Knockers Vs Locksbottom

Winning draw :: Played on Sunday 16th July 2023

Knockers
247-6

Locksbottom
179-6

Match Report

Knockers put an end to a run of defeats with a winning draw at Locksbottom. Ziggy led team batting contributions with a well constructed 63no and despite picking up more bruises than wickets, the bowling attack had many highlights with Neil and Prof opening and a spell of Test match cricket with Freddie and Ollie on, the latter receiving his Knockers gold cap before the game.

Knockers sent Jai and Jay out to the middle while the rest of the team figured out a nuanced set of rules for this timed game. An hour in to our allotted time, only twelve overs had been bowled with few opportunities to attack a very short boundary. Jai was seeing it well until he chipped a long hop to square.

Scott hit a few quick boundaries before a mistimed drive was caught in the covers. Meanwhile Jay was building nicely moving on from Prof’s signature move (great shot, out next ball) to upping the run rate with a determined Freddie. After such a great start, Jay was caught bringing JT to the crease who did a passable impression of a classic sitcom scene, perhaps unsettled by being given run-out and then called back by a keeper that admitted not having the ball in hand.

With a large part of his head still in a nightclub, JT was part Del Boy, part Trigger in his approach with the bat. His Del Boy side spotted a beauty in a slow full toss. ’Play it cool, Trigger, play it cool.’ Alas, he didn’t notice the metaphorical barman had moved his bat and so when he leaned in with nothing there he was castled.

Once bowling rivals, now batting partners of high calibre, Fred and Zig picked off balls good and bad in a very handy partnership of 71. One liked running, one didn’t but they made it work and concerns in the ranks about over rates faded to the point that Captain Marsh wondered if he’d be the first gold cap recipient to get a TFC on the big day. Freddie missed one and a buckle fingered Stevo finally hit our first sixes over the thirty yard boundary as Knockers declared on 247-6.

M&S had a large influence on tea. JT disappeared to chat war stories with Uncle Albert, missing the team photo.

Our opening partnership of Neil and Prof produced some of the meanest bowling we’ve witnessed for a long while. Neil’s line and length asked questions while Prof’s grenades brought about increasing indecision and his first maiden over with the ball. After 15 overs, there were 43 runs on the board but no wickets to reward a great partnership. Scott made the breakthrough via the last ball of the 22nd over with an LBW. It’s a harsh Marsh regime as he was immediately taken out of the attack. Ziggy had three overs before he too was chopped. It did however bring about a spell of cricket that wouldn’t have looked that out of place in front of a paying crowd.

Freddie fizzed down ripping left-hand orthodox, causing multiple issues to bat, gloves and kneecaps. Ollie, off a short run up, saw Jai taking them over his head off a length. Freddie bagged one first, or so we thought he had, but JT clearly took sympathy on his limping namesake, J. Thompson of Locksbottom when he overstepped in celebration of a tidy catch. Back to the drawing board. Ollie had pinned down his end with little batting fun to be had. He found the edge and Jai grabbed high to his right for Knockers’ second wicket. JT was then caught by JT once again off Freddie’s bowling, a quick check of the boundary and all was well. Akhers took a skier off Freddie for our fourth and Marshy then Yorked for our fifth and with a total looking out of reach it was all down to wickets or a draw.

Akhers, with ankles like chewed apple cores from bruising work at extra cover, began a merry-go-round of bowlers attempting to oust the remaining batters. Luke, JT and Jay all had a go but only Stevo, rugby busted fingers and all, produced a breakthrough. Stash’s offies proved a revelation and his hurricane ball twisted onto off stump for our final wicket.

Quite the game after all that. On to tour chaps.

 

Batting

Batsman	How Out	4s	6s	Runs
Jai Shah	caught	3	0	19
Jayatheerth Seetharaman	caught	4	0	25
Scott Landers	caught	3	0	18
John Mitchell	bowled	1	0	5
James Thompson	bowled	3	0	14
David Bowen	not out	8	0	63
Freddie Young	bowled	3	0	22
Luke Stevens	not out	6	2	42
Neil Dave	dnb	0	0	0
Akhil Anand	dnb	0	0	0
Ollie Marsh	dnb	0	0	0

 

Bowling

Bowler	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Neil Dave	8.0	2	25	0
John Mitchell	7.0	1	18	0
Scott Landers	4.0	0	21	1
David Bowen	3.0	0	15	0
Ollie Marsh	6.0	2	13	2
Freddie Young	8.0	0	35	2
Akhil Anand	1.0	0	15	0
Luke Stevens	3.0	1	4	1
James Thompson	1.0	0	9	0
Jayatheerth Seetharaman	1.0	0	8	0

 

Match Photos