There was a time when any victory over our oldest enemy would be shouted from the top of every mosque in Cardiff. How times have changed. The hurricanes have won the majority of the fixtures in recent times and with one loss out of nine this season victory was expected.
Griff won the toss and elected to field. The plan was to restrict the scoring then chase down an easy total. A change of tactics but with some big hitters in the Glenwood ranks they are a team well capable of chasing a big target.
The tactic worked, no complacency was shown. Awesome bowling from all, the pick being Jaffa (2 for 3 off 2), Garraway (2 for 6 off 2), Badger (2 for 3 off 2) and Jimmy (2 for 1 off 3 balls). Captain Griff confidently moved the field to devastating effect, so much so that the only boundary was a bye and only one Cane conceded more than 7 runs.
With 55 to chase less than 3 an over and with the Canes consistently scoring 10 and over this season no one was worried. We should be in the pub after 6 overs. The rotation policy dictated that the untested Rudi was to open with Imran. With the weather turning tropical it seemed like we had the 2 players best suited to the conditions, how wrong.
The rain made scoring big difficult but the frustration from the sidelines was evident. Mr Dobson tried to slate Badger with chants of ‘Where’s your Hersial gone’. Jeremy tried to slate Rudi for his tippy tapping (pot, kettle, black). Imran and Greg tried to up the rate but fell cheaply. This brought Jeremy to the crease and what followed was painful. Glenwood sensed victory and cries of keep him down this end could be heard whatever batsman was facing. Jeremy was finally bowled while playing a forward defensive (yawn) to a straight one that went through the gate (8 off 22 balls). This brought in Jaffa who sensibly put Rudi (18 off 55 balls) out of his misery by running him out, running a 3rd even though Rudi was lying on the floor. Enter Chris to hit the winning run.
A total of 55 was chased in 19 overs. Nobody clapped then we legged it to the pub an hour late. Mr Dobson said it was the worst run chase he’d ever seen and we all agreed. — Griff
Nathan 'Cover Drive' Jeffreys — July 2, 2008 at 11:45 am
Due to my extreme pace and the fact i was wearing spikes my running was rather quick last night. I was already half way down to Rudy when he went down like a sack of spuds and i wasn’t going back for love or money. As harsh as it sounds I have averages to look after!
jimmy — July 2, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Not sure if my man of the match is anything to be proud of here.
However, by not batting, it basically means i got man of the half match for one of the canes’ best fielding/bowling performances in recent years.
Jaffa — July 2, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I notice that the MOM got put on rather quick once it was established!! Good to see you bigging yourself up too Jim, although i have to highlight some bad sportsmanship…Throwing the ball at dobson….. really necessary??!!