Gwent 31st May 15 Malpas CC

It was wet and stormy on the Saturday evening and we very much appreciated the phone calls from the Gwent management late on the Saturday night telling us the pitch was covered and everything was okay and the weather forecast positive, early on the Sunday morning. Other than some chevrons getting a fright, the trip to Malpas CC Newport was uneventful, overcast and occasional rain on the way but it was brighter across the Severn. The club and parents had worked hard and 12.00 Noon start was possible. Thank you.

Given it was the first match there was much to bring and carry from the car but the Team helped out. Kit was distributed, there were words of welcome and praise for 4 new caps, James Doble, George Spencer, Sam Woodcock and Byron Knowles and praise and encouragement for the other players selected. Go and have a look at the pitch, decide if the Team is going to bat or bowl and bowlers which end you are going to bowl from. Batsmen visualise batting. Do this when you first arrive at the ground for every match. Don’t wait for Nick and I to remind you! The pitch was used hard and dry except for one or two damp patches where the water had crept under the covers. We’ll have a bowl as it was overcast and we could also then get the journey out of our system, especially Deggy who had been up half the night in A&E!

The rest of the warm up went well; there was a buss and an air of excitement. Kit on, gleaming and proudly worn by the new lads and off to business. Who wants the end bowling into the wind? No one - I’ll do it says the captain -good man. Kersley opens the other end and we have the first run of the season – it’s a wide! James O-G bowls the second over and we have the first 4 through backward point. After a couple of overs they both start to find their rhythm and bowl well too - but we need to do so from the first ball; bowl straight, make the batsmen play, pitch it up and let it swing, especially as the odd ball is keeping low. Nick and I are worried we have no third man and 4s start to come through third man, it’s that type of pitch. After 7 overs its 23 without loss, very commendable but the batsmen are not really that troubled. Is a bowling change required; are some of the fielders in the ring set a little deep? At 29 off 10 overs Jonty Walliker is introduced. His first two balls are good and he has rhythm too but given he is bowling in swing is the field right? James Degg comes on at the road end and we have another edge to third man and was that our first chance down the leg side? In the 16th over Deggy has Smaile caught at mid wicket by Gregors and shortly after drinks (Drinks 17 overs Gwent 48-1), Lynbeck is out exactly the same way. 56-2 off 20 overs again very commendable. Taking the pace off the ball is working as Sam Woodcock is on too and like Deggy bowls a maiden first over in County cricket.
 

With the ball not really coming on and occasionally keeping low the two spinners bowl well in tandem and Gwent progress cautiously until the 30^th over when Deggy is bowled out (three wides Deggy!) and George Spencer gets a bowl. Now we have the first of two unusual incidents; George has a plaster on his bowling hand index finger from a fielding injury and his first delivery comes off the finger and balloons behind him with Sam Taylor and the batsman wondering where it has gone! He completes his over and we have drinks; 86-2 off 31 overs- still a good effort. Gwent call their batting Power Play. Nick suggests ring fielders should be on the edge of the circle and we have the three boundary fielders as its important to save boundaries. Players take it literally and in the ring stand on the very edge of the circle; our fault - we should have been more precise. At least one fielder either side should be putting the pressure on and trying to save the single. We also need to talk about who bowls in the Power Play as it might be a good idea for those bowlers to save a few overs for the Power Play - our suggestion Gregors, Deggy and Saps. Anyway George and now Elliott are on and the singles come because our fielders are on the edge of the ring; Elliott bowls a full toss and O’Leary hits it for 6 and another delivery is hit for 6 in his next over. Gwent score 30 off their Power Play overs in the last of which Saps, on to replace Elliott, has O’Leary well caught by Kers running in, nearly too far, at deep long on. George was also unlucky as the sun stopped Deggy taking a skier. George then runs out Evans with a direct hit from the covers, we’ve seen this skill all winter and are not surprised. 121-4 off 37 overs. Gregors replaces George and Woody takes a catch at mid on; 128-5 off 38 and Saps bowls Morgan in the 42^nd over. By now the wind is getting up and Sam Carpenter catches the umpires hat, another good piece of fielding from one of our two boundary fielders, Byron the other, who have patrolled the boundary and throw in brilliantly all afternoon. The lower order are in and Gwent are trying to score quickly. Do we now need the straight mid on? Saps bowls a short ball which skids through and oh dear LBW his third wicket, 17-3 off 4 overs. A couple of half chance catches come and go, should we have taken them? We now have incident number two when Tayls decides to throw his glove off and the ball hits it and after consultation the umpires correctly award 5 penalty runs… the only good thing they don’t go down against Elliott the bowler who is back on, who then has Hassan caught behind by Tayls. Gwent 159-8 off 45 overs. Possibly below par and very gettable if we do the basics well - play straight in the V; get forward in case the ball that keeps low; run well, rotate the strike and wait for the bad ball because it will come. How many runs do we need an over? 3.55 per over- singles….

After a splendid tea, thank you Malpas CC, its photo time and back to work..

4 off the first over and we are away. Second over and Sam Carpenter hits a lovely drive and then Deggy cuts for 4. Did we miss a single to mid wicket? Sam is a little aerial but gets away with it – play your natural game Sam but perhaps be a little more selective and try and keep it down. The score is going along nicely 21 off 3, 35 off 5 including another superb Carpenter on drive for 4. On the boundary Tayls is texting Mia! Commentators curse - full toss – and Sam’s out caught off a full toss in the covers. 42-1 off 6 overs what a great start. Ben’s in - play straight with the full face Saps. The running a little more hesitant, the fielders are being hit and the scoring slows. Saps cuts a ball to the slips and it’s dropped. Using his hands Deggy hits a 4 through mid wicket and then shortly afterwards chips a ball back to Lynbeck 52-2 off 12. James Doble in at 4. Next over Saps is bowled. 52-3 and we’ve done what we said we should not do loose two quick wickets. Two debutantes are in and Bryon hits his second ball beautifully and powerfully along the ground through mid on! Two more shots and 4s in the over including a lovely drive through mid off! James gets off the mark behind, square and then Bryon hits the ball back powerfully again straight and it is accidentally deflected onto the stumps and oh dear James is run out backing up! 65-4 off 14 and the game has changed. We need clear heads and a partnership; T Cup as Sir Clive called it. Some thinking clearly under pressure. Sam Taylor provides it and with Bryon they put on 28 before Bryon still playing his natural game, another 11 off an over including a 6 into the pavilion gutter, is brilliantly caught by Morgan off a skier. Think about it Bryon. Jonty joins Sam and pulls a full toss 4. We have a small partnership then Jonty is out stumped! 110-6 off 23. We still have 22 overs, need 2 an over, no need to panic, we bat deep, just one partnership will do it, blocks of 5 runs at a time, and someone needs to bat through - Sam? Lynbeck who has bowled well is bowled out. O’Leary bowls a short ball which skids through but Sam doesn’t get forward and is bowled and Elliott joins James O-G, Gregors. At drinks after 30 overs with 15 overs to go we still need 2 an over! James and Elliott produce that mature partnership we need. They take no risks, wait for the ball to score in their scoring zones and then run the singles and helped by extras get Devon home with 7 overs to go.

So we got there and won the match but there are lots of lessons to learn by all including the management. There were lots of positives to be taken from the game but players need to listen and learn and take responsibility and value their wickets. Watching the game before and after you have batted is also important but in this case even more so as we play Wales in two weeks and a number of the Gwent players will be playing.

Nick and I will help you but you need to work hard between matches practice your batting, bowling and fielding, practice the basics many of them mentioned above. Playing adult cricket, especially League cricket if you can, will also help - it will make you more cricket wise. There are tougher hills/ mountains to climb, with no doubt bumps part of the learning process on the way, so get ready to show your spirit, determination and fight. Together we will climb those mountains!

Thank you to the Gwent management, Malpas CC and Gwent parents for getting the game on; the umpires, Wendy and Derek and all the parents and relatives for your support. Don't go into Gordano when Cornwall have won the County Rugby Cup! Arrived home at 9.50PM due to an incident at Taunton.

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