Chidham T20 part 128

The Chidham crew after scheduling 20+ fixtures, still wanted to play even more. It felt a bit like the Rocky franchise moving into the creed trilogy movies. But who doesn’t like a bit of Sly Stallone and Michael B Jordan. 

With the summer of 26 that never stopped giving, the skipper was rehearsing his head and tails calling, even on the way to the Chidham home ground, in his car, towards Bosham.

Luckily he called correctly and ignored the ‘tails never fails’ philosophy……Heads, the Loons chose to bat on a slightly wet and grassy pitch. 

At his disposal the skipper had a scorer (Freddie-martins son) who had prepared wagon wheels on paper for all. 

Employing the Traz ball kiwi mentality, Murray was inserted at the top of the order, into bat for the first time this season in the T20s. Complimenting him was an in form Martin Ford. Boy did they not disappoint. Sumptuous lofted on drives filled up the score book, spaced in between ones and twos. It was the perfect start for the captain.

It would be fair to say this was one of the best opening partnerships of the season, as the pitch was playing up and the bounce was reminiscent of the WACA. Justin’s head was almost taken off twice from a few bouncers. Despite this, on average every legal ball 3rd ball was despatched to the boundary. One maximum each. Justin’s six hit the roller at long on, resonating like the sweet sounding, Bosham church bells. Martin’s was even straighter off of the opening bowlers, almost hit into the farmers field. The towering opener caressed the off side and played aggressively in front of the wicket. Flying at 10s and over, Fordy retired on 29 no from 14 balls. A scintillating innings. 

Lloyd was in next, and the opener spinner found his range turning and changing his pace. A maiden in the 6th over. Justin retired on a destructive 26 from 16 balls. Stu after a 5 month hiatus due to a back injury, was in next. It didn’t feel like he was out of the game for so long. A few dots, then a spattering of 4 beautifully controlled – on drives- to the boundary. Lloyed joined the party too with a smashing off drive that raced to the boundary like Lewis Hamilton. The Loons had arrested control again. 81 runs on the board just under the halfway mark

Then the opposition skipper, AKA Judas entered the attack and fortunes changed. Lloyd was juggled and unluckily caught on the off side after bouncing off the catchers arm. Stu was bowled by the prof and another pendulum swing. Out for 6 and 18 respectively. A double change of Kier and Luke Rodgers (his first T20) 

Traz ball continued after a few singles to get of the mark. Luke hit a couple of beautiful boundaries and Kier hit the ball like a sledge hammer with an off drive. Unfortunately he timed one too hard to deep square leg. Amazingly, the fielder fortuitously held his hands out, with the sun glaring in his face and caught it with no sight of the ball. Out for 6 off 4 balls. Luke was also caught trying to keep the ascendency going with a fantastic 14 off 9 balls.

Justin E was in next at 7 and Ter Rex was in at 8

Ezpeziel rotated the strike well to the in form TRex who played his typical 360 game. Hopping around in his crease more like a velociraptor than a Tyrant Lizard. The short armed predator continued his good form hitting to all parts of the ground. Off side slaps. Lofted on and off drives, paddles and sweeps, it was a marvel to behold. The apex predator was indeed the apex scorer with an immense 34 not out. The score was up at the 160 mark with a couple of overs to go. Justin and the skipper edged it up to 170. Not quite the finish he wanted from his own standards. However, a decent total posted on a difficult pitch. 

STATISTIC REPORT No ducks!!! Three retiree’s. 22 boundaries and 2 maximums. Seven 2’s 0ne 3 and thirty one singles. Only 4 wickets down! 17 extras. The Chidham team required 8.5 RPO to win.

An innings change, and it was time for the T20 premiere opening bowler to start the proceedings. Kier started with a wicket with the second ball against the opening wicket keeper caught at point by Luke. Fist pump part one!. Ben C started well bowling with good lengths but the opener swung like a rusty gate, edged a few to the boundary. 2 tight overs from the pair caused a false stroke and Kier struck again. Fist pump number 2. Clean bowled. 2 down and Chidham were feeling the pressure. Kier finished with superb figures of 2-14 off 3 overs. One could say …it was a good ‘Session’ 

Benny C was not going to be left out. A fast paced and well pitched delivery, devastated the stumps causing the bails to fly and almost reach the boundary. The stumps looked like the aftermath of Chernobyl. He finished on fine figures of 1-21 off 4. His first wicket for the T20 side. 

The skipper tried an experiment with Will T as an off spinner, after seeing some prodigious turn on the Lavant strip, however the Bosham pitch was very different to the l’oval. The first over was hit for 12. But a quick change, a telling off from Justin M and back to full pace, Trex employed the Andy Bichel action to obliterate the stumps once more. Maybe this was tactical ploy, or just plain stupidity from the skipper……but it worked 😉 

The number 6 Pino (who normally plays for Bosham 1st Team in Div 5) came in and started to Tee off and got the scoreboard moving for Chidham. I promise I’m not a badger…. I don’t look at Play Cricket 

It began to get dark, light was fading quick. There was less light than the predicted once in a100 year eclipse the day before. (So sort of dark) 

It was left to Stu with his controlled leg spin and Trans ‘Sir mix a lot’ deliveries. Tam was hit for six runs in total off of the first over.

Pino was retired not out. Stu…..only conceeded 1 run. In his second over Tran then deployed every speed possible 25 mph, 15 mph then the effort ball of 35 mph. Leg stump despatched. Same method again, an assortment of liquorice all sorts, then the full and straight Yorker. Bowled again. Stu Keep it turning and spinning like the underrated Stuart Mac Gill from Australia. He pitched it up and bowled number 9 and 10. Sweeping up the tail. A total of 8 clean bowled and one catch. A testament to how straight the bowling contingent performed. Chidham could only reach 103 chasing 170. Another comprehensive win by 67 runs. 

There are plenty of MOM contenders. Batting from Justin, Martin, TRex,

Bowling from everyone.

At the end of the day a team effort by ‘The loons’ are the players of the day

Champagne moment

Ben Cs first clean bowled wicket

I think it is safe to say it was the last T20 ….but who knows???