1st XI Match Report - Bromley v. Beckenham
After a blank Saturday due to a Covid outbreak among our opposition, Beckenham made the short journey under dismal skies to Bromley Cricket Club and with an awful weather forecast in prospect. After meeting the umpires and colleague Ros, the toss was made under lightening skies and Beckenham were sent in to bat by acting skipper and old friend Nicky Bluett. Meanwhile in the scorebox, the two scorers awaited commencement of the action whilst immersing themselves in the mutually fascinating world of vulpes vulpes.
The match being deemed a ‘must win’ game for both sides, it was Bromley’s Martel Evans who exposed the visitors’ frailty at the top of the order. First the hapless Nick Rigg was caught leg side by keeper Rob Dummer and the skipper Alex Senn received one that struck the shoulder of the bat to give Freddie Wilson a simple catch. And so, sadly, the scoreboard showed 18-2 and an all-too-familiar scenario had again developed in this most disappointing of seasons. The impressive James Fear now joined Rithik Hari who is gradually regaining the excellent form he showed in 2019, and together the two Beckenham batsmen began to turn the game around. With the openers resting, Anish Patel’s off-spin was now employed with the seam of Ramanathan at the pavilion end. The stand was progressing at a good rate before Patel tempted Hari into giving a regulation catch to Ramanathan for 27. A further blow befell Beckenham shortly after wards when Fear fell for 35. With the score 87-4, a crucial partnership was needed and Harry Jones set about providing solid support to the experienced Johan Malcolm. Both batsmen took time to play themselves in against the home attack to which Bluett had added himself and the promising 16-year old off-spinner, Marcus Lilley. Malcolm began to force the pace with Jones content to keep the scoreboard ticking over and the score passed the hundred and, in a flurry of shots, the 150 before Lilley pinned Jones in front for 19. Instead of rebuilding and moving towards 200+, the Beckenham innings began to collapse in ignominious fashion with Lilley and Bluett slicing through the lower order, including Malcolm who was well-held just short of a deserved fifty. To slip from 151-5 to 166 all out is simply just not good enough but credit must be given to a splendid 3-33 by young Lilley and his captain for 2-17.
With only a moderate total to defend, it was now up to the Beckenham bowlers to step up to the plate and deliver the goods. The signs were good as Jahid Ahmed ran in with real purpose and was splendidly supported by his trusty partner, the uncomplaining Shojib Ali. The score was on 10 when Ahmed rearranged Cantlon’s stumps and this was followed by Malcolm accepting a regulation catch at second slip off the admirable Ali. Worse was to follow as the same pair of bowlers accounted for Hickford and Hadfield to leave the home side in dire trouble on 20-4. Freddie Wilson, meanwhile, was digging in determinedly as Malcolm entered the attack to partner Beckenham’s own spin-bowling prospect, Ishan Sabharwal. The former Danish international began to hit his best form by bowling Wilson for a dogged 15 and then adding Dummer and Ramanathan to leave Bromley in real trouble on 73-7. With Bluett at the crease and batting well, this scorer remembers only too well how his old Bromley friend had dug his side out of trouble to secure victory some years ago and was hoping he wouldn’t repeat the feat today!
The Bromley skipper had found a most willing ally in young Lilley and, inch by inch, they clawed their side back into the match with the Beckenham attack now looking strangely toothless, Clements, who had been bowling so well, was swiftly removed from the attack as his radar had gone on the blink. Lilley, meanwhile, was batting with superb composure as the partnership grew with his captain. The hundred had come up and things were looking ominous for Beckenham but then Ahmed came back for a final throw of the dice and, in his penultimate over, he trapped Lilley in front for a splendid 30. This brought the Jamaican quickie Martel Evans to the crease with colleague Ros muttering, “He can’t bat” and producing a set of modest achievements to reinforce her comment. But Bluett continued to lead from the front until Harry Jones forced an aerial drive from the Bromley skipper when on 40 and James Fear, skipping the light fandango around the boundary, took a trademark catch. Evans, meanwhile, continued to battle away and, in the 46th over, launched Sabharwal for a sweetly-struck six to make the score 148-9 and set the match up for a nerve-shredding climax and it was Jones who ended Evans’ moment of glory by striking timber with 15 runs needed. It had been an excellent game of cricket played in a fine spirit and the scorers had spent a most pleasant afternoon in their fox world together with the sharing of videos. And, of course, the weathermen had got it wrong big time!
Scorecard: https://kcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/4146936 (external site)