Bloody Lads (162-9) beat Stoke Newington CC 2nds (158-8 35 overs) by 1 wicket

Match Report by Ben Boorman

Back Row (l to r): Paddy McGuinness, Max Bennett (†), Sheldon Greenland, Ben Boorman, Aajay Cunningham, Sam Pitcher, Elliot Goss, ???

Front Row: Caius Pawson ©, Karl Mathiesen, Stanley Leeson, Minesh Patel, Jack Ensor

The BLCC kicked off their 2017 season with a narrow victory over a Stoke Newington XI on Saturday, after being denied the scheduled season opener the previous week by a bout of April showers.

(Ben & Sheldon showing their respect for the recently deceased Purple one)

After losing the toss, the Lads were sent out onto the upturned eggbox that was the Vicky Park outfield, Sheldon Greenland being handed the ball and charged with making it talk. Shel’s opening spell was one of pure fire, the only runs coming from an occasional fuller ball on leg stump. Shel’s only real inhibitor to taking a wicket was his own line, as Stokey’s opening pair couldn’t get a bat on the paceman’s deliveries, most of which passed safely to Max Bennett behind the stumps. Karl Matheson, bowling from the net end, was finding the bat more regularly as he adjusted his line and length to perfection, with assistance from the trampoline of a strip that served up a few lid-rattlers to shake up the Stokey top order. It was Karl who played a part in the maiden BLCC wicket of 2016, snaring a catch at point from the bowling of Jack Ensor, following the Kiwi boys return from exile. First change bowlers Ben Boorman and Aajay Cunningham gave the Stokey bats a few problems with their respective off-breaks, 100th Lad Cunningham being rewarded with a sharp caught and bowled effort. Sam Pitcher made it a trio of grippers n rippers with his own brand of finger-assisted revs, removing the transition-lensed Stokey dangerman with a plum LBW. As Stokey’s batting lineup got progressively smaller and younger, the Lads kept piling on the pressure and the terrible sledges (none of which had been road-tested in the nets) to restrict the North East London crew to an achievable 158, pick of the plays being Jack Ensor’s completion of a superb run out, vaulting the stumps to then clatter them with a throw that I remember passing between his legs.

Naturally, the BLCC were bristling with, if not hubris, then confidence as captain Caius Pawson and his opening partner Minesh Patel stepped up to hopefully make light work of the target.  It wasn’t so much light work as long work however, as our heroes first of all struggled to get a bat on the ball and then to get the ball of the square. But when our pair got their respective eyes in, the runs began to flow. A couple of trademark pulls to the boundary from the skipper and some powerful and well-timed back-foot punches from Minesh got the scoreboard ticking over, and when Caius fell caught at Mid On, Max Bennett stepped in to continue the good work. Max, like Ben and Stan after him, played only a brief cameo, and it was up to Sam Pitcher and the boy Ensor to steady the low-scoring ship, which they did with knocks of 15 and 30 respectively.

(Jack Ensor showing off some of his more illustrious stroke play)

But the drama was far from over as wickets continued to fall, and that aforementioned hubris began to look a little misplaced. The young Stokies took great delight in dismissing Shel Greenland, leaving Karl and Aajay the task of hitting the winning runs with no wickets in hand. It was Man of the Match Karl who eventually got the job done, dispatching a shorter delivery long over square leg, and cementing his position as the resident last-minute hero. All told, a low-scoring affair not helped by a crazy strip, but a great vibe warm-up ahead of the Lads’ first league match on September 7th, on London Fields v Tower Hams.

Man of the Match: Karl Mathiesen for his tight opening bowling spell, scoring the winning runs under pressure as our last man in and for taking 2 crucial early catches to dismiss Stokey’s opening pair.

Karl scores the winning runs