Knockers Vs Hadlow

win :: Played on Sunday 11th September 2022

Knockers
154-9

Hadlow
151-4

Match Report

Knockers closed the 2022 season with a victory at Hadlow by three-runs that looked well beyond reach for much of this game. Marsh was immense, Randell did more than save batting blushes and a bowl-off between Zig and Fred turned down in-house competition to begin a steep climb back into contention. Where other nerves frayed, Horner’s held firm.

Pre-match shenanigans saw captain Ted have to navigate us back to the straight and narrow. His Red played sage all day but would it ultimately be a Shahshank Redemption? The pitch offered damp promise with various changing room forecasts expecting increasing trouble and so Marsh opted to bat in a 35-over format.

Watchful work from Seb and Matt saw a run rate of one from the first four before the Batchelor party suddenly went wild. Horner smashed eleven off Batchelor D before one went through Matt from Batchelor T. Luke promptly middled one back to Batchelor D, for a one-handed c&b. Freddie called a second run that wasn’t there to pack off a healthy looking Seb before offering up his stumps to complete the family fun with two each and Knockers 19-4.

Neil and Ted made a good fist of recovery with the former setting value on his wicket, while Marsh was intent on making a drop cost Hadlow. Neil was bowled and we needed a Ziggy ready to hold an end - we got one. Driving was hazardous but despite several miscues, the pair dragged us to 88 in the twentieth over bringing with it Ted’s fifty - an innings that reintroduced us to the concept of boundaries and a couple of sixes for good measure, the second of which got tipped over the bar by long-on.

A set pair and fifteen to go. We could make something of this - or we could run our form bat out. Ziggy’s shot was good, cover’s fumble was bad, the call was rude, the outcome was sad. Marsh left the field with a mud pack from the damp deck dive that did little for his now fiery complexion.

Enter Hector, exit Ziggy. The latter still seemingly had Ted on his mind as he got on one too early to give extra cover little option. 93-7 from 23 and George continuing a monologue about nine being nosebleed territory as he took his guard. While the pav dissected the run-out (theories to ease the conscience of those caught pushing the first domino), the Agnew-Randell partnership began to flourish.

Thirty valuable runs came from the helmeted doppelgangers. Once the scorer was armed with bat sticker info, it was hard to tell process apart as each held firm in between occasional lusty blows. Again we settled, again it was not to last with Hector exiting with the very definition of ’not pleased’ written across his features.

Vinit dodged run outs and catches in his cameo before another set of rearranged stumps saw him swap with his son. There’s much to be said about Jai batting at one, there’s also quite a lot of conversation to be had about him batting at eleven. The innings building, hard ball watching, trench digging, run-getting maestro turned all ’Here’s Johnny’ but only the sun was Shining in this Hadlow reprise. Perhaps an axe might have actually taken the leather off as seemingly intended.

George Randell was wearing the senior bat shoes with style throughout. The final over came, his personal best within sight despite being at the wrong end. He was offered one ball to get there and tonked it through the covers to wrap up the innings, his highest ever score that included a sweet maximum and a Knockers total of 154 keeping to the theme of damp promise.

George swapped bat for ball following the completion of collective chomping uninspired supermarket teas for one. Fred stared hard at his grapes but they stopped short of turning to wine. Hector partnered the 37no man. Two maidens passed. Batchelor T was back with bat and in the mood. Hector picked up his partner as he got one though a cross bat swing and then we set about taking it in turns to drop Batchelor so many times that cats were taking notes about how to improve already extensive life insurance policies. He was otherwise busy carting all but George around with at least one ball lost in the adjacent field.

Batchelor and Baldwin brought up a hundred partnership by the sixteenth over and despite Young and Bowen teaming up rather than starting a cutthroat race to leading bowler, the rest appeared a formality. Ziggy then got Batchelor, caught at point by a grateful Hector for 67. Still much too much to do on the face of it.

The new bezzies then went for nine runs runs between them from the next six overs. We switched to Ted and Seb and the run rate was drying up faster than the pitch in late afternoon heat with a collective fielding effort in the game. Thirty overs came up with 127 on the board. Surely not... Somewhere in there a man appeared to get bowled but a discussion in the middle saw him carry on - onlookers were not privy to proceedings here.

When Seb bowled Baldwin it looked like swinging the game back to Hadlow with an absent aggression now reintroduced by the next man in. Fred effected a run out and we then had two batters looking to get matters back on track. Seven off Ted’s final over included a portentous feeling misfield that led to a boundary to bring up 144. A measly 20 off Marsh’s six following a gutsy fifty was a late season reminder of prowess.

Final over and eleven needed. Seb’s first ball went for one, second went for four, third brought up 150 and five needed. Horner held firm with a dot for the fourth. Just a single from the fifth meant a boundary was needed for victory. Seb approached, the bat charged early, Horner adjusted his length so well that Jai could have got a stumping, but it was a small matter amid a vaguely surreal moment of victory. The season had seen Rozball compete with the more established Marsh Theory - this was something of a child of both with the parents having difficulty coming up with a name. A win nonetheless.

To winter then, dear Knockers. Good health and happiness on your meanderings back to next spring.

 

Batting

Batsman	How Out	4s	6s	Runs
Seb Horner	run out	2	0	14
Matt Landers	bowled	0	0	0
Luke Stevens	caught	0	0	0
Freddie Young	bowled	0	0	1
Neil Dave	bowled	0	0	3
Ted Marsh	run out	5	2	50
David Bowen	caught	2	0	18
Hector Agnew	caught	0	0	12
George Randell	not out	5	1	37
Vinit Shah	bowled	0	0	2
Jai Shah	not out	0	0	5

 

Bowling

Bowler	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
George Randell	4.0	2	8	0
Hector Agnew	4.0	1	27	1
Freddie Young	7.0	1	35	0
David Bowen	7.0	0	33	1
Seb Horner	7.0	1	21	1
Ted Marsh	6.0	0	20	0

 

Match Photos