Sunday 17 August 2025
SCCC 216-6 (35 overs)
Binsted 216 all out (33.1 overs)
Match tied
35 over match
SCCC won the toss
Scorecard
Richard Seeckts writes:
Binsted revisited after a five year hiatus with both teams showing significant lowering of average age. A hilltop ground with beautiful views, full sized dinner plates for tea and a spectacularly improved pub opposite, though they need to find a jug that holds more than two pints.
That we managed to tie this match after a/ not scoring enough runs in the conditions, b/ conceding 90 in the first eight overs in the field, c/ conceding 42 (20%) in extras is down to one young man’s remarkable second spell when, for all money, the game was gone. Olly Hogben watched his first Cryptic game aged just 25 days at Blackheath in 2009. Father James, now his agent and chauffeur, played 60 games since the lad’s nativity, the great majority of which were attended by Cryptic ultra-WAG Natasha and their progeny so Olly’s Cryptic credentials were ample without the need for a woolly opening spell to remove any doubt.
Brought back for the 30th over with Binsted 11 runs from victory with four wickets in hand, he delivered the perfect yorker first ball, repeated it seventh ball, was shovelled into the safe hands of skipper Toby eighth ball. This brought Jaymin Patel, a classy mercenary from Holybourne, back in having earlier retired on 50 as local rules dictate. No problem, get Patel on strike and induce him to chop the ball onto his stumps with the scores level. Job done, honours even, hands shaken all round.
(Dis)repair
The youthfully exuberant skipper then suggested a ‘super over’, which was put down by the old guard like a Beer Hall Putsch, so expect super overs to be a regular feature of Sunday cricket sooner than we might wish.
Daddy Goss was given his ninth opportunity to open the batting in 186 games, the price of being a half-decent bowler. He retired (those pesky local rules again) after an hour with his average as an opener raised from 47 to 61 after an old fashioned display of respecting the good balls and belting the dirty ones. Dom did likewise for 30 until skying a pull off Patel, pouched by the bowler. A rapid outfield cried out for a total of 240 plus but Binsted’s young fielders remained sharp and the bowlers got the basics of line and length right, one wide conceded against 18 after tea.
Runs came steadily at close to a run-a-ball which would win most games 10 years ago but offers no guarantees on decent pitches these days. No lack of endeavour however, and the defibrillator was located as Hugs completed a three for Toby’s account before both of them holed out for 34, returning to the pavilion in contrasting states of (dis)repair. Pup(11) and David M(23) pushed on with energetic high risk running that accounted of the louder caller, leaving Scottie to carve most of his 15* in the final over, old man Seeckts forced to run 8 without facing a ball and Harvey coming in for the final ball only to collect a bruised thigh.
Tea was immediately followed by a spell in which two scoreboard operators were required, so chaotic was the action as extras matched both openers in the race to the retirement score. Only the introduction of Rory and then Paul Goss recovered some control but with half the target reached in 13 overs, there was precious little hope. It was the veteran Goss who broke through, inducing three catches in the ring, including one spectacular skyer clung to by Rory who got up from the ground bemused by the total lack of appreciation from team mates who had all heard the call of ‘no-ball’. Gossy confidently announced that catches were the key to the game so, of course, six of the remaining eight wickets were bowled or LBW. He ended up with 4-39. Scottie had been called upon to turn the screw at the top end and, despite bowling what he called ‘chod’ and having two balls lost forever in the stubble of the neighbouring wheat field, bandited his way to 2-23. Heads never dropped in the field and those able to do so chased everything, notably Menorca tourist Harvey who was busiest patrolling the wheat field boundary.
Binsted’s tail were cruising to the target when young Olly was given his second chance and the thrilling finish ensued. He was presented with the (third) cricket ball used in the innings at the pub, etched with his figures of 4-33 achieved in two distinct parts. Spell one 3 overs for 29, spell two 2.1 overs, 4 for 4.
Jingle Ties! And a welcome invitation to resume the fixture in 2026.
PAJA’s stat of the week: The Cryptics now have four ties in 481 matches equating to 0.83% of results. In 4192 ODI’s played there have been 38 ties, or 0.9%.
Three Cryptics have played in all four tied matches, no prizes for working out who.
