3rdTeam - Pudsey Congs - 21st April 2007
Finally, the time had come to begin the 2007 season for the 3rd team and for Neil Cooper's reign as captain. The new skipper got off to a flyer by winning the toss and sticking Pudsey into bat. Several football stud marks and weeds on off stump on a length suggested that the track might ‘do a bit' and it was taken full advantage of by the opening bowling of messrs Cooper & Holmes.
After an excellent opening over from Coops, it was Dipper that got the early breakthrough. If there was ever a moment to feel sorry for your opponents, this was it. For the Pudsey No. 2 batsman, 3 months hard work in the nets amounted to him lasting only one delivery in this match. Dipper fizzing in a full delivery which the opening batsman politely spooned straight back at Dip for a regulation caught and bowled dismissal.
The top order for Pudsey offered very little resistance, possibly because of the fierce banter that was flying around the outfield for Wilkinson, Holden and the like. The pick of the early wickets was a jaffa from Coops, which ripped through the batsman's defence to make a terrible mess of his middle and off stumps. Esholt on top with the score at 31-4.
At this moment, Pudsey decided to show a little bit of fight at the exact moment that Esholt decided to take their foot off the gas. Pudsey managed to put on around 50 for the fourth wicket, with their younger batsman playing some tidy strokes (which coincidentally he told everyone about at tea). Something needed to happen fast, and that's when Andy Barker decided enough was enough. A stroke of genius perhaps by Coops to bring Andy on at the top end but his gentle medium pacers, accurate as ever, proved a little too intelligent for the Pudsey middle to lower order to handle. He also bowled the most plumb LBW decision in history where their No.11 stood square in front of all three stumps. Andy turned in a fantastic spell of 6-1-9-3 and Pudsey were bowled out for 128.
Dipper and Rick Morton walked out to the middle knowing not to take the small total that had been set for granted. The pitch was still full of life and the way the Pudsey whippersnappers were warming up, this total still could prove a challenge. Dipper hit a nice four before being dismissed early and Bernie and Rick steadied the ship for 8-10 overs, pushing the ball around nicely, intermingled with several bullish drives and ‘hoiks'. Then Bernie got himself out mistiming a shot and Buckers batted nicely before also falling. This left Esholt around 42-3 with still a lot of work to do.
Ben Holden came to the crease, huffed and puffed but did not come close to blowing the house down and the score was around 60-4. Esholt needed a quick fire solid innings to see them through, and that is what they got in the shape of Horace's ‘Pull Shot Frenzy' 31*. With the help of Coops briefly and Dave Newberry safely at the end, Esholt reached their target with four wickets to spare. A good start to the season, let's hope the team can follow this up on Old Modernian's main ground next Sunday.