Scorecard

Knowle Village v Portsmouth & Southsea Cricket Club 3rd XI on Sat 04 Jun 2016 at 2pm
Portsmouth & Southsea Cricket Club Lost by 2 wickets

Match report Knowle Village v Portsmouth and Southsea 3rds

Match Report

Our first defeat of the season and what a cruel way for it to happen. We were severely hampered by the loss of two front line bowlers. Ramesh who was called up to the 2nd team and Karthik who had to drop out two hours before the match.
We lost the toss and were put in on a very green pitch. Simon and Jason opened and Jason set the tone for his innings by smashing a full toss for four off his very first delivery. His first 16 runs came from four rapid boundaries. The onslaught continued from Jason right up to the drinks break, at which point he already had 50 to his name. We were absolutely cruising at 90-0 and a monster of a total was on the cards.

Shortly after drinks Simon was dismissed lbw for 22 and we were 98-1. Satish went out and typically set about to smash the ball to all parts. He made a swift and entertaining 14, before being harshly given out lbw when he had got a big inside edge. The Skipper was next, coming in at the 25th over and tried to continue the intensity of Jason and Satish. However, he only lasted about seven balls before being bowled off his pads for 5, attempting an ambitious drive down the ground off the returning opening bowler Patel.
Ben was the next man in and was batting at number 5 for the first time. It was an experiment so that Jason could open and Ben was good enough to try this new role. It is fair to say that Ben tried manfully, but he struggled in his unaccustomed position. Unfortunately, Jason’s boundary count had temporarily dried up and he was powerfully driving the ball to the deep set field for singles and Ben could not rotate the strike or get the boundaries. The next 8 of the middle overs only yielded 13 runs and it was only after the opening bowlers has finished their allotted overs that the intensity returned to our innings in the 36th over.

The last 6 overs produced 43 runs, during which time Jason had scored a majestic 110, before being forced to retire hurt with just two overs remaining. A late flurry of wickets saw Ben depart for 22, Bangers was run out, Neil lbw and Sam was stumped from the last ball trying to clear the ropes to get us the maximum batting points. Bibek who is our most stylish batsman only faced four balls for 4 not out.
To finish 195-7 and falling short of 200 was criminal from the position that Jason had put us in. It was a fantastic effort by Jason and it was a pleasure to witness him smashing the ball to all parts with authentic cricket shots. It was BRUTAL.

We opened our patched up bowling attack with Connor and Mani. Connor bowled a good line and length with decent pace and was unlucky to finish his first 6 overs with no wickets, none more so when Neil made a great effort to take a diving catch from a nick behind. Mani started very encouragingly with a maiden, but his next three overs went for 29. Sam replaced him and the Vice Captain began his best bowling of the season so far. He immediately began with a maiden and in his second over Sam got the break through with a sharp caught and bowled that was laced straight back at his head. Knowle were 42-1.
The skipper was forced to replace Connor, so that he could come back later at the business end of the innings. Ryan was Knowles’ number 3 and he played some of the ugliest agricultural cricket shots anyone could have the misfortune to see. Satish replaced the Skipper immediately after the drinks break and he soon had Ryan skying one straight down the throat of long on, but unfortunately Connor could not hold on to it.

Sam continued his impressive spell and he was the next to suffer from our generosity to Ryan, who hit one straight to Mani at mid-off, but he also was unable to hold on to the chance. Sam kept troubling the batsman and he was rewarded by removing the other opener with a ripper that clean bowled him. Knowle were very much in the game at 107-2. Ryan continued to slog and somehow ricocheted the ball with thick inside edges through the mid-wicket region.
Eventually, Sam got Ryan out for a very damaging 45 after an amazing, leaping one handed catch from Simon and Knowle were 114-3. We were in control of the game thanks to Sam and I could only see us winning at this stage. Sam had finished his spell and recorded the impressive figures of 3-34. Connor replaced Sam, but his first over from this end went for 12.

The Skipper came back on so that Connor could switch ends and Knowle were doing well to chip away at our total. Although they were struggling to hit boundaries they were staying in touch with the run rate with some sharp singles. However, a ridiculously judged single brought about the downfall of Izzard who was run out for 9. Connor soon got his first wicket by bowling out Rogan the oppositions Skipper for 29 and the game once again was in our control.
Then we missed the chance to really turn the screw when Neil dropped Patel off the Skipper. Patel made the most of his reprieve by hammering anything that was in his arc and particularly favoured the ball coming on to him. At the end of 39th over Knowle needed just 13 more runs from the last 3 overs with 4 wickets remaining. It was now their game to lose and it was a ludicrous situation that we had put ourselves in.

The Skipper bowled the 40th over and the match yet again took another twist. Patel spooned a simple catch to Bibek and departed for 32. Then Marlow was clean bowled for a duck and the Skipper’s last over finished as a double wicket maiden. We were back in the match as we entered the penultimate over. Knowle needed 13 to win off the last 2 overs with 2 wickets remaining. Connor started the over in the best possible fashion by getting a nick behind, which Neil took and now we were in the box seat.

Shrubb made his way to the middle and with Knowle only fielding 10 men, this was their last wicket. 13 more runs from 11 deliveries for Knowle to try and win an unbelievable game of cricket. Connor’s next ball was a dot, but unfortunately the one after that was clubbed over extra cover for a much needed four. That reduced it to 9 runs from 9 balls. The next ball produced arguably the shot of the day. Shrubb sublimely clipped a ball drifting onto his pads through mid-wicket, which he timed to perfection, while balancing on one leg in true Caribbean fashion and the ball whistled to the boundary for four. Another Two followed from Shrubb and going into the last over Knowle needed 3 more runs to win, but with only one wicket remaining.
It fell to Satish to try and maintain our unbeaten start to the season. He took the ball in his quiet and calm fashion that masks a steely determination and will to win. He steamed in and the way the first ball fizzed past Shrubb’s chest, it was evident that Satish was revelling in the situation. 3 from 5. The next delivery was scandalously penalised as a wide. 2 from 5. The next ball fizzed past Shrubb’s chest again. “Smell the leather mon”. 2 from 4. Every ball was now an event and there was a cacophony of noise from both sides on and off the pitch. There was encouragement, finger biting, furtive looks, pacing and wild gesturing where ever you looked.

What a game.

The calmest person on the pitch was Satish as he delivered another snorter and it was 2 from 3. Cue more feverish activity from both sides. The next was exactly the same. Satish was bowling the over of his life. What character the little man was showing. 2 from 2. On a knife edge. Shrubb had decided to roll the dice and he was going to run if he could not get a bat on another snorter. That is what happened and the ball was in Neill’s hand with the non-striker hopelessly out of his ground. A direct hit and the match was ours. The throw came in, but wide of the mark and Lindstrum was facing his first and the last delivery of the match with game tied.

The whole of field is closed tight around the wicket as it has been for the entire over. Scrubb is like a sprinter straining in the blocks and is ready to charge down the wicket as soon as the ball leaves Satish’s hand. Another missile is launched at the batsman and Lindstrum manages to block it and bedlam descends upon the square. There are players converging on the ball from all directions and the batsman are desperately trying to make their ground. Amongst the confusion Lindstrum manages to get a boot on the ball and kick it away from the groping fingers of Satish and thus preventing him from having the opportunity to take a shy at the stumps. Knowle Village scramble home to win an epic game of cricket.

It is hard to lose a game of cricket in this fashion, but I am proud of the fighting qualities that we showed and our magnanimous response to our opponents.

Man Of The Match
Jason Noble 110 not out

Champagne Moment
Simon Smith’s catch

Portsmouth & Southsea Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 6 wickets
0
195		        
Simon Smith Lbw  22 2 1
Jason Noble Retired Not Out  110 17
Sathish Venkatraman Lbw  14 3
Mike Berg Bowled  5
Ben Miles Bowled  22 2
Dimash Hewage Run out  2
Bibek Dhakal Not Out  3 1
Neil Sanson Lbw  0
Sam Richards Stumped  0 1
Connor Saunders  
Mani Noor-Spencer  

Knowle Village Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Knowle Village Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 7 wickets
0
196 (42.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Portsmouth & Southsea Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Connor Saunders9.0240220.004.44
Mani Noor-Spencer4.012900.007.25
Sam Richards10.0134311.333.40
Mike Berg10.0148224.004.80
Sathish Venkatraman9.004200.004.67