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Doctors beat Huntsmen The Huntsmen have evolved from Trull Trundlers whom we
narrowly beat last year but who smashed us the year before. They arrived punctually, and it was
immediately apparent from the appearance of several lithe youths and a few
middle-aged has-been experts that it was going to be a challenging affair. BDCC batted first.
The wicket had every appearance of having been maltreated the day before and
since then, severely neglected. It had
not had the benefit of a roller, and there were lumps of mud lying around. Sure enough, the
ball came through with much variability.
John Ogle failed to score off a series of deliveries that moved
extravagantly off the seam, until one from Richard Payne came the other way
and comprehensively yorked him. At the
other end Mickey Masters received a third ball flyer from pacey Tom Minchin
(just released from the Sherborne firsts) that he could only fend off his
face for it to float gently into the keeper’s grateful hands. Graham Ferguson
was dropped second ball to a dolly at slip, but then launched into a series of
boundaries, whilst Hugh Ogle got a leading edge for 2 trying to force off his
toes a ball that stopped on him. At
20-3 after 8 overs, things were dire. Phil Barker, perhaps a little rustily,
played the ball cunningly into open spaces, and he and Fergie were able to
make inroads into the bowling of Jeremy Minchin and Madge, until Fergie was
well-held by Archie Bromfield at deep mid-on for 26. The score at this point was 44-4 off
10. Then came the defining innings of
the match: Dickie Budd, scenting an opportunity for further glories in his
illustrious season smashed 2 sixes and a couple of fours, and with Phil now
seeing the ball, the total reached the 100 mark and respectability. Dickie
retired on 40, bringing in Tom Guppy
to continue the good work and another useful partnership. At this point Phil unluckily was well-held by the
athletic Frank Clark running across from deep mid-on for a fine 26. After Keith Powell had found the boundary
once he then went down the track to try it again and was easily stumped. Sedge Seymour determinedly took up the
challenge with Sam Powell who had just arrived from a lunch date with the
in-laws, and together they put on 20 before Sedge was out, caught, for 13;
and then Sam was similarly dismissed for 11. Dickie Budd returned to score
just 1 more before unfortunately being bowled off the penultimate ball. Somehow the Doctors, through a mixture of
character and determination, had made a total of 163. Huntsmen started
well and it was the seventh over and the total 34 before Frank Clark gave Sam
an easy catch off the bowling of Dickie Budd.
The dangerous Archie Bromfield was brilliantly caught behind by Graham
Ferguson off the challenging bowling of Keith Powell for 25. Nearly all their
batsmen played well and reached double figures, but from a commanding
position of 59-2 off 10, their innings gradually slowed and what had, at one
time, appeared to be an inevitable progression to an ignominious defeat for
the Doctors, gradually moved into the loftier pastures of hope. Sam brilliantly ran out Jeremy Minchin, and
Tom Clark went LBW to Fergie for a painstaking 10. Docs rotated their bowlers; Mickey Masters
took 1-14 off 3 on his debut, and Hugh Ogle restricted the batsmen to 25 off
his 4. Sedge contributed a tidy 0-23 off his 3. But then Tom Minchin came in and hit a six
and and five fours in a last-ditch attempt to regain the initiative. However it was too late, and at the end of
the 30th over they had reached 155-7 and the Docs had notched up
an unlikely victory. The weather was
superb. The tea, provided by Mrs Hunt, was quite delicious. It was the
unanimous feeling that we would repeat the fixture next year. |
