfortunately expensive Siyambalapitiya. After some early treatment, everyone's favourite policeman finally removed the bludgeoner with a good old-fashioned straight delivery. Bean then continued his good all-round form by claiming a second wicket, this time caught by Wylie at square leg, and completing a run-out off his own bowling after some over-zealous backing-up. And Bean wasn't finished - this time turning catcher to take a skier from Linsdell's first over. It was a good catch preceded by a repeated call of "Jerry's!" which caught the ears of everyone within 2 miles of Trumpington. Everyone that is apart from Robinson who continued to shout "Steve's" until milliseconds before Bean claimed the chance.
Once again Linsdell had sneaked in just in time to steal the scraps from the table - taking another three wickets as Chemistry followed the now well-established opposition pattern of systematic collapse. Robinson joined Linsdell in the wickets with a couple of pretty unplayable deliveries late on and having been 120 for 3, the home side posted a respectable but not conclusive 128 all out.
Linsdell and Lawrence began the UCLES reply and after a decent first over, Lawrence was caught-behind off an inside edge to bring Monk to the crease. Despite carrying an average of 174 on his shoulders, Monk was struggling a little with some very inconsistent bounce and pace on a pitch that was proving more mysterious to the UCLES batsmen than was perhaps necessary. With Linsdell scoring occasionally rather than consistently - perhaps guilty of trying too hard for big shots - the UCLES run chase began to stutter and when Linsdell was bowled in the 10th over, the required run rate was already over 8-an-over. When Monk went soon after things were looking bleak, but in Wylie and Dagless, UCLES had the men for the occasion.
Undaunted by the climbing run rate, the UCLES middle-order stalwarts found runs all round the wicket and Dagless, being pushed mercilessly by his younger partner, was finding as yet unseen sources of Oxygen. With the occasional boundary joining the party, most notably from the flashing blade of the talented Wylie, UCLES began to creep in contention. The run rate remained high but stable and with just five overs remaining, the deficit was taken below fifty.
Still with much to do, the pair retained their focus and composure to up the ante further and rattle the thus far composed fielding side. Finally, with Wylie breathing hard and Dagless on his third pair of lungs, the rate dipped for the first time below the run-a-ball rate. Dagless finally fell in the penultimate over, unable to make his ground chasing yet another second. But by then, the work was all but done. Bean joined Wylie at the crease with seven required from the final over and thanks to some typically exuberant scampering and some often unnecessary but highly entertaining diving, victory came within tasting distance. Wylie completed a masterful and heroic fifty and moments later Bean flicked a full toss away for the two runs required for victory. UCLES had reached 129-4, with one ball to spare.
Another sensational UCLES victory with performances of real note across the side. The fielding was unusually scruffy at times but Visage was typically tireless and the bowling probably merited better returns. The real heroes last night were however with the bat where Wylie and Dagless produced a fabulous victory from the jaws of defeat to move UCLES to within a Visage throw of the title.
