Tom Cooper with the bat, Matthew
Brown with the Ball and Rupert Wilson
as Skipper do Their Best for The Casuals
Hilton – over 200 for 9 off 40 overs
Casuals – not enough all out off about 38 overs
M. Brown – 4 for 58 T. Cooper – 1 for 10 J. Umbers – 1 for 37 I. Cooper – 2 for 18
It was another sorry tale from the Casuals last Sunday at Hilton, near Derby, where once again the batting let them down. Other than Tom Cooper that is, who struck a breezy 40. Put into bat by skipper Rupert Wilson, Hilton posted a score in excess of 200. Had The Casuals reply looked like getting close their seamers might have come on, but as it happened a fairly ordinary spin attack was all they needed. The Casuals innings closed with an eccentric cameo from Stuart Larner.
Hilton fielded a youth team of mixed ability with a flexible batting order. Good bowling, catching and captaincy from The Casuals had them at 120 for 8. However, Gregson, who came in sixth wicket and was unbeaten at the end, had enough partners to get them to a winning total. Their last man came with three overs to go. Had he come in earlier, they’d have probably still made a decent score as, on Saturdays, he opens the batting for their first team.
Gregson was strong off his legs but vulnerable to the rising ball outside off stump. More mature than his youthful looks, he began by accumulating with pushed ones and twos. He waited until 29 overs before accelerating and only became reckless at 37 overs. Cocky in the field, but you need that too. A model for any young player.
Matthew Brown was the pick of The Casuals bowlers with four wickets and James Umbers and Tom Cooper ran in with shape and rhythm. There are too many inflexible aging cricketers in The Casuals lineup for a top fielding performance but when the ball is straight to them there’s a 66% chance of a wicket. A skier looped out to Rupert with the shout ‘catch it’. Rupert’s eyes are not what they were, but he is still quick on the uptake. When no one else moved, he realised the ball must be coming to him, cupping his hands in the nick of time. Mark Davis got a full blooded drive in the midriff which he couldn’t avoid. He spent some time on the floor afterwards – injured or blessed relief? The third catch to an aging Casual was to Stuart who spilt a hard one during Gregson’s reckless phase. The damage had already been done and Matt missed a five wicket haul.
Rupert captained skillfully – rotating the bowlers and and adjusting the field appropriately. Prior to the start, some older members raised their eyebrows at the sight of his off-white trousers with a zip assortment more suited to a punk.
‘A purchase from Age Concern’, he said.
‘To do with style and price?’ someone enquired.
‘To do with their skills in the reinforced gusset department,’ he replied, ‘in response to wives of certain senior committee members who made some direct observations about the previous cricket trousers’ inability to sufficiently cloak my personal tackle.’
Rupert had covered everything but even he cannot do all the batting.
Guess who came 40th in the 2005 London open tiddlywinks competition, and, who runs a database on European plants, conifers and ferns, and, who makes precise contributions to
Did you know that Scottish/Courage took over Theakston’s who took over Matthew Brown of Blackburn whose last recorded brew was ‘Lion Bitter’. Capetown Brewery, S. Africa brews ‘Lion Lager’. Spooky, don’t you think?
Almondbury Casuals Cricket Club 