Match Report: West Ashling v Lavant Loons

In the midst of a heatwave it has become obvious that opposition teams can’t handle the heat the Loons have been bringing. With no cricket in an age and the sun blazing the team were grateful that West Ashling were happy to host an impromptu T20.

The team, assembled through a hasty poll, was full of fine athletes. Muscles tensed, shirts bulging and testosterone aplenty. The birthday boy captain had an arsenal of weaponry a power mad dictator would be envious of! Game on.

The stand in skipper walked out to the toss with an unbeaten record on the line. Not that he ever mentions it!

The pitch was emerald green and seemed to be a bowlers dream. Heads was the call and it fell favourably. Lavant stuck the opposition in and were good to go.

Big Ben was up first and he never disappoints. Length pounded time and again and with lateral movement aplenty, he proved too much for the opposition batters and produced 2 overs 2-5.

T-Rex – ever reliable – took over 2 and he was up to his usual tricks. Skiddy pace, accuracy and menace combined to give him 2 overs 1-1. He feasts on prey like the apex predator he is. Awesome.

Coupled with the excellent bowling start, the Loons were moving in unison in the field. To a man, everyone did their job, prowled in the circle and gave the opposition nothing. Max exemplified this quality with a run out and catch. A brilliant effort and one the team should be proud of.

At 7-4 West Ashling were reeling. Iain was menacing behind the stumps as a stream of batters came out and found the going tough.

Chris ‘Big Pig’ ‘but not as big as Little Pig’ Pigden was up next. He varied his pace brilliantly to end 4 overs 2-7. He really is excellent at holding length and shows that in T20 you can be successful if you commit to a plan and bowl to your field.

Kier ‘PM’ was dovetailing nicely. I think it is fair to say that Kier has been a huge winter success story. Benefiting from our full net program, he has translated his excellent bowling form into his summer’s cricket. He held length well, bowled tidy lines and was able to maintain pressure on the opposition. Finishing with 2-16 off four was testament to his effort. His effervescent enthusiasm for the game is good for us all. 

Chris ‘John’ Mclean was up next with a bowling style that is hard to describe. Is it left arm orthodox? Yardy darts? Seam up of a short run up? Nobody knows. However, he grew into an impressive spell. He bowled the set opposition batsmen and ended with an impressive maiden. 4 overs 1-20 was an excellent effort.

Willem and Max closed out. Some mixed outcomes with Willem showing all his variations and Max bowling a variety of lengths. A tidy bowling and fielding effort restricting WA to 90 runs. 

Kudos to the fielders led by Iain, who kept the extras down with some good stops and quick glove work to go along with two deserved catches, Jim who ran and chased all innings and Max for good hands and quick run out.

Special mention goes to the spirit we played in. Not running out a batter who had slipped was a good gesture even when Ben’s fielding deserved a run out. Also, to a near worldy catch from Chrissy Mac at slip…it would have been so good.  

As a player, you know how I like high standards in the field. It was a privilege to see this as captain. Our unity as a team, commitment to each other and our ability to back each other up is a part of our success. Remember this in tougher games. We are one and we are stronger for it. 

At the change, there was a becalmed confidence in the team. A measure of how far we have come. This team knows how to win. A testament to the work of Iain and Tam who have been leading successful outfits over the last couple of years. The stewardship of the club is of paramount importance to us all. The on field success is an important part of the continued journey. We remain competitive and this is massively influential as we look to ensure we retain our club identity.

Iain and Jim walked out to open. Iain was into his work early and set the team going. He targeted full balls particularly and hit boundaries freely. He and Jim ran well and the team were up and running. He retired early on to set up the rest of the chase.

Jim was excellent in his approach. He showed both skill and a good eye to find the boundary. He is a team man who knows how to put the collective outcome at the fore. He scored at a good rate, hit regular boundaries and got out. A quick start and we were well above the rate.

Usual T20 maestro Tam was in at 3. Tam is unique in his approach. He mixes power hitting with deft touch. He guided it to third man and fine leg and powered it past the bowler. He rotated well and was left off strike for large portion of the second half of his innings. He retired and helped navigate the chase well. A second player back in the hutch to sit with the rabbits at 10 and 11.

What came next was a mini collapse as the WA bowlers showed some fight. Willem played across one, Ben succumbed to a leg side strangle and Max perished upping the ante having hit 3 nice fours.

As the sky became menacing and the rain threatened, it was left to Big Pig to knock a couple of singles and give the strike to T-Rex – who in a welcome return to form – smashed the winning runs to get the Loons over the line.

The run chase was probably never in doubt. The start was impressive. As a lesson learnt, we need to rotate strike efficiently through the middle overs or when the field gets spread. As a team we want to continue to improve. Something for us all to ponder as we move into Burford Cup season.

All in all, a job well done. 

Champagne Moment: Will T smashing the ball back past the bowler to win the game. Class shot and a timely return to form.

Game Changer: Kier for an excellent bowling performance. The improvement is massive and he bowled 4 good overs to showcase his skills with the ball. He bowled with an array of slips at times and kept the runs to a comfortable amount to chase

Lesson to Learn: Just as the run chase was slowing, Tam ‘Jean Claude’ Van Tran dispatched consecutive balls to third man and fine leg to showcase how to manoeuvre the ball into gaps. A lesson for us all.

Man of the March: Iain for tidy wicket keeping, two smart catches including one in the bicep and keeping extras down on a tricky wicket. This was coupled with a fast start with the bat and an aggressive showcase of powerful striking.

Well played all and on to the next