Match Report
Lucky Lucky old Netherne; just when the mighty Crusaders were clicking on the overdrive button, the heavens opened to save them from inevitable defeat.
Netherne's picturesque ground within the site of an old redeveloped hospital had been previously visited by us for a fixture with Franklyn Lewin - another of those days when that 'irksome little man from Pakistan' had upset an opposition- but this was the first meeting between the two sides. Crusaders were bolstered by the debut appearance of Stef Criscuolo (first oily Itie to play for Crusaders), as well as a first appearance of the season from Billy Webb.
It was soon apparent that this was not the 20/20 fare we had become used to playing in Greenwich Park. Netherne were a solid well organized unit, efficient in all aspects of the game. It is to our credit that we competed keenly and on a level footing. Netherne won the toss and had no hesitation in batting. Chand and Jabs bowled well and were supported by good ground work in the field. Spud removed both the openers, but it was clear that they batted with some depth. Simon took a bit of clatter, though I have seen him bowl worse and go for less. Slack put his newly renovated spin action on the back-burner, bowling an excellent three overs at the bottom of the innings, to ensure Netherne did not race away from us in the closing overs. At the end of twenty overs Netherne had set us 132 for victory.
Slapdash and Chand struggled against accurate bowling and enthusiastic fielding, with neither capable of playing the big shots that characterize their games. Danglers nudged and nurdled for 23, Billy wafted lead-footedly and Stef sported some fine 70's retro cricket gear, but we were gradually slipping behind the asking rate. Timmo and TC were at the crease when the rains came, so anything was possible, but with 54 runs required from 25 balls I would say we had 'got out of jail'.
