St Michaels, playing inspired cricket with a full strength team, thrashed a weak All Saints side on Eltham playing fields in thundery weather under dark and lowering skies on June 28 and regained the Trophy With The Very Long Name.
In actual figures, they totted up 188 for 6 in their 30 overs and then bowled out their neighbours from the Heath for a paltry 55 runs in half their allotted span plus one ball.
But figures don’t tell the whole story. St Michaels were stronger in all departments, with three of their batsmen scoring more than 30 (when they were forced to retire undefeated under local rules); two of the bowlers stood out and the fielders also took two excellent catches, proving yet again that catches do win matches.
The story behind the game, however, was that “pride comes before disaster and arrogance before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). The All Saints Vicar apparently having boasted in morning service that his team had not been defeated for 151 years. The reason, of course, is that they only play once a year and the match against St Michaels in 2008 (their 150 th anniversary year) was their first game, and was against St Michaels for the inaugural Sesquicentennial Trophy (which is The One With the Very Long Name).
But this year the All Angels needed no help from any sponsors Up Above. Put in on a dry and firm track, they lost a couple of wickets early on as the new ball seamed around a little. But captain Richard King played a measured innings worthy of his position for an undefeated 31, Dave Povey smote some lusty blows for the maximum of 35 not out (hitting a six off his last permitted ball) and Ian Wilson easily reached 30 not out. The core of their innings was the stand of 65 between Povey and Wilson. Martin Goodwin was the only Saints’ bowler to take a couple of wickets and these cost him 51 runs from his five overs.
The All Saints innings never really got off the ground and wickets tumbled frequently, giving them very little chance of victory after the first few minutes. Their only batsman to get into double figures was the left-handed captain and wicket keeper Hugh Bowling who had made an elegant 20 when he hooked a shortish ball round to deep square leg and was well caught on the boundary by Wilson. The other good All Angels’ catch was a running effort at extra cover by Hugh Ridsdell-Smith.
All rounder Wilson also figured in the bowling, taking two wickets for just one run in two overs, and fourteen year old Daniel King (the captain’s son) polished off the tail with a sharp and fastish spell, taking three for five runs, again in just two overs.
When All Saints started the match one of their fielders was heard to suggest that some sledging in Latin might do the trick, but his ploy obviously didn’t work and the only real dangers were cricketing ones faced by both captains.
Bowling was hit just below the eye by a flying bail in a freak accident when an enthusiastic fielder hit the base of the stumps attempting a run out, and he retired hurt. King was also forced to leave the field in the next innings when he made a spectacular and successful flying attempt to prevent a four in the covers and dislocated his shoulder. He went to hospital and reported some pain the next morning, but hoped to be able lead his team in their third and final match of the season in Greenwich Park during the Lord’s Ashes test on July 19.
John Bartram