V&A v The Cricketers Club of London
24th July 2018
V&A v The Legends XI
9th August 2018
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V&A vs. Turville Park Cricket Club

V&A PLAYERS: Christiaan Jonkers*, Ross Ashcroft, Adam Jacot, Nick Constantine, Phil Goodliffe, Nick Emley, Ben Horan, Rob Taylor, Andy Taylor, Adam Knight, Alan Harrison.

It is rather an auspicious time to be a cricketer. England are about to play their thousandth Test Match, TMS have just released the greatest English Test XI of all time and the journeyman off-spinner Joe Root recently took 4-5 in a Roses clash. It’s enough to make any cricket player glow with warmth and affection for the game.

 

I’ve done a few of these now and am beginning to get the hang of it. Our equanimous leader, Nicky Bird, il miglior fabbro, once told me that it was a simple enough task. You make a few jokes at someone’s expense, you thank the caterer and you mention a moment or two of good cricket, throw in a few witty quips and finish with a full stop.

 

However, in reporting on last weekend’s fixture at Turville Park CC I fear his tried & tested formula is redundant. There was so much fantastic cricket, in a fiercely fought contest. Many of the V&A’s number have commented that it is the best game they can remember playing in. I suppose I had better do it justice, then. No pressure, then.

 

Aside from our Wiltshire Tour, the Turville fixture is our only game played away from the hallowed turf of Stonor Park. Turville Park is a glorious place to play, however. The ground is ringed by fields of corn, blowing in the wind. Fielding at fine leg, I was surprised not to see the ghost of a more youthful Theresa May frolicking through the crops. What a renegade she was. The square is beautifully manicured and the outfield is eccentric; there are two beautiful trees inside the boundary and Mr Sainsbury’s hedge makes a tempting target for a batsman to dispatch the ball to. Christiaan Jonkers, our skipper for the day, has confessed to me that he ranks Turville Park as superior in beauty to our own digs. Adam Jacot favours the absence of a road for its peaceful seclusion. I must say, I agree with them both.

 

Turville Park won the toss and invited the V&A to field first. It was to be a timed game, with no restrictions on bowlers and the assumption that the team to bat first would declare at tea. The wind blustered, the temperature was surprisingly cool. A few of our number even donned sweaters for the first time in months.

 

Ben Horan (2-52) dismissed Turville opener O. Thornton with a snorter; it reared up with real venom and clipped the batsman’s gloves on the way through to Goodliffe behind the stumps. Turville Park were 0-1 after two overs. The wicket brought to the crease Beardall and the new Turville pair settled into the task at hand. Both were watchful, trusting the bounce and playing the ball well both straight and square of the wicket. C. Beardall, especially, has a graceful and languid technique on the drive which is, I’m sure, a joy to watch as a spectator. Not so much as a member of the opposition. Jonkers (0-45) and Horan kept things tight and at the first change in the bowling, the score was 32-1. The skipper tossed me the ball (earlier than usual, perhaps my stock is rising… though I doubt it) and it was pleasant to see the pitch taking some turn from the off-set. However, this was negated by good footwork from both batsmen and their score ticked along. Andy Taylor (0-22) bowled an excellent line and length from the other end and the tussle continued, with Messrs. S. & C. Beardall picking off the bad balls and dispatching them to the boundary. Adam Jacot (0-22) and Rob Taylor (0-41) entered the attack and the tussle continued. Both batsmen passed the half-century mark and things looked ominous. They were. The batsmen marched on. A catch or two were grassed in the field. Some aerial shots barely evaded the desperate dives of Rob Taylor and Ross Ashcroft. Knowing that we needed a wicket or two, Jonkers turned to Ben Horan who struck immediately, dismissing S. Beardall, bowled, for a very strong 70. The score was 134-2 from 26 overs. With an hour or so to go until the Tea interval, the brakes came off. C. Beardall unleashed a flurry of boundaries, dismissing the ball nonchalantly to all parts. He raced from 63 to his century. Rob Taylor dismissed the new batsmen with a grandstand moment: a beautifully measured direct hit of the stumps at the non-striker’s end from twenty yards away. New nickname? “Dead Eye”.

 

Tea was taken at a quarter to five. It is worth mentioning C. Beardall’s escapades once more. He struck a brilliant 123*, including 21 boundaries, and batted for all but eight deliveries of the innings. I’ll admit, begrudgingly, that it was a pleasure to watch his excellent strokeplay. The fare at tea was excellent. There was a delicious array of sandwiches and sweet treats and we all milled about outside the pavilion taking stock of what was to be a tough chase for the V&A. Christiaan remarked that the air of gentle complacency from the side batting first might have been misplaced. It’s always nice to know that one’s skipper has faith in his batting order. “We’ve got a side of eight opening batsmen!”, he remarked. I reminded him that I detest the job purely for reasons of vanity. A wry smile and a raised eyebrow came by way of response. The batting was long, the wicket was true and the chase was on.

 

Turville Park did indeed declare at Tea with their score at 239-3 after 42 overs. Ross Ashcroft and Adam Knight were to open the batting for The V&A. Ross has become well established as the talismanic rock on which our innings are built, such is the value he places on his wicket. He is obdurate in defense and quick to capitalise on any wayward bowling. Boycott would like him. He and Knight made a good start against the bowling of Qas and J. Rogers. Rogers is a lovely bowler who fizzes down both off and leg breaks with unerring accuracy and consistency. Probably something to do with the O.U.C.C jersey he had on. It’s a delight to be tested by such a bowler. His accuracy paid dividends early when he had Knight (10) bowled with the score on 31.

 

I took to the wicket and, after a scratchy start, started to play with a hint of fluidity. The groundsman at Turville Park does a sterling job. It was a pleasure to bat on a surface that was prepared to such a high standard. Ashcroft and self stayed with the required rate and built a partnership, equally balanced by watchfulness and aggression. When I was dismissed for 60, caught expertly in the deep by J. Rogers, the score was 114-2. I rather wish he had collided with that Sainsbury’s hedge, actually, but I’m prone to a strop. Andy Taylor strode to the crease, fancying the pace on offer and got off to a flyer with successive boundaries. Ashcroft remained stalwart and maintained the run rate. The introduction of one C. Hunt changed the pace of the game. It is always a bit of a moral dilemma when eleven-year-old steps up to bowl at you. The devil on one shoulder whispers invitingly: “No mercy! No quarter given!” whilst the more compassionate conscience on the other reminds you how it felt when you did it all those years ago. However, young Master Hunt did not ask for, nor did he require any quarter at all. He bowled intelligently, varying his line and pace to entice the batsmen to make shots in error. Pressure built and the rate climbed. Ashcroft (42) was dismissed leg before and Hunt had his first victim! The score was 151-3 with an hour and a bit to go. Rob Taylor (12) was the next man in. Two Taylor’s, two left-handers, two stylish batsmen. The stage was set. Andy Taylor (40) is best when on the attack and he released the brakes: two towering sixes and a succession of drives took his score onwards. But, just as the chase was beginning to look like a formality, he fell on his sword, skying one off Rogers senior, in his first over. Rob Taylor fell to a ripper from the young Hunt and The V&A were 179-5.

 

When the going gets tough it is always good to know that there are seasoned campaigners still to come. They bring with them a sense of calm; a cool detachment; they stare, unblinking, into the face of pressure. Nick Emley and Adam Jacot have seen it all before. They’re thinking cricketers. They had done the maths, the countdown of overs was underway and the tail was long. Emley (23) started well, scampering between the wickets and targeting the boundaries to keep The V&A in the hunt. Jacot (6) also found the boundary, before falling to Rogers senior. The score was 195-6 with eight overs remaining. Alan Harrison (5) was next, making his debut for The V&A. Things looked good when he pumped an early ball to the boundary but he was swiftly wrapped up by Hunt, the score 200-8.

 

Horan (17*) smote an enormous six and with the rate at a testing seven an over with 40 to win, and two wickets remaining, all results were still on the table. Skipper Jonkers (4*) was finally at the crease, looking to bring the game home. I have noticed that I am usually umpiring when Christiaan is batting. Usually, there’s a Wodehousian grin on his face as he practices his trademark check cover drive. Not so this time. I can only imagine that he was channelling his inner Samurai; considering ‘The Way of The Sword’. And then there were extras to attend with! Byes here; overthrows there… the fielding side looked to be slipping and Horan hit another couple of boundaries.

 

Suddenly, the final over was upon us C. Hunt was tossed the ball (now in his seventh over), having taken four wickets already. It began with a dot. A single followed. Then, another single. Six required from three. Two were taken next; then a single. Last ball. Three required to win. Hunt flighted the ball and Jonkers thrust his leg down the wicked and attempted to blast the ball into oblivion. It went high, hanging in the air for an age, and the batsmen ran two. The V&A finished 238-8 from 38 overs. The match was drawn.

 

It is rare that people in this day and age recognise the great result that is a hard fought draw. The V&A would like to thank Turville Park for such an extraordinary days cricket. I would like to award the Man of the Match award to young Charlie Hunt, who took 4-36 against some intimidating resistance. I cannot remember the last time I’ve enjoyed our great game so much, and we look forward to next season with eagerness and anticipation. I suggest we keep the format the same! Thanks also to Andy Taylor for his organisational efforts this week and of course to Christiaan, for his excellent captaincy. What a fabulous day.