Match Report
After Bromley Town were unable to raise a side, Crusaders were indebted to Beckenham's Oakhill Taverners for entertaining us at Club Langley Sports Ground. Crusaders welcomed back Grant Reynolds from Hong Kong, for a guest appearance.
On a scorching day Wajih chose incorrectly and inevitably we found ourselves in the field. The pitch was a good 200 yards from the Club House and with no navigable road, Damon was forced to walk.
With Moysey still nursing a shoulder injury, Mr Taylor was given the benefit of both slope and breeze, in an effort to propel the ball at a speed somewhere consistent with his ridiculously long run up. Shakil opted to come up the hill, hoping for some extra bounce. Despite an uneven appearance, the pitch played remarkably well, with only the occasional low bounce to worry the batsmen. Both opening bowlers completed five overs apiece, with Shakil making the early breakthrough, nipping one back to bowl King, whilst Mike was offering very little opportunity (though I am sure there was every opportunity) to score.
Eadington proved to be the mainstay of Oakhill's innings, playing some meaty drives through cover. From their slow start Oakhill started to up the scoring rate, taking advantage of Grant's four year break from the game. Inevitably our fielding, which had started solidly, started to deteriorate. Jagdesh will certainly need to get himself off to the temple, after a wayward throw was followed, to the complete surprise of the whole team, by a cry of 'Oh Shit' - a sure indication of too much time spent with Sam Singh. Poor ground work turned singles into boundaries and with the opener threatening a big score, it looked at one stage as if we could be chasing 180+.
Chand and Spud took pace off the ball, with Chand picking up two quick wickets and when Damon pouched a catch off Eadington's injudicious reverse sweep, it appeared that we might be into the tail. Following a week when debate raged over the Stuart Broad non-walk incident at Trent Bridge, Crusaders without the benefit of DRS, Hotspot or Snicko, were forced to accept a not out verdict for an obvious edge, that amazingly Damon caught. Whilst Broad charmed the thespian fraternity with his nonchalant stroll down the wicket, Oakhill's bat is unlikely to be collecting any Sporting Oscars for his guilt ridden face.
Some hefty blows from Hudson and Welch carried the total to a respectable 155 and a 'well labelled' tea was taken.
Wajih and Moysey took advantage of anything loose and a fast outfield aided the cause, with Oakhill's openers being picked off for six boundaries in the opening eight overs. As with the earlier innings, scoring became more difficult when pace was taken off the ball. With Wajih and Darren departing in quick succession to the slow guile of Little, Oakhill started to gain the ascendancy. Bowling in tandem with King, the next eleven overs yielded only twenty runs.
Grant finally 'fell on his sword', bringing Chand to the wicket. Jagdesh who had been lullabied to sleep by Grant, was now awoken by the constant jibber jabber nonsense that emits from the ILM. In thirteen overs they added an unbeaten 91, that included a barrage of fours, a medley of dropped catches and a fair share of comical running. The winning runs from Jagdesh also brought up his second fifty for the club. In the end victory was achieved with over two overs to spare, but the result could have been so different if Oakhill had held onto some straight forward catches.
