The Westcott Double-Header Weekend brought even more Sunshine and a selection shortage as both Skipper’s went on their Summer sojourns. Never mind, the 3rd Leonard could step up from Vice duties to stand in and it has to be said he showed what a tosser he is right from the start! As he called correctly to insert Gibbon on a surprisingly green Westcott deck.
New skipper at the helm maybe, but the standard Marsh batting collapse still followed. Chambers (Snr), Vadivale, Mead and the Skipper all back in the hutch at 30-4 off 10 overs. Perhaps they were just getting to their seats early for the England vs Sweden Quarter Final! Could it get any worse? Yes. In no time at all, Fox and Abbott were seated in the shade and waiting for the footie as well as Marsh were reduced to 47-6 off 20 overs. Rehman Ullah especially dangerous with his left arm around sticking or skidding in from a wide projection.
Crouchy joined Sammy in the middle and the Time for a recovery was now. The two stood firm and started to find boundaries, sending the ball speeding across the baked hard outfield. Callow (20) had surpassed his highest score for the season when he gifted a C&B to Strong and an encouraging partnership of 45 in just 6 overs came to an end with Marsh on 92-7. Needham now joined Richardson.
Sammy was selectively hitting to his strength and putting balls into the corn field and onto the runway! The return of Ullah was his unfortunate undoing as a ball failed to get up and skidded over his foot into the stumps. Sammy scored 60 in just 69 balls including the time of the early top order demise. (9 Boundaries included: 6×4 and 3×6).
Marsh were now 127-8 off 34 and so time to spare, but not wickets. Needham had been happily watch from the other end as Richardson had plundered but with only Timdog and the young Chambers left had to move it along. After a quality thick edge through 3rd man for 4 Timdog became Ullah’s 5th scalp. Kyle (27*) and young Jacob scampered over 145 required for the 3rd batting point before Jacob was bowled and the innings closed on 148 – just in time to watch the 2nd half of the footie with Tea!
On a baking hot day with a rock hard small outfield no one thought 148 would be enough…….
Kyle’s first over looked expensive as it went for 11 as Ullah attacked from the start whilst only 2 fielders can be outside the 30 yard ring. But, he only lasted 5 balls as a quicker and shorter ball snorted to Richardson (who else!) in gully to take the catch. Khan came next and was even more determined to finish the game quickly. With the score at 42 in only the 7th over the Marsh total of 148 seemed even more inadequate. Until two wickets in 3 balls.
First went Khan, thin edging from Kyle into Skipper Joseph’s gloves. Sharp take – 2 down. Westcott skipper Strong at the crease. Dot. Then ball smashes pad straight down the middle – LBW. Westcott 42-3 from 7.
Callow had been struggling in the heat with a bout of man-flu and lack of sleep and was replaced by Vadivale. At first the change down in pace looked the wrong decision as a few early fours followed. Then with drinks approaching Needham trapped opener Cherry in front and Westcott were 62-4 off 13.
They say Skippers live or Die by their decisions….well, Kyle had just taken out the top 4 batters and in his last 30 delivers had taken 3 wickets for 9 runs and 5 of those 9 runs were because the skipper had put 3 fielders behind leg and caused a ‘No ball’ with the resulting extra ball going for 4. It therefore came as some surprise when the skipper announced “Kyle have a blow.” To be replaced by Jayson who had obviously seen something in his half of the pitch that could trouble the batter. So he bounced the ball no more than 3 metres in front of his foot. Whack! Hussain smacked the ball straight to Mead – Wicket first ball!
Followed immediately by Vadivale having Symes caught by Callow on the square, and then Abbott struck again next over with a C&B, deceiving the batsman by pitching the ball on his favourite spot – just by his landing boot!
Vadivale and Jaybone were ripping through the Westcott middle and lower order in double quick time as England were bringing it home against Sweden!
Westcott were tumbled from 62-3 to 77 All out, as Abbott finished with 3 wickets for 3 runs. Vadivale 3 for 17 and Needham 4 for 34. Consequently Skipper Joseph ‘Lived’ to Lead the Gibbon again!
Most importantly a 28 point victory lifted Gibbon off the bottom rung of the league and lifted the spirits of the players.