Sunday 5 September 2021
Woking & Horsell CC 223-7 (35 overs)
SCCC 164-8 (35 overs)
35 Over match
W&H won by 59 runs
Toss negotiated
Scorecard
Hugh Greenway writes:
Exceptional things do happen in Woking, Martians landed on Horsell Common once, according to HG Wells. But generally, at the beginning of September, the Cryptics come to do battle with a sclerotic Woking side who, notwithstanding their hangovers, prevail. It’s also normally quite wet and someone usually gets hurt.
This year the Woking side had either got younger, or not drunk as much the night before because there was less moaning and fewer sunglasses. The toss having been engineered, Jonny Wright opened the bowling with a tidy maiden before Daddy G coming on at the Brewery Road end got spanked for 10 off his first two deliveries. His first was clubbed for four before his second despatched for six into the road off what can only be described as a very thick edge. The opening bowlers conceded 49 runs for no wicket off the first seven overs before a double change brought Stu Henniker-Smith and Ed Grindrod into the line of fire. Stu managed to donate 43 runs from four overs to the Woking cause whilst Ed rescued the Grindrod name with a tidy 2 for 10 off five.
As ever catches were dropped by many Cryptics. Marcus spilled at least two behind the stumps, although he will probably pretend that at least one of these was pad. Jimmy Grindrod waved at two that were rifled past him at mid-on much in the manner of Morecambe and Wise leaving the stage but his first refusal was his most creative, containing both a leap and duck and a wave in the same fluid movement. Pippa shelled a comparatively simple chance for Pippa. This last, prompting an amusing discussion about quantum mechanics and the coining of the term “Schrodinger’s Catch”, which remains both caught and uncaught depending on whether anyone noticed you didn’t actually try. The discussion amused Pippa and Hugs at least, particularly as Hugs held the only catch of the innings despite having been sacked from long on, point and mid on. Ed deserves mention for a direct hit run out off his own bowling whilst the less said about Marcus’s run out, the better. Woking finished on 223 for 7, which could have been a lot worse as they were 79 for 1 off 10.
Toby Seeckts and Jimmy Grindrod opened and compiled a sedate 37 from the first 10 overs before Toby spooned a catch in the 11th over, an approach which Hugs copied in the 12th. Scottie and Jimmy patiently played for their averages and avoided their jugs (46 and 48 respectively) until the 28th over when all hell broke loose as Styles bowled a triple wicket maiden (before eventually finishing with 5-25). J Wright mirrored his 1st over maiden with a golden duck from an ugly carve across the line. Marcus added a spirited 18 before also missing a straight one. And the rest of the Grindrod family played for their averages rather than the win.
The exceptional things were that the sun shone throughout and that nobody got hurt, which is a wonderful way to end a season. Woking still won at a trot but sometimes good things only come in twos.