Sunday 23rd June 2024
West End Esher 161-9 (35 overs)
SCCC 164-7 (33.5 overs)
SCCC won by 3 wickets
35 over match
SCCC lost the toss by negotiation
Scorecard
Ed Grindrod writes:
With only three games and just one win by the summer solstice, largely due to the English weather, the Cryptics arrived at West End Esher. Grinders Snr turned up hoping a good selection of young hands and eyes would help his chances of getting the one wicket required to become the Cryptics leading wicket taker. Despite having only 10 players for the start time (Dwight making us wait an extra half hour on top of his two year hiatus) Ed negotiated to bowl and was confusingly made to call a toss anyway, so duly lost.
With six genuine fast (read seam) bowling options it was a pair of Gosses chosen to start. The father-son duo kept the scoring down in the face of aggressive batting intent which nearly resulted in Hugs losing all his teeth as one shot past him at gully. It was the introduction of Joe Witt that brought a couple of quick breakthroughs.
Meanwhile, Grinders Snr had been introduced to the attack, heaved for a couple of boundaries, got a bit angry, and then had one hit up in the air – which Witty proceeded to drop. Into his fourth over Cryptics nerves were growing but, assisted by Seeckts’ subtle encouragement from the cordon, another chance went up and, at the fifth time of asking since his last wicket, was held. The moment is even caught on video! Grinders now has 285 wickets (over 50% of which he would like you to know were top order dismissals), in nearly 1500 overs conceding 6001 runs. He also boasts a bowling average lower than his batting average and two offspring who have inherited some of his cricketing credentials, a truly great Cryptic all rounder.
The very next over, Witt snaffled a pair of wickets with awful half-trackers to bring his total to four, with fourteen balls at a Michelle – he didn’t convert (7-1-35-4). With the score 71-5 at drinks, some bowling changes were in order. Gibb bowled a tidy 4-0-15-1 whilst Dwighty got away with his first two overs before the batsmen worked out there was limited danger, taking his third for fourteen. Sidwell bowled everywhere to boost the target before the Gosses returned to finish off the innings, Dad picking up two late wickets for family figures of 14-3-38-2. The Cryptics had unusually held eight catches including 3 for Archie Goss and a surprise snaffle from Seeckts.
Ed Grindrod and Ingo started with the bat; Ingo swinging his way to a quick 15 before hacking around a slower straighter one. Seeckts came to the crease, and the pair proceeded with relative ease to drinks at 82-1, except for Seeckts having to run twos. On 46, Ed spooned a full toss to mid-wicket with the score 95-2. Hugs made it 95-3 two balls later. He was presented with Ricky, by Goss Jnr on one knee, before even leaving the field.
Seeckts’ complaints about running crescendoed when Sidwell turned for a second calling yes, Seeckts dutifully set off only to find the ball was already most of the way to the end he had just vacated. Seeckts was run out for 41 having only taken a couple of steps down the wicket – I’ll leave the reader to decide where the blame lies, although I suspect there will be a note from the editor first. (Hardly needed, next sentence removes any doubt -ED). 13 runs later, Sidwell again foreshadowed the post game food provisions and barbecued a helpless Archie Goss for 9. By the time he walked off for 16, he had been ironically nicknamed Caldwell.
The senior pros, Goss (6*) and Grindrod (20*), helped the Cryptics over the line with a few lusty blows in the final overs. Having retired to the bar and BBQ, Cryptics celebrated Grinders Snr’s achievement with a typically rousing Seeckts speech and a bottle of wine called Tosterup; fittingly described on the label as “good with pies”. The evening was completed by the clubhouse fire alarm being set off by an actual fire, and not the BBQ as everyone initially suggested, and the Grindrods returning to a flat tyre.
Jingle Bells