Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club

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West Reading 2 v Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI on Sat 03 Aug 2013 at 1:30
Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Won by 2 runs

Match report CROWS TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO THE PROMISED LAND WITH CLOSE WIN OVER WEST READNG

The Alternative Match Report 4- West Reading II v Crowthorne I


Championships are won over the course of a season, but are decided in moments. Every Crowthorne player and fan knows, as they arrive on the sun-baked grass of Reading University, that this is one of those moments. The top two teams in the league have been on an inevitable collision course for weeks, and there is a palpable excitement in the muggy afternoon air that suggests something special is about to unfold. There is no doubt that the destiny of the league championship will hinge on the day’s action; the only question is who will have the courage to stand tall and grasp their opportunities in such an oppressive cauldron of pressure when it counts the most?

Another certainty is that both captains will fancy their chances of chasing any total after surveying a rock-hard wicket with a short boundary on one side, and it is stand-in skipper Partridge that has the opportunity to grant his own wish as he joins the rather flustered West Reading captain for the crucial toss. The fickle finger of Lady Luck is not to be underestimated however, and while the stoical Partridge is unmoved by losing the toss it gives the underdogs a much-needed confidence boost to hear that they will be bowling first. Such an occasion was never going to be plain sailing even for the high-flying Crows, and this early setback is an ominous sign of choppy waters ahead that is only compounded by the temporary absence of their leading run scorer MS Arshad who is lost somewhere in the labyrinth of Reading’s back streets.

It is no mere understudy who is called on to fill the void left by Arshad’s geographical confusion however, as the in-form Rich Barron is ready and waiting to step in and to once again join the ever-reliable Ant Cluett in seeing off the new ball. Ever-reliable? Make that usually reliable. Cluett is uncharacteristically undone by an excellent full, seaming delivery from the fired up quick and he nicks it into the grateful hands of first slip to the exuberant delight of the fielding side; first blood, West Reading.

It is most definitely a tough examination of technique and temperament for the Crows’ pairing of Barron and Outram in the early exchanges of the innings, with the impressive bowlers maintaining tight lines and the imperious batsmen pouncing on any slight error. The partnership grows in runs and confidence though as bat begins to dominate ball, the highlights being back-to-back boundaries through square leg from Outram pull shots and several typically powerful blows through mid-wicket and down the ground from Barron. Just as the heart-rates of their on-looking teammates begin to calm down at 75-1 though disaster strikes- both set batsmen are dismissed in quick succession by the excellent bowling attack and the prize scalp of Arshad swiftly follows as he falls to a second ball duck in his unaccustomed position of number four. The West Reading team celebrate particularly profusely after this wicket, knowing as they do what a threat Arshad can be and seemingly for the first time they begin to believe that they could achieve a remarkable upset.

Great teams are not so easily beaten though, and the Crows’ middle order has proven all season that it is full of runs. Once again the calmness of Joe Davies and Will Avrili belies their youth as they set about rebuilding the innings, taking the Crows up over a hundred and wrestling the momentum away from their opposition. Unfortunately this proves to be a false dawn, and in the period that follows several batsmen give their wickets away trying to accelerate the run rate including both youngsters who fall mishitting attempted drives over the top. Several of the lower order threaten to make a score, but wickets fall with regularity and the wounded league leaders limp to their full batting points, just making it to 175 before being bowled out in the forty-first over. This leaves the game on a knife edge at tea, both teams still feeling they can win and seize the initiative in the title race.

All twenty two men can feel the excitement and anticipation running through their veins as the second innings begins as if they had vast sums of money wagered on the outcome of this match. It is not money these competitors are fighting for though; it is pride, it is respect, and it is glory. The first pair of bowlers given the charge of taking some crucial early wickets is Partridge and Arshad, as Crowthorne attempt to take advantage of the dry, dusty conditions by beginning with the old ball. Despite their best efforts though the opening batsmen battle through this tough spell unscathed and even manage to counterattack with a few meaty blows of their own, starting their run-chase with real intent. Lady Luck once again turns her back on the determined Crows’ bowlers when Cluett J and O’Loughlin take the new ball. Despite countless plays and misses, false shots and miscued drives the home side creep steadily towards the total and manage to make it to drinks without losing a wicket and with eighty runs to their name.

With less than a hundred runs required by their opposition and still twenty-seven overs to do it in most teams would drop their heads, their self-belief and resilience not enough to withstand such a test; but Crowthorne are not most teams. To them this is simply another challenge to meet head on, another opportunity to prove to the world what they know in their hearts, that they are the best team in this league, that they will accept nothing less than victory, and that they will not be defeated unless they have left every ounce of their being out there on the turf. Their resolute gazes tell their opponents only one thing- “you’d better be up for a fight, because we will not lie down”.

In the intensifying atmosphere generated by this remarkable self-belief it is the West Reading batsmen who blink first, Turbo Terry sending down a wicked rearing delivery to catch the glove of one and the returning Partridge slamming the ball into the front pad of the other dead in front. The pressure really tells in the next over when some sharp fielding combines with some idiotic running as the stumbling number four is run out, ending up face down in the dirt well short of his ground as Avrili removes the bails and completes his humiliation. Could this be the start of the impossible?

Enter onto the stage the duo of MS Arshad and A Cluett, who didn’t have a run between them but did have a hell of a point to prove. It is the former who steps up first, taking advantage of a ridiculous swipe across the line from the supposedly dangerous number five and sending the ball clattering at pace into the exposed timbers. This is the first time the home side have been asked a serious question in this innings, and what is their answer going to be? Surely with six wickets in hand and only sixty runs required they won’t let this opportunity slip through their fingers?

Well the next passage of play sees the momentum swing one way and then the other as Arshad and Cluett both strike again, but runs are sporadically taken by the nervy West Reading. A brief spell from Partridge results in a huge moment that could be pivotal to the outcome of the game. The number three, the only recognised batsman left, attempts a huge thrash into the leg side that sends the ball impossibly high into the evening sky. Silence descends along with the ball as every player holds their breath knowing the importance of this moment. The usually sure-footed Barron steadies himself underneath the towering chance, an eternity to fill his mind with doubt, with thoughts of what if, with the pressure of knowing the importance of this catch. Doubt? What if? Pressure? Nonsense! Of course Barron pouches the ball and sends his teammates into a jubilant bundle around him.

So as the drama draws to an epic climax, and after a few wild swings by the fortunate tail-enders, the situation looks like this: the home side require just fifteen runs from seven overs with three wickets in hand, and Crowthorne will have to do it all with just nine men as Davies and O’Loughlin have to depart cruelly close the end of proceedings. The bowlers are once again the reliable Arshad and Cluett A and they are still relentless in their accuracy despite the pressure. As Cluett fires a quicker one through on a length the number eight squeezes a drive away off a thick outside edge at pace, and Arshad dives forward at deep gully to take an outstanding catch just above the turf to reduce West Reading to eight down. Cluett then rips one through the swiping number nine, taking the top of leg stump and bringing the Crows to the brink of the unlikeliest of victories.

The tension is visceral out there in the late-evening sunshine, and the gladiatorial contest throws up the ultimate crescendo. After Arshad’s and Cluett’s final overs the forty-ninth and last over of the innings is to be bowled by the returning Cluett J. All three results are still possible as West Reading require just five runs to win, and the Crows require just one wicket off this final over to secure a most improbable triumph. Cluett stiffly sends down a short ball, smashed into the leg side by the number ten who thinks he’s found a boundary to tie the scores. He doesn’t reckon with the well-place Outram though who gets something in the way of it, restricting the batsmen to a scrambled two. The second ball is much fuller, swinging down the leg side for Avrili to pouch and secure the dot ball. The third ball is again full, this time much straighter and the batsman chips it aerially into the mid-wicket region. Seemingly in slow motion the ball floats towards the edge of the square where Sheppard waits for the ball to arrive, a rock of calmness amongst the furious waves of tension and pressure. Hearts in mouths, his Crows teammates can only look on as Sheppard wraps both hands around the battered ball, sparking scenes of ecstatic delight as the entire Crowthorne team converge into a triumphant bundle, their joy reflecting the size of their achievement. Each of the men in that huddle are elated by the same overriding emotions- the honour of taking part in such an amazing victory, and the privilege of playing with such phenomenal teammates.

A man’s true nature is revealed when he is backed into a corner, and every single one of Crowthorne’s giants have shown this day that they have just one word indelibly etched onto the fabric of their being; winner.




Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
2w 5b 2lb 
for 10 wickets
9
175		        
Anthony Cluett ct Raja b. Yousaf 0
Richard Barron ct T Ahmed b. Raja 44 1
Nick Outram ct Hussain b. Raja 33
Muhammad Shakeel Arshad ct Hussain b. Hayat 0 1
Joe Davies ct Ameen b. Ejaz 21 1
Will Avrili ct Ejaz b. Raja 38 1
Jeff Cluett lbw J Ahmed 19
Julian O'Loughlin b J Ahmed 0
Terry Charles ct Ali b. Raja 4
Simon Sheppard ct J Ahmed b. Raja 7 1
Dan Partridge Not Out  0

West Reading 2 Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Muhammad Taimoor Yousaf10.0241141.004.10
Hizar Hayat10.0140140.004.00
Ammar Raja11.423857.603.26
Atta Ejaz3.0018118.006.00
Waseem Ameen2.001700.008.50
Jabraan Ahmed4.001427.003.50

West Reading 2 Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
3w 13b 10lb 
for 10 wickets
26
173 (48.2 overs)		     
Arif Hussain ct Avrili b. Charles 48
Adnan Raja lbw Partridge 24
Taskeen Ahmed ct Barron b. Partridge 28
Usman Ali run out (Davies / Avrili) 1
Waseem Ameen b Shakeel 4
Hammad Ali lbw Shakeel 5
Atta Ejaz b A Cluett 2
Jabraan Ahmed ct Shakeel b. A Cluett 15
Muhammad Taimoor Yousaf b A Cluett 16
Hizar Hayat ct Sheppard b. J Cluett 3
Ammar Raja Not Out  1

Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Muhammad Shakeel Arshad13.0431215.502.38
Dan Partridge9.0035217.503.89
Jeff Cluett7.2120120.002.73
Julian O'Loughlin5.012000.004.00
Terry Charles6.0219119.003.17
Anthony Cluett8.012538.333.12

  • Umpire :
    A Brown
  • Scorer :
 
Photos and video of West Reading 2 v Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI on Sat 03 Aug 2013 at 1:30

Nick-Outram