Sunday 29 May 2022
Teddington 134 – all out (37.2 overs)
SCCC 136 – 3 (23.1 overs)
Won by 7 wickets
40 over match
Teddington won the toss
Scorecard
With last week’s scribe and geography correspondent missing, trekking in the foothills of the Fens, Keith Taylor writes:
And so to Teddington (some 15 miles NNE from Ockley) for the first time since 2015, a lovely setting in Bushy Park with a fine new pavilion and great tea (as we later found out).
The Cryptics included three debutants, Dom Wood and Joe Hurman in their early twenties, and in line with the youth policy the oldest Cryptic debutant, Nigel Teasdale at 66, knocking Rev’d Tony Cupit into second place. The remainder of the team was made up of the usual band of students, sons of legends, youth, crocks and semi-geriatrics. A short ceremony before play revealed Seecktsy had pipped Pippa and become the highest cap holder (in the modern era) with 349 games, earning a fine bottle of wine. Why not wait until cap 350 to celebrate? Because as Seeckts and Keith agreed, “you never know when your last game will be!”
On with the game. Young Joe Witt and not so young Gossy took the new ball. Both looked better when they landed the ball on the pitch. Teddington got off to a good start with the openers putting on 58 before change bowler Scottie pitched one and hit the stumps. Scottie also accounted for the other opener with the score on 62. Dom replaced Scottie and took his first wicket, a catch at slip by Seecktsy using his new technique, absorbing the pace in his ample cleavage and catching the rebound (that’s twice this season). Nigel celebrated his debut by dropping a couple of chances in true Cryptic fashion, as the ball followed him around the field. Ed and Toby showed that it is possible to catch if you are bowling. Gossy picked up a couple in his second spell and YJW eventually broke through in his final over with an LBW that only Ingo (oh and Stu!) would have given; pitched outside leg hitting in line, going over the top – Umpire’s call – out! Some good ground fielding by the youngsters and a good performance during challenging debut behind the sticks by Joe Hurman saw Teddington all out for 134 in 37.2 overs.
Tea was taken to a backdrop of the IPL final; Cryptics batters (Cryptic WHAT? – Ed) taking note of how it is done.
Following last week’s combined age for the top three of 170 years, a reshuffle came up with a combined age of around 64 years. Jimmy Grinders was first to go for a duck (where was Ricky this week?) Toby and Dom progressed to 38 before Toby went the same way as Jim, missing a straight one. This brought Keith to the crease needing two runs for 2,000 Cryptic career runs. First ball nudged behind square leg for one, with the milestone coming up in the next over. Dom and Keith upped the pace putting on 77 runs before Dom ended a very watchable innings on 46 when he picked out a fielder on the square leg boundary. Fair to say that nobody looked as surprised as that fielder that he had held on to one. Joe Hurman joined Keith and offered to nurdle a few to leave Keith to collect the 12 needed for his fifty, ending on seven not out as Keith hit the winning boundary to bag a second unbeaten half -century in two weeks (I feel Ricky is watching now).
A third win in four games for the Cryptics in 23.1 overs, leaving plenty of time to sample the bar in the new pavilion and compare legend jacket fittings with Nigel, the man behind our Bangkok jacket shopping. Jugs were bought (Rod take note).
Jingle Bells, and off to Lord’s.