Match Report
Ploughmans CC [Blue XI] 171/9 (40) DEF BY Southbank CC 172/4 (35.1)
If the movie Titanic was turned into a cricket game, then the Ploughmans CC [Blue XI] overall performance on Sunday 23rd Aug 2020 would be odds on for lead role. Some say it is 7 wins straight whilst others believe it is 8 on the trot, but either way Southbank CC have added another rubber to their impressive streak over our club in a well deserved 6 wicket victory.
The opening scenes of the movie commence a week prior at the DSG bar, where a few passionately oiled Ploughmans members (led by The Notorious Duray Pretorius) decided to stir the oppo with some friendly banter and rile them up for a spicy game that lay ahead the following weekend. Duray’s banter included betting a jug of beer that Southbank would not come within 100 runs of Ploughmans the following week, which the Southbank outfit were keen to accept. The chat then continued the day before the game when our beloved Club Skipper Si Carson, who had basked in a few extra shandies celebrating a different Plough win, cheekily got stuck into Southbank again telling a group of them “We are going to absolutely murder you all tomorrow” along with a few extra adjectives. In all fairness though, the banter was in good humour and will no doubt spice up the competitive rivalry/friendship between the two sides that share the same home at DSG for many more local derbies to come.
Skipper Si Carson won the toss for Ploughmans and elected to bat, with Logan Cassin and Alex ‘OG’ Hickson getting off to a solid 39 run start before Alex Hicko was caught on 17 in what would be the team’s second highest score of the day. Logan on the other hand made the most of his opportunities after being dropped in the field and blasted an amazing 84 runs off 89 balls including 9 fours and 3 sixes to give us a spine. Unfortunately for Ploughmans, no one else could really chip and continue the work of Logan, with ‘Hannibal’ Hector 16 off 24 and Maxy Gumpert 11 off 22 getting off to starts but unfortunately being caught whilst trying to lift the score above the target of 200. Everyone else had a shocker apart from Liam ‘The Big Erasmus’ Gray 7* and Si ‘Scooper’ Carson 1* adding some valuable runs at the end to ensure we at least batted our full 40 overs out. Plough ending the innings on 171 which was a good 30 odd runs short of the minimum target we had aimed for.
After smashing either a ham or a cheese sandwich supplied by the post Covid DSG Catering services, the Plough then made their way out onto the field with Southbank CC taking on the opening bowlers The Earl Liam Gray and myself from ball 1. The Earl managed to find his usual strong form later in his spell and fought back to string some dots together to beat the bat. Myself on the other hand started with a maiden before getting slapped around the park with a combination of messy bowling and very tidy stroke play from the Southbank openers. A rarely accurate Silva slow ball hit the pegs of one opener in the 4th over and ended his aggressive run on 21 but it was all downhill from there in a day where wickets were very hard to come by with Southbank batting amazingly. Some dropped chances in the field did not help Ploughmans cause either.
The oppo spinner who claimed 4 wickets also put on a handy 43 runs before ‘The Notorious One’ Duray Pretorius snuck one through to the pine and had him on his way. Logan Cassin continued his amazing performance with the ball also with 1 for only 7 off 4 and according to the oppo umpire, should have had another wicket but none of the visibly dejected fielders appealed for what was a plumb LBW that he admittedly was ready to trigger. Maxy Gumpert amazing with 1 for 12 off 6 in a day where PCC had 9 bowlers. Alex Hickson unlucky not to feature in the wickets as chances went begging but bowled like a well oiled rig on the day. Southbank passing Plough’s 171 in 35.1 overs and were good sports in the end with some cross mingling between the two clubs whilst Duray delivered on his 8 pint jugular promise to the oppo.
To steal some lyrics from the great Celine Dion in Titanic – The Cricketing Musical “our Plough hearts will go on”, and that it will. Onwards and upwards to the next one!!!!
Silva
