Fear the Blue Thumb!

No, that's not a euphemism 

Bournemouth F v Ferndown Strollers

I remember in the write up of the last game I complained that the game was being held late on a weekday evening. I have now decided that late on a Sunday evening is even worse, as it destroys my Sunday routine. By this time in the evening I should have had a roast dinner, with a glass of St. Emilion. This should then be followed by a prolonged bout of sitting in a comfy chair, with such things as a trifle and perhaps a coffee featuring. I could do none of these things on this day, as if I did it would have been touch and go for getting out of said comfy chair to Hurn. Even if I had managed to get there, my ability for sporting endeavour would have been even lower than usual. So, no roast, Bordeaux or multiple layered desert for me…..

The team is:

Dave*

Cricketing God

Weirdly the Wife

Quick Single

Argh Me Back

Mr Hoopy

(*The cricketer formerly known as ‘Ballerina’ )

So, some people in, some out but a decent team.

 We rock up to the Indoor Centre and cast our eye over the opposition – Ferndown Strollers. This does not seem to be a club, more a group of friends getting together to play, very much like us, which is good. On the down side they are somewhat younger than us, by er, several decades, this could be a challenge.

The opposition win the toss and elect to bat and score 165, which is a very decent score. We did not bowl particularly badly, but not particularly well either – just ‘o.k.’ They also batted fairly well without dominating. Putting together ok bowling and decent batting amounts to a very decent score, keeping it ticking over at an ok scoring rate with a few overs where they scored big. We also only took one wicket, which does not help in keeping the scoring down. The wicket – a stumping -  was a bit contentious, with the bat looking upset at being given. Even the wicket keeper looked surprised. As the bowler though, with my vantage point of being 20 yards away, straight on and not even being able to see the crease, I can state categorically that it was out……  

I also missed out on another wicket – a dropped catch. It was hit very hard and popped in then out. Weirdly gave the excuse that it hit the tip of his thumb. Knowing just how much this can hurt I asked if he was ok and he said fine and we carried on. The next day however.....

 

 Sod me, that must have hurt

Got to give full marks for stoicism, as that must of hurt like a bastard when it happened but he did not flinch. I think I would have personally been swearing my head off.

So, onto our innings. The headline being all out for 105, which was a bit disappointing. For most of the innings we scored at an all right pace which meant it might have been a thrilling end but we also lost wickets too regularly. Like their battling, the Ferndown strollers bowling was pretty decent, without being amazing.  It seems pretty decent is more than good enough to put paid to the Bournemouth Gentlemen Pensioners. The last wicket was a bit frustrating though. It should have been an easy run out at the bowlers end but the first time the bowler went to take the bails he missed. By the second I thought the batter had made his ground, wasn’t sure though. But I did see that the umpire was still trying to get a view and had his back turned.  

I was thinking, ‘If you can’t see it, you can’t give it’. But after a quick chat with the other umpire it was given out, not how I would have done it. Still, it does not matter too much as we still had 60 to make with only the one wicket remaining, so it wasn’t going to happen.

I learnt a lesson for my own indoor batting though. I have work out a method for indoor batting that is effective enough. Being a leftie, bowlers usually come around the wicket to me. So I take a guard on off stump and get forward and even more across and look to play it around the corner. This is effective because anything outside off I can get legside, if I can’t there is a good chance it will be called wide. If I miss it I make sure my pad is in the way as it will be outside the line. Anything that is pitching in line I will look to leave as the angle will take it past the leg stump for three wides, thanks very much. If they bowl over the wicket, I take a guard on middle and do similar. This comes with an increased risk of lbw but still works well enough. However, I was facing a slow left arm bowler who was bowling over the wicket and I still had a ‘play it to leg’ mind set on. He tossed up a slow loopy one that I played all around and got out lbw when it hit my foot. So my learning is this – sometimes it’s appropriate to take a step forward and just leather the shit out of it. Which is a nice realisation to have. 

A game I enjoyed, played in a good spirit, always more enjoyable when you win but such is life.

Match Scorecard

So, where are we up to in the season?

Dominating the league as champions

Making a push for promotion

Mid table mediocrity

Fighting our way out of the bottom

Doomed to ignominy  

 

Won two, lost two, nothing if not average. We are towards the bottom of average (6^th out of 9) due to low batting and bowling points, but it is the wins and losses that will decide things.