Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club

Scorecard

Woodford Wells v Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club BU15s on Fri 09 Mar 2012 at 7.15pm
Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club Won By 4 runs

Match report There are books that contain stories about myths and legends. This match report could well be one that will long be remembered and fall into the same category because at points it did not seem possible that the match could be won and yet the results speak for themselves.

This match is a restart for the failed 16th Dec attempt when the school decided to close and not tell anyone. Off the back of 3 defeats the A team have had a lot of thinking to do. The bowling has been consistent but the teams batting has been nowhere near up to the ability of the player.

Anyway let us begin this legendary match (report). It is important to because the day before when the team lost a key player in Aditya. A couple of texts and a phone call saw the recruitment of Jeevan Ghatoare. So 7pm arrives and despite the Friday nights traffic woes of Woodford the team arrives and by the time the official start of 7.15 comes, Saurav has won the toss and decided to bat. What follows now is not the stuff of legend but more in the genre of horror. As manager I'm stuck at square leg umpiring. I suppose I had the easiest job. At times I could see parents grimacing and walking out of the hall as what I'm about to describe no person should ever have to witness ever again.

First ball....Naail and Saurav try to take a run, Naail is run out. Okay, so this is not the first or last time this will ever happen. Not a disaster, No 3 batsmen is Waseem is next, quite handy with the bat, so no panic. Anyway at the end of the over we were 5 for 1. Not an auspicious start but not a disaster. At the end of the second over we had added 6 more runs to the total and no more wickets had fallen. Joseph comes back for his second over. His first 2 deliveries were dot balls (*for the non cricket rules readers that means no runs scored) but then Joseph bowls a vicious delivery that clips the top of Saurav's off stump and Saurav finds himself walking back having scored only 9. This is most unusual for Saurav as he is averaging 20 runs per match indoor this season. Anyway, not to worry, the Wanstead A has batting all the way down to No 6. In comes Finlay, another player that can do something with the bat. Joseph still has 3 more balls in the over. Fourth delivery is a dot ball* (see earlier) fifth delivery is a great delivery that finds the edge of Finlay's bat and Hugo takes a good catch.

The scores' now 13 for 3, in the third over. However the team still has Waseem at one end and Ahmed comes to the crease. Some panic is starting to set in, especially the manager standing at square is starting to feel nervous as are more than some of the parents. At this point it is observed that one parent had to leave the hall. It could have been me but I had to umpire at square. Waseem and Ahmed talk in the middle to decide their strategy...stay in and see the overs out. So Joseph finishes his over and what turns out to be his last with figure os 2 overs 2 for 7. Not bad figures at all So by the end of the third over Wanstead A had scored 13 runs...and lost 3 wickets. Some people say that 13 is unlucky, it was for us in the next over Waseem his a hard shot that on any other day would have score 4 runs but on this day it finds George and Waseem is walking back to having only added 1 to the total. So Wanstead A are now 4 for 13 and Irfan completed the fourth over as a wicket maiden. Baring in mind this match has 12 over per side Wanstead had lost 4 wickets in 4 overs, it was not looking very hopeful. Obviously Wells tails and voices were up. They sensed a great victory over the mighty Wanstead, and to be honest I think the parents thought is would be a very hefty defeat. Hey ho it's only cricket I hear you say, obviously you don't understand that passion for hitting balls around pitches and I suggest you don't read anymore of this report. Alright, back to the Wanstead batting. We have Ahmed and Jeevan at the crease and from square leg I whisper very loudly so everyone can hear...'see out the overs' and Ahmed respond with a nod.

Throughout this report the obvious focus has been referring to the batting of the Wanstead players, and seeing as this is a Wanstead match report that makes sense. However, it must also be acknowledged that Woodford Wells were absolutely spectacular in the field, their bowling was really tight and the fielding was unbelievable and obviously the Wanstead players contributed to their own demise. Anyway, back to Ahmed and Jeevan and the rest of the innings. its the 6th over and the wan stead inning s has 6 overs to negotiate and put on a score that the team could at lat defend. In my head I was thinking about 50 runs being a score that we could defend. There was 6 over left and putting the balls against the wall meant that 50 would be achievable. Ahmed and Jeevan did the right thing they defended and pushed. Runs were hard to come by and as the overs went by the scoreboard was only moving really slowly. We were not losing wickets which was the most important thing. The 5th over the total have increased by 3 runs., the 6th by 1 run and the 7th by 2 more runs. So by the end of the seventh over the Wanstead total was 19 runs for 4 wickets. The eighth over saw Jack get his first over and by the the last ball he had only given away 1 run. Jeevan was facing and Jack bowled a slower delivery and Jeevan was on to it and hit the ball hard. Had the ball gone straight, it would have been 6, on this occasion it went off the side wall and Jack caught the ball and Jeevan was dismissed for 1 leaving Ahmed as last man standing.

The scorecard looked like a men v boys result...17 runs on the board with only 1 wicket remaining. No Wanstead player, parent or supporter (The Great Len is the Wanstead Supporter in amongst the parents) thought this was going to move much further than it seemed. A fifty total was still achievable and Ahmed was the player to do it. As you can imagine, Wells could smell the blood of a win and they were doing their very best to get it. in the eighth over Ahmed stroked a magnificent 6 off of Jack's Bowling and by the end of the over Wanstead had move to 27. In the next over Ahmed looped the ball over the jumping hands of Jack to get another 6 and at the end of the 9th over, Wanstead had pushed their total to 37, 13 runs from their target with 3 overs to do it. Ahmed was able to add one runs to the total in the 10th over due to some excellent bowling and fielding by Wells. In the 11 over, Ahmed succumbed on the 2nd delivery hitting the ball to mid off and getting caught. With the total of 38 of which Ahmed scored 20 (Batting hero), Wanstead A again were facing a defeat...a big defeat.

So I call them round, they all know why the score is, they all know that Wells are expecting to win. As with all the matches, Wanstead A have an attack that can rout any team, but defending a score of 38 against a team that has just received and injection of total belief, well it was going to be difficult. The best and only advice to give the team was to do what they do best and out play Wells. Do what they did to us. This was possible and the team knew it. They just had to do. So that was the difficulty. Could Wanstead pull victory out of the jaws of defeat?

With Naail behind the stick, the frontline attack on paper is awesome. Waseem left arm fast, Saurav and Ahmed, both class spinners, Finlay, an out swing bowler and Jeevan a quick seamer.All have the potential to take wickets, however under this pressure and the Wells smelling a victory, the bowlers had to not only be good, the fielding had to be excellent. 'What happened?' I hear you cry. I could tell you that it was all over in 3 overs and Wells went home early with smiles on their faces and Wanstead A went home after another dismal defeat. BUt that may not be the truth. If you can read just a little bit more, all will be revealed. (thats if you haven't already read the scorecard).

Okay, manager talk over with, what happened next? Well the opening bat for Well's was Hugo, with Joseph. Now if you remember from earlier in the report, Wanstead lost their first wicket on the the first ball. Now your thinking, could history repeat itself, well it didn't. However, it was a dot ball (by now you should know what a dot ball is) and Wanstead still had 6 wickets to get. As usual Waseem was the opening bowler, his fast left arm over is often too good for the opponents and they play and miss and the ball finds its way into Naail's gloves. On the 5th ball the same thing happened but on this occasion it had found the edge of Hugo's bat and Wells were 1 for 1. A celebratory roar went up. There was some joy to be had in what initially appeared was going to be a one sided event. Wells were not too disappointed at losing the wicket, it happens and they were not going to loose their head or composure so early on. With Hugo going, brings in Jack. For Wanstead it's Ahmed, our batting hero of the first innings. Wells sneak a single off the wall from Ahmed's first ball and that is the only run Ahmed gives them. Accurate bowling and deadly fielding keeps Wells from attacking the ball. Well's scorecard looked slightly sparse after two over, 1 wicket down, 2 runs scored. however, they still had 10 overs to get 37 runs, and time was on their side. Waseem's second over gave away only 2 more runs, and Ahmed's second only added four more to the Well's total. So after 4 overs Wells only had scored 8 runs, but only had lost 1 wicket.

Looking at the scoreboard, Wells was behind the Wanstead score. A few of the Wells parent were getting tetchy. The Wanstead parents sensed something, but we knew we were along long way from a very unlikely victory. If the truth be told, Wells were still odds on favourite to win. Wells still had 5 wickets in hand and 5 good players at that. Waseem was rested after his second over. The Captain Saurav, introduced himself into the attack. His left arm spin is famous for its accuracy and spin. Two dot balls, a single, and a 3 and the first 4 deliveries. Then Saurav bowls a corker just outside of off stump, The ball bounces away from Jack's swinging bat and find the edge straight into Naail's gloves. Wells are two down, and Wanstead celebrate. Not only do the players celebrate, but a little cheer is heard from the parents. They sense a change is taking place. Wells have lost 2 wickets after 5 overs but they have only scored 12 runs. Nerves have found their way into the Wells batsmen and the Wanstead players have the same feeling that Wells had when they were bowling. The sixth over, which was Ahmed last over saw 4 runs come from it, but more importantly it saw Ahmed bowl a ball that Joseph hit hard, luckily straight into the hans of Finlay who was fielding at mid-off. Wells are now 3 down after on scoring 16 runs with the overs going down and down. Ahmed finished his blowing spell with figures of 3 overs, 1 ticket for 9 runs. Excellent spell.

A very unlikely victory was appearing possible, Wanstead's voices were loud and the parents sensed a dramatic victory. Wells were behind on the run rate as well as now losing wickets. However, there were still 6 overs left and still 3 wickets to get so the odds were still in wells's favour. Instructions were being fired from the Well's side. At the end of Saurav's over saw the introduction of the Swing bowling of Finlay. Finlay's first over gave away only 3 runs, Saurav's second gave away 4 and his final over, only 1. So the Captains blowing figures were 3 overs, 1 wicket for 10 runs. Another excellent spell. Wanstead believed they were in the match now.

Finlay's second over was full of action. His first ball appeared to have been caught by Naail, parent and players alike had gone up in celebration, but the umpire has seen it bounce just before going into Naail's gloves. The excitement was really high for all Wanstead parents. The Wells parents were also feeling emotional, but not for the same reason. Finlay's fourth ball looks like its going down leg side, swings back into George and he is hit on the pads. All the Wanstead players appeal, the umpire wastes no time on raising his finger. George has to walk, he was LBW, plumb in front. The excitement levels were heard all around the hall again. One can lay feel sympathy for the Freddie, who was Wells's next player. The scoreboard was 4 down for 31. Wells needing 8 runs to win, 3 balls to come from Finlay, another from Waseem or Jeevan and one more from Finlay. The pressure was really on for both teams. Wanstead sensed a miraculous victory and wells sensed that they could still win , but also a loss looks likely as well.

The ball goes back to Finlay, the rest of Wanstead players are back in their position. Waseem is hovering ominously at mid on. The batsman can see him. Jeevan is at point, Ahmed extra and Saurav by the stumps at the end of the hall manoeuvring the plays. Finlay runs up to the stump bowls another swinging delivery. Irfan plays and misses, his pads are hit, up goes the Wanstead players again. The umpires finger doesn't react, there is a twitch in the arm. Up it goes and the finger is points and Irfan is LBW. Wells are in despair, they think that they are losing this match, Wanstead know they can now win this match. There are two overs left and 1 wicket to get. But also Wells are not scoring the runs Finlay is on a hatrick, only one wicket required for a most unlikely victory. Finlay gets the ball back, Freddie is last man standing. Finlay bowls, the ball swings again. Freddie....defends, no run, no hatrick end of the over. What an over! Wells are now into the 2nd to last over. Saurav throws the ball to Waseem. His last over goes "Dot, single, dot, dot, dot, four" . What a closing spell from Waseem who ends with figures of 3 over, 1 wicket for 8 runs. Another excellent spell from the opening Wanstead bowler.

Saurav gives the final over to Finlay, his third over and Wanstead just have to not give away 7 runs or take Freddie's wicket to achieve the most unlikely victory this manager has witnessed in U15 cricket. Anyway, Finlay bowls, Freddie gets 2 runs, second ball a Dot, third, another swinging delivery Freddie defends, an edge is found, the ball moves, Naail moves in. He catches the ball, Freddie is out Wells have fallen. Woodford Wells are all out for 34. What a victory. The players all celebrate, they can't believe that they have pulled this victory off, but they have. All the players contributed to this victory and what a victory.Finlay end the innings with bowling figures of 2.3 over, 3 wickets for 7 runs. Another excellent spell.

The players shake their opponents hands and the umpires. They all know that they will meet again in the very near future. The managers shake hands. The parents gulp some air to try and reduce the high blood pressure that are feeling. What a match to be part of. However, for the future, please, please, please boys, don't do it again. The elder parents can't take too much more pressure like that., not without having an ambulance waiting outside.

The final words are well done to all the players, (I include Wells in this). You all contributed to a very exciting match. Waseem, Ahmed, Saurav, and Finlay bowling, Jeevan in the field stopping the ball hit the wall and Naail keeping, you all played an exceptional role in this match, showing that you have excellent talent. Well done to you all.

By the way, this is the last book version of a match report I'm ever writing.

Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club BU15s Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 6 wickets
0
38		        
Saurav Prabhakar Bowled  9
Naail Dar Run out  1 3
Waseem Qureshi Caught  1
Finlay Chesney-Brown Caught  0 1
Jeevan Ghataore Caught  1
Ahmed Saeed Caught  20
A.N. Other  
A.N. Other  
A.N. Other  
A.N. Other  
A.N. Other  

Woodford Wells Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Joseph 2.00723.503.50
Irfan3.0116116.005.33
George2.20616.002.57
Jack2.00919.004.50

Woodford Wells Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 6 wickets
0
34 (0.0 overs)		     
Hugo ct Bowled Waseem Ct Naail 1
Joseph ct Bowled Ahmed Ct Finlay 9
Jack ct Bowled Saurav Ct Naail 2
George lbw Bowler Finlay 8
Freddie ct Bowled Finlay Ct Naail 10
Irfan lbw Bowler Finlay 0
   
   
   
   
   

Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club BU15s Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Waseem Qureshi3.00818.002.67
Ahmed Saeed3.00919.003.00
Saurav Prabhakar3.0010110.003.33
Finlay Chesney-Brown2.30732.332.80