Camden II v Cottenham II (home)
COOL COMPETENCE CRUSHES COTTENHAM
Camden II (20pts) 161-2 beat Cottenham II (5pts) 160 by eight wickets
Early July: Bazball is at its summit. Three days after Camden and Cottenham duked it out in Eversden, England would chase down a massive total as easily as … chasing down yet another massive total. All in a day’s work. Flamboyant ramps, extravagant reverse sweeps, T20 run-rates. None of these were on show during a devastating display of Mitchball; rather, the 20 points were scooped up thanks to a proper team display, the tone being set by the Ginto-Liam opening bowling partnership which offered little in balls to whack and much in terms of batsmen being challenged with what might be described as an uneven bounce.
Camden were soon among them, not only keeping it as tight as Robbo’s wallet was later generously loose. 17-5 and thoughts of an early trip to the pub or at a push, a visit to Queens’ to give the other side a shout from the boundary. But as we know, it’s a funny old game, cricket. A midway score of 57-6 had the newly behatted Camden lads well on top. (An aside: are these hats just a little on the tight side?) The second 20 overs definitely belonged to Cottenham. Their number three, Parrott, R, who had witnessed the carnage wrought by Liam and Ginto (Linto?), was happy to find a batting partner – Cato – buried down at number nine and put on 99 before the skipper called on his golden arm to snaffle two wickets, both stumped by his fellow Old Marlburian Hodders, who finished the innings with a hand in five dismissals. A tip of the hat too for Hridoy who nipped out Cato for 59. If ever a Peter Sellers-based send-off was called for, then it was now. (Cue literally two or three readers scratching their heads and thinking “Eh?” Or “Who’s Peter Sellers?” I simply don’t know what these young guns are taught in schools these days.)
Features of Camden in the field: no dropped catches. Decent and energetic fielding. Parsimonious bowling. Bonhomie in abundance.
Tea time. A proper tea supplied by the President and supplemented by Ramesh, who brought along a selection of samosas and the like. A cricket tea with hot, dark brown Rosie Lee.
Out strode Robbo and Hodders. Four an over, if you please and nothing fancy. I have to say that domestic duties in the pav took precedence over watching – those plates don’t wash themselves you know – as Young Doug and your correspondent spent an hour clearing up. Hats off to YD who was as uncomplaining as I was ever-so slightly self-righteous.
Let’s say they both looked pretty comfortable as they pushed past fifty and then a hundred before a weary Hodders popped up a caught and bowled and walked back with a splendid 52 against his name. Hridoy came and went, leaving Srinivasa and Robbo to see Camden home with nearly three overs to spare. It was a proper afternoon’s cricket. It even drizzled for a time.
The chat in the pub turned to who should be Man of the Match. In fairness to Robbo, who carried his bat for 76, he’d already bought the drinks before proposing Liam and Ginto and then the whole team before settling on Hodders and himself as joint recipients. A decent choice.
Twenty big fat points for Camden and midtable mediocrity assured. Robbo’s top score of the season, great bowling across the board and five dismissals behind the stumps. Nice work, Camden.