Armadillos

Now… most of you are probably well aware by now that I like to put a lot of effort and detail into my match reports. However, this one will buck the trend, as I feel the length of the match report should be a fair reflection of the length of the game… comically short. Nevertheless, here we go…

The weather was glorious. A mild, early September afternoon was just what the doctor had ordered for this traditional, season closing fixture of the Martlets calendar. However, a fair chunk of the team (myself included) were feeling rather worse for wear. The previous day saw the end of the Sussex league season, meaning plenty of sherry’s had been consumed that evening and long into the early hours, in some cases.

The 1pm scheduled start time for a 35 over game was looking very optimistic, given I had 5 players at 12.40pm. Knowing I very much needed to win the toss and bat to avoid the possibility of fielding without a whole team, I did just that. Plenty of time to ease the hangover, so I thought…

Looking back, I should probably have paid more attention to the wicket. In other words, actually looked at it, before deciding to bat. Similarly, I should probably have paid more attention to the Newick CC duo of Alex Heasman and Nick Beechey. These two had played on the very same pitch the previous day, where they informed me before the toss that the net score across the two innings was 218-18… ah.

Therefore, now that you have read the above, it probably comes as no surprise when I say that the Martlets were all out for 89. Fellow member of the hangover squad, Matt Ritchie, on only the second ball of the day, rather impressively managed to snick behind a back of a length ball that didn’t get above his shin. That really set the tone, I must say. A combination of very good bowling, some ‘interesting’ conditions and some equally as ‘interesting’ shot selection, meant after opting to bat and putting myself at 11, I was at the crease after only 19 overs.

To top it all off, the Martlets very kindly lent a fielder to the Armadillos, due to having a drop out the morning of the fixture. Said fielder, Will Nolan, decided to pluck one out the air above his head off his own skipper at square leg to bring the Martlets innings to a close. When it rains, it pours.

With that, we headed in for tea, knowing full well we were really up against it here to stay in the game. An excellent spread was laid on by the Armadillos and half an hour later, we headed out to defend our double digit score. Determined to lead from the front, I gave myself the new ball alongside the ever reliable Mr Murray.

Things started rather well, with Muzza claiming the opener after a very good catch from George Bryans running back at mid-on, to leave the Dillos 4-1. After this, however, it all unravelled rather quickly. The Pickard partnership really started to get going, with seemingly every shot in anger they tried either reaching the fence or clearing it somewhat easily. Wilf Pickard, after opening the bowling, raced to 41 off 32 before his dismissal, including 5 extra large bombs. An incredible exhibition in ball striking, often taking the pitch completely out the question by advancing down.

Not long after, the Martlets were put out of their misery after only 13 overs in the field. Ben Mcintosh arrived at the crease, faced one ball, hit it back over Alan Nichols’ head into the trees, and walked off. Alpha. The Armadillos out performed the Martlets in every aspect of the game, including some incredible boundary riding catches in their fielding innings, really making the difference. On paper, they were a much stronger team than in recent years and I imagine were very glad to get one over on us from some of the results previously.

And that, sadly, is really all there is to say. I would very much like to thank those that made themselves available for this fixture and especially those that were very last minute replacements to ensure I had a full 11 on the day. I like to think we all had fun still and are all chomping at the bit to avenge this defeat in a years time in an equally as dramatic fashion.

Lots of love,

Ready