Thursday 31 July 2014

Rascals v's Chelsea Arts Club 26.07.14

in absentia

Captain Neil wrote - 'experienced a bit of turmoil when, on Friday afternoon, we learnt that Mayfield had a scheduled league match and we therefore had to migrate to Pear Pudding Tree Hill to play CAC, with Rosco having to prep the pitch at the last minute. It put us on the back foot rather and invited a late start and subsequentLY a 30 over match was agreed.'
We took a bit of a hammering by CAC. I think we were 114 for 8 or 9 and they made light work of it for 2 wickets. Toby made an excellent 54?. Sadly did my back in the previous week and couldn't play.
My tea was a success though!'

Chairman Mark wrote - 'Spoke to Neilo.
Racsals either all or or run out of overs (thinks latter) for not much over 100.  Oppo then won with ease for the loss of something like 2 wickets.
Score book not used (or found!)'

Captain
Eddie wrote - 'nada'

Groundsman (and general club factotum)
Rosco wrote - 'nada'


Sunday 20 July 2014

Rascals vs Donkey's Impediments 19.07.14

Finally the sweet smell of victory! And how sweet it smells. More reports and pics to follow, but for now enjoy the odour. PK

Full Match Report:

Confusion abounded as to how the team list would look.  Huge quantities of e-traffic flew backwards and forwards; it was a spectator sport in its own right.  Finally, come Saturday night, we were at a full complement.  Sadly, by Sunday morning, we were back down to 10.  Luckily Neil Mackwood was found carousing at a local hostelry, accepted the king’s coin, and found himself sailing on the tide aboard the good ship Rascal before he had roused himself to his senses (Thank you Neil, you will be remembered and toasted for years to come).

More troubles came in the form of the grounds man; the machinery shed remained obstinately shut.  Another round of intensive communiques was fired off, with the happy result that at around 2.45 a new strip was starting to be prepared.  There was some grumbling along the lines of ‘if only he took that broom out of his arse…’, but it was happy sight to behold.  Tarquin took on the heavy roller duties and proceeded to leave the perfect impression of a pair of Rayban aviator’s in the middle of the square.  Amazingly at 3pm the pitch was ready, 22 players champing at the bit, toss tossed and Eddie had elected to bat.  We were on:



Yet again we started very solidly (can we make a habit of this?), with Rossco and Eddie nearly topping last weekend’s record (?) opening partnership with a reassuring 102.  Rossco went off like a train, sustaining a near fatal injury to his foot, free hitting his way to a fine 68. 


Eddie did not stay at the crease too much longer after being joined by Jamie Mackwood who set about the job of shoring up the innings with his usual aplomb.  He certainly has the knack of not looking like he has any intention whatsoever of releasing his place on the crease.  Jamie was joined by PK and the two them went, very nearly to the close of the innings.  This is the only time when Jamie looks vulnerable (for that he was), when he really starts to open up his shots.   PK was joined at the crease by newcomer Olly McIntosh for the last 5 balls.  Showing no signs of nerves, he hit a sweetly struck six straight back over the bowlers head on his second ball.  Your Rascals closed out on 248 for 3 off their 35 overs

A beautiful tea was laid on by Rossco (is there nothing that man won’t do for the team?), hoovered up by 22 hungry players and cleared up by a beautiful new addition to the kitchen, the delightful and ever youthful Vanessa K.

Having set them 7 an over, we were quietly confident that the first victory of the season was within our grasp.  With one wicket and only 4 runs hit off the first 5 overs spirits were soaring in the Rascal camp.  Olly McIntosh was tearing in from the pavilion end delivering some weapon grade pace.  Quite extraordinarily, their opener decided that the best answer to this was to charge down the wicket to him.  Something that left us all slightly confused.  Is it really worth risking life and limb for the Impediments??  Got to admire the commitment though.

Two Collier boys made a good stab of trying to rescue the game for the Impediment’s, until Alex C skied one to the heavens off Eddie’s bowling.  A short cameo from various bowlers (Mynott x 2 and Jasper K) at death brought around a final score of 180 all out off 34.3 overs.

Jasper K had the rare honour of being asked by the umpire to keep quiet while the bowler was running in.  The fact that he was the bowler at the time marked it out as a rare event (where does he get it from?)



As there was a wedding and the Bell starting at 4 pm and Neil G was absent, there was remarkably little debate as to where to repair to for the post match ceremonies.  It took some time to wrangle both teams to the same side of the Bull, but once there, some fines words were spoken by David G, Nigel B and Eddie.  The bat was duly received by the latter only to be snatched back immediately for ‘safekeeping’ by Nigel (perhaps he had seen Billy Grigson at work with another bat earlier?)


Scorebook, beautifully kept (our inning’s anyway) by Jasper K.


Monday 14 July 2014

Rascals v’s Canbashers 13.07.14

Excitement at team lists received from the chairman in regards to those playing in the match was slightly dampened by:
  • His inability to count past 10
  • His inability to remember all of those on the list
  • The inability of his team to be reliable enough to actually be able to play 
An awful lot of inability I would suggest.  The flip side of this is that we were asked to be at the pub promptly, so that we could leave by 1.30 and hit a 2 o’clock start.  All this at the special request of the opposition; they seemed quite keen to watch a football match of some description due on that evening (surely not the season for the big ball?!).  There has to be a first time for everything and, sure enough, this was a first that found your Rascal’s all on parade at the ground, on time and not a Canbasher in sight.  So early that Eddie was heard to grumble ‘Sod this, I only had one beer at the pub!’ screeching off to the local shop to rectify this particular problem.

With the sun blazing down, Neilo lost the toss and we found ourselves in to bat.  It is safe to say that we certainly started well.  The opening pair made a partnership of 109 before being separated (Ed a handy 56 and seeing the ball better than he has all season for us).  The scoring had not been the fasted, but all appeared ‘set fair’, 220 seemed a reasonable target.  But one thing you can absolutely and irresolutely be 100% certain of, you could put the house on it and sleep the sleep of the just, the Rascal’s will NEVER do what you would expect, and certainly if it ‘reasonable’!!  We were not all out (we only lost 5 wickets!), we just did not seem to be able to score runs at a reasonable rate, Felix knocked 19 with a couple of lovely 6’s, Neilo 14 and Clifton 15 not out.  But in the end, after our 32 overs we were only 186 for 5, setting them a pretty thin looking target of less than 6 an over.

A simply awesome tea followed, possibly Mark & Carole’s swan song (not if I have anything to with it!), and one of their best yet!  Thanks as ever. (Jo photobombs again!!)
Under darkening skies we took the field to endeavor to collect our first win of the season.  Not a great start in this respect, the first 4 overs were duly dispatched for 35.



A short but intense rain burst halted play for about 15 minutes, but it looked like it easily might have lasted longer!  Following the break there was a stemming of this torrent of rain and runs, but the wickets were few.  Sad to report, after only 28 overs, they had secured victory for 5 wickets (Clifton 2, Todd 2 & Felix 1).  It was clear that we were (a minimum of) 25 short in the total we set.

More worrying though is why have we not won a match this season?  Well I say worrying; actually we are having a lovely season and enjoying every minute, so what the heck eh?

Roll on the next thrashing!!
PK

Tuesday 8 July 2014

MMMM 06.07.2014

Waking to leaden skies and a fine drizzle left me a little concerned that Mike had forgotten us for once up there in the great meteorological office in the sky. Why did I worry!!  By the time I arrived at the pitch, to find Marko busying around the charcoals and Neil (with a small army of helpers) erecting the 'difficult' up, the sun was definitely trying to put its hat on.
Delicious lunch provided by the Chair and Captain, thank you.  Much drinking and jollity (too much from me, me thinks), some discussion on how the teams should be selected (well done Paul R, for putting a stop to the cruel idea of going back to the school gymnasium selection method), toss taken and the Skilbeck's found themselves batting.
Too much rose makes one forgetful, so, if my memory fails me, please do NOT correct me, but......
Beattie & Bealby opened and both went on to retire, in fact I think I was the only one of the first 6 or so batsmen to fail in this sense, oops!!  More evidence of the aforementioned rose?
 The Skilbeck's posted 158 by tea, but there were times when it looked like it might be more.  A typically epic tea followed (thank you to all who took a hand in this).  The Grigson innings started with a tumble of wickets and, for just a moment, it looked like we might all make it to the pub in good time.  We had not of course bargained on their Captain.  Neil never looked like getting out (in fact not sure he ever was), and a young McKindoe stoically held the crease to take them within a very respectable 20ish??? of our score.  However it was not to be the Grigson's day and Eddie was able to take the honours.
(you see, the 'selfie' did work!)
We repaired to the Bull, where the presentations were made.  Mark gallantly gave a speech under the most awful and sustained attack from the 'posh sounding bald one', and Eddie received the trophy.  Can we get the engraving up to date?
 Another Great Day at Stonegate!!! PK