Radlett CC 3rd XI v Hemel Hempstead III on Sat 22 May 2004 at 1:30

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Radlett CC 3rd XI v Hemel Hempstead III on Sat 22 May 2004 at 1:30
Radlett CC Won 3 wickets

Match report Cricket is a team game to which every member contributes, even if he does not appear in the scorebook. But every once in a while there is a performance that transcends scorebook entries and wins a match by itself. It is a storybook tale that happened today, that took hold of logic, screwed it up and chucked it in the litter-bin marked “Convention”.

A past captain, now playing for another club, once told me that a player was worth his selection if he won a game for his captain once in a season. That’s exactly what happened.

The game itself was a tribute to two goodish sides that play the game in a spirit that other teams should take note of. More especially when we are playing the vile Baldock next week. Who would play in a team that sounds like a cross between a plumbing appliance and a shaven member?

That said, the cricket was not great quality. Radlett’s fielding was, at best patchy, the highlights being a competent catch by captain Tricker, an excellent slip catch by John Crocker, and a wonderful fielding performance by Ollie Robertson, culminating in an almost impossible caught and bowled that was one of those pivotal moments in a match. Robertson’s fielding apart from that was exemplary, apart from giving away a no ball for being the third fielder behind square on the leg side. An easy mistake if you are from Zimbabwe and concentrating on your dancing moves for later in the evening!

Hemel had some good batsmen, but later in the innings were guilty of missing out on many scoring opportunities. They ended up on 195 for 7 after 53 overs, which we thought would have been disappointing to the tune of, say 30 runs. Tricker bowled very well for 2 wickets, Evans picked up 4 and Robertson got one. Carpenter continued his journey of bowling discovery without a wicket, having bowled well, but also showed how to field with aggression and skill. Incidentally, he heads the bowling averages for this side.

Radlett batted poorly, except for Smithers (43), and Tricker (30), and the game appeared to be up when Smithers, having stretched his luck and his hamstring, leaving the side 85 for 5 with 111 to win at over 5 an over. Tricker batted well, but when he was out, it was 122 for 6 with only Evans a recognised bat left, and him looking badly out of touch. A win was out of the question, but with John Crocker, having played 30 deliveries safely for just two runs, it seemed like he might help us to a fairly respectable draw.

The required run rate had just reached seven an over when Crocker launched his extraordinary assault. His next seventeen balls produced 47 runs. To Hemel’s credit, they never tried to close the game down. This was probably the best, and bravest option.

Radlett won in the end with two and a half overs to spare, a most unlikely result for most of the game. And this game, a team game, belonged to John Crocker, with the innings of a lifetime. As I write this piece, in the early hours of the morning, I can actually hear John laughing, drinking from a pint glass of whisky and lemonade, and talking total crap, because I only live a mile away from the Club.

And why not? This was a heartening win for this ambitious side that craves promotion. With performances like that, anything is possible.

Radlett CC 3rd XI Batting

Player Name		Runs	M	Ct
extras TOTAL :	for 7 wickets	0 198	(0.0 overs)
Dominic Ingram	Caught	12
Mike Crocker	Caught	3
Colin Warne	Lbw	12
Tim Smithers	Lbw	43
Richard Hardy	Caught	19
Jon Tricker	Caught	30		1
Mark Evans	Not Out	19
John Crocker	Lbw	49		1
Oliver Robertson	Not Out	0		1
Oliver Robertson
Ceri Luffman

Hemel Hempstead III Bowling

Player name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
No records to display.

Hemel Hempstead III Batting

Player name		Runs
extras TOTAL :	for 7 wickets	0 195 (0.0 overs)

Radlett CC 3rd XI Bowling

Player Name	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average	Economy
Jon Tricker	18.0	2	49	2	24.50	2.72
Ross Carpenter	7.0	1	22	0	0.00	3.14
Oliver Robertson	15.0	2	48	1	48.00	3.20
Mark Evans	13.0	1	60	4	15.00	4.62

Umpire :
Bird
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