Match report (written by Justin)

Cricket returned for Lavant CC by the way of a midweek T20 against our friends from Chidham. Expectation was high as we had made this fixture, arranged food, been rained off, rearranged and then finally got the chance to play.

The ground at Delling Lane was awash with sun and a cool breeze made it a beautiful evening to take on a game of T20.

A healthy competitive edge had been added to the game with Prof Peter, a stalwart of Lavant fixtures this year, turning out for Chidham.

In Tam’s absence, Justin had enthusiastically taken the captaincy reigns and with both teams performing well this year he was a little nervous at having to keep the Lavant train rolling.

The toss went up, heads called and tails fell. Proving Iain and Tam are better ‘Tossers’ than the stand in. Chidham decided to bowl which suited Lavant just fine. Under Iain’s stewardship, the club has become well versed at batting first (unless it is 30 degrees at Lynchmere and he decides to bowl first!) The openers strapped them on and strode to the middle.

In a change to the line up, Iain and Lloyd opened up. The team had been tasked with scoring 120. Run a ball. Bat at tempo. Bat for the team.

Iain as senior opener needed to get us going and Lloyd in his first foray needed to rotate strike. I think it is fair to say that Iain struggled in the first couple of overs. I’m going to take a minute to say that in this format, he has often got us off to good starts, he bats aggressively and often sets a platform for the team. His retirement for 25 looked different this week. He had to tough it out, show some grit, adapt and find a way to get in the game. Well done. Sometimes the game is hard and finding ways to overcome that is valuable. Congratulations on a solid T20 season and a good not out tonight.

Lloyd rotated well, ran hard and tried to execute the game plan. He was out to a weird dismissal that hit his box, flicked the bat and was caught down the leg side. The umpire gave it not out but he nobly walked proving he is the only one of you who was honest in the WhatsApp poll!!

Next in was Will T-Rex. Under-utilised but a great teammate. Someone you want in your side. Nuggety, tough, energetic. He smashed his second ball straight into his face and retired hurt. Ouch. I think most of us would have cried and gone home!!

Mark ‘The Chairman’ S was in next. A man who has barely wielded his willow this year. A man who has procured a mower, dealt with a load of bureaucracy, is a wise head in amongst us. I for one am grateful that he is our Chairman.

He played with a boyish smile -even an impish grin and looked resplendent in his baggy blue. He hoiked, bludgeoned, swiped and swept his way to a well played 18 – dismissed to probably the catch of the night. Well played Sir…a magnificent reception as he left the field told you all you need to know about the regard we all hold him in.

In at 5 was Willy Mac…calm and assured and as good as ever at playing hard shots straight at fielders. He soon got over this and was quick to punish the bowling. He hit the ball hard, found gaps and ran well. A good retired 25.

At this retirement came Will T-Rex…extinct some thought…not this stallion…he strode to the middle looking Terry Butcher esque and quickly got about his work. He is a power player but with a way of finding gaps and hitting in unusual areas. His finest moment dispatching Prof onto a Jaguar parked near the clubhouse. Another retirement and the platform was set.

Next was Mark H at 6. He ran well, batted with intent and looked to benefit from being fitter. His technique looked good and he gave the strike to players who were finding the boundary. He played well and showed good temperament for a not out 8. Well done Mark.

JB ‘Mr IPL’ came and went to show that even superstars have off days. This brought Max to the crease. A fine young cricketer with a great attitude and a pleasure to have in the side this year. The scorebook tells the story, in late in the innings and found the boundary regularly. He played on both sides of the wicket, hit it hard and showed power and placement. He got Lavant up to an above par 155. 

This is a good score in T20 and one that we felt confident we could defend. It was built on our power players finding boundaries, our less experienced players finding ways to rotate strike and trying to punish bad balls, intent with running and an effort to bat for the team. Well done all.

No need for a Churchillian speech and I’ve seen how you lot respond to them anyway!! Just some gentle reminders to the opening bowlers that warming up might be useful. 

I have always enjoyed on field captaincy and I am fiercely competitive. I don’t believe you should play any game without trying to win. I wanted the bowlers to go out and win us the game so expertly set up by the batsmen.

The field was set, pace and exuberance in the outfield to cover ground and knowledge, wisdom and a refined element brought to the infield. Perfect.

Jayden opened up and bowled a good spell. Reasonably new to cricket and learning his craft, he will benefit from a good 3 overs. He bowled some good balls and went 0-16. All in all an economical set. A challenge to pitch the ball further up next time he bowls. Well done Jayden.

Rob ‘Rocco’ Bradley, one of the few league players turning out for Lavant, took the other opening slot. He whirled and twirled and bowled with good consistency. He flighted it well and is improving his accuracy. He ended up 2 overs 0-16.

Mr IPL next. Mysterious and often seen in a plume of smoke to add to the aura, JB bowled like ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be Michael Yardy!’

He bowled great lines, restricted the runs, beat the edge and was very unfortunate to go wicketless. His 4 overs going for a miserly 14 runs and essentially putting the game to bed. 

He bowled in tandem with Max. While Max was not at his best, we all still had a great chat in the pub about how good he is and how much potential he has. Described as ripping it and how much you can hear the ball fizz, he is a good bowler and we think he can be a great one. Well done Max on 3 overs 0-17.

Willy Mac came on and did what he does. He beat the edge multiple times. Conceded very few runs if you minus the 12 through edges to third man. He is always dependable and is a thoroughly excellent bowler. I will say his ability to bowl that well and not get wickets is becoming a real skill. Surely a hatful round the corner?!?

Will T-Rex looking like the Phantom of the Opera came on and bowled with his usual hostility. 1 over 0-4. He would have been nailed on for death overs in a tighter match. Mark H bowled some great deliveries in his two overs and was getting better and better. He capped off a good all round performance. Unlucky to join the 0 for brigade.

Finally, in a desperate attempt to not captain a T20 side that did not take a wicket the skipper called on the guy with the best strike rate at the club. In a crisis, we call for the Chairman!

He had one over to weave his magic. He bowled well. Enticing a heave into the leg side that Willy Mac caught in three fingers much to the delight of his teammates. A good catch out in the deep. Though this week we found out most of you back yourself to catch those!!! 

Next ball, a beauty, flight, dip and spin to castle the incoming batsmen but alas no chance for a hat trick. We will look forward to his first ball next time out. Well done to Mark for getting 2 wickets in a game where we were without any.

The Chidham innings finish on 116 for 2. A resounding victory for Lavant by 39 runs.

The batting line up fired. Everyone played their part. Well done to those who carried their bats…this is a way to promote and inspire confidence in the line up. Well done for those who took their chance. And finally a big well done to everyone for batting for the team. This is an important quality to have in this beautiful sport.

The outfielding was good, the catch smart and Iain once again proved he is the best village wicketkeeper by a a mile to add huge value to the fielding unit. 

The bowlers all stuck to task and managed the game. Whether experienced or inexperienced, people did the best they could and kept the run rate in check.

A good win on a beautiful evening. Topped off by fun, friendship and laughter at the pub. Good food, nice company and a buoyant feel.

Man of the match: A tough one, with a good team performance. I’m going with the Chairman. Picking up 2 wickets in a game where they were hard to come by; adding 18 runs in the middle order; running with intent as well as a good standard of fielding and backing up. He epitomised how I want to see cricket played. Well played Mark.

Champagne moment: A leg side take from Iain (with no fine leg) where the quickest hands came back to whip the bails off. Lightning quick and something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

It could have been Max’s 6 but it was only a 4!!

Well played all. Back to you Tambo.