SFDWP
Cricket Club

Verulanium won’t have been approached by the SFDWP with more trepidation before - not due to the games ahead but for fear of creating a burden on the organisers of a worthy event.  The late addition of Jim Franklin helped boost our number but the first match still started with only seven Saddos.  Not to fear – a call to arms was put up by the organisers and four volunteers from the competition were swiftly co-opted in to help in the field.

The format for the day was 8 overs a side, 2 overs max per bowler, 3 runs for a wide or no ball but no extra delivery and bats retiring on 15 runs.  Each team would play in pools of four teams with the top two proceeding to the semi finals and hopefully the final later.  

The first match was against Manland – a team only previously met in the same tournament two years ago.  With the toss duly lost by Skipper Peter Cook, Manland proceeded to bat.

Nick Button and Richard Noden opened the bowling, Noden preferring the option of medium pace to his off spinners due to the wet conditions.  In truth football boots were de rigueur for the surface as the rain soaked turf meant the ball needed constant cleaning and drying.  In the absence of a towel Peter Cook’s shirt was the cloth of choice – later to be a test of Persil’s cleaning power greater than you’ll see on any advert.

Both Button and Noden delivered controlled spells but the batsmen looked untroubled off the sponge-like surface.  A bowling change to Tim Winfield and Jim Franklin continued the theme but the nearest the Saddos came to claiming a wicket was when Franklin slipped in his delivery stride and ended up taking off the bails of the backing up batsman. Catcalls from both the boundary and his own team made certain no appeal was raised and the batsmen both carried on as before.   After one retired not out Manland reached 59 runs off their 8 overs – who knew whether this was good or not?

Winfield and Simon Wilson opened the batting in a positive frame of mind, Tim in particular looking typically self assured.  Accurate bowling accounted for Wilson, Franklin and Peter Cook all with their stumps redistributed.  Roger Barton chipped the ball back to the bowler while a very red-faced Nick Button was run out in the final over meaning that only Winfield posted a score of note – 21 runs not out including an early four and a six to long on in his final over at bat.  

A first match loss by 9 runs but a feeling that the team had accounted itself well in defeat.

Next up FCC.  Peter Cook was replaced by Jonno Hook as well as the arrival of Jacob Winfield – one of them was wearing a shirt showing his county playing credentials but its up to you to guess who! The Saddos were up to 8 members.

Tim Winfield took up the captaincy mantle and set the field ready for Nick Button and Jonathan Hook to open the bowling.  Button’s bowling was tight and restrictive offering only six runs from his two overs while Hook was taking wickets including one that featured a superb juggling act by keeper Simon Wilson.

The champagne moment had to belong to an honorary Saddo however, whose left handed diving catch at backward square leg off the bowling of Jim Franklin was without doubt the best we’ve seen this season – sign him up!

Meanwhile Jacob Winfield closed the bowling from the opposite end offering only 8 runs off his two overs and beating the bat a number of times.

FCC closed on 34 runs – a superb bowling and fielding performance by the Saddos.  

Tim Winfield and Nick Button strode to the crease with the confidence that comes from chasing a low total.  Sure enough an assured opening stand meant that the score was reached without loss – Tim not out for 12 runs while Button closed the match off scoring two boundaries and sixteen runs in total.

Buoyed by success we had watched Rory’s Rascals dismantle Manland in more ways than one – while undoubtedly featuring some talent the young bowlers were pitching some unnecessarily short deliveries into the batsmen in their efforts for pace which must surely have been unnerving on the erratic top Verulanium pitch.

The Saddos lost the toss (again) and Rory’s Rascals chose to bat.  This time the Saddos numbers had been further boosted by the arrival of Alfie and Joe Button.  

Alfie and Jonno Hook opened the bowling against two accomplished batsmen and despite good bowling the score began to open up without loss.  That said, the sight of the batsmen’s faces when Joe Button threw the ball back from the sweeper position on the offside boundary was classic – what an arm!!

The first change of bowling led to Nick Button coming into the attack and taking a scalp quickly but the momentum was with the Rascals.  With only one other wicket falling a total of 56 had been posted – an ask that looked tricky given what we knew about the oppos’ bowling attack.

Richard Noden and Tim Winfield opened but both fell relatively cheaply.  Winfield was particularly unlucky - having set off for a quick single the leg fielder picked up the ball and shied at the wicket with only one stump to aim at – sure enough a direct hit and Tim was a yard or so out of his ground.  

From that point onwards the Saddos were behind the run rate and struggling to catch up meaning a succession of new batsmen arrived at the crease to unsporting silence. A valiant 13 from Jim Franklin including two boundaries was the only stand of note and when Hook pulled the last delivery of the innings for a square leg boundary to close the Saddos innings for 45 runs we’d been defeated by 11 runs.

In the end a fun day played for the most part in a really sporting environment.  Rory’s Rascals went on to beat Killigrew and STAGs to take the title so we were beaten but unbowed by the eventual winners – in fact the Saddos score looked good compared to most that played this young team.