Saints A XI vs Optimists A
30/06/10 @ KGV

Saints A’s poor season took a turn for the farcical with a complete stuffing at the hands of Optimists. Able to field just two registered A team players, the club was, once again, asked to fill in the gaps – and trying to find 9 other men can be no easy task. At one point, George was going to ask Sue if she could pop the pale blues on, but in the end, the Saints lads stepped up and turned out an XI. But the eventual result was not much more than a formality.

Saints won the toss and inserted the oppo, which might have been a move simply to try and prolong the game, the Saints bowling attack started off – Ishywar at one end, FezzleDizzle at the other. Both lads worked hard and did a good containing job, keeping the run rate down in the first 4 overs. And with the KGB5 mat playing like an old trampoline that had been left out in the rain for 10 years, nothing could be taken for granted. A ball on a length was either tickling their ankles or whistling past their noses. As the pressure built, Ishy got the breakthrough for a steepling catch for our fielding-allrounder, Heath Brock. First change was Marc Guille with his gentle off spin. After a couple of looseners, he found a nagging length and was soon dropping them on a penny, and was hard to get away. With some good chat from Fezzle, Guillo soon accounted for former island player Van Vliet. Jonty Ledger replaced Fezzler and found a good straight line, and picked up a couple of quick wickets. At 60 odd for 4 of about 8 overs, things were looking beginning to look good for the Saints.

The oppo though had other ideas and managed build a pretty shaky partnership. They mooed, wiped, slashed, heaved and edged the ball around the ground as the Saints men looked on in despair – the ball always agonisingly just out of reach of a catch. With the KG looking bigger than ever, there didn’t seem to be enough men to man the boundaries, and the runs began to flow. Brockback may have broken the partnership had it not been for a fielding mixup – the ball top edged high behind the wicket, with Stevie Eulencamp racing over from third man and Marc Guille from a wide square leg, finding each other in the middle and completely wiping each other out, as the ball plopped safely to the ground. Elsewhere, the fielding was good, with Chris Hurley, John Purdy, Tom Veillard and Chris Fisher showing good commitment. Steve Eulencamp was asked to bowl – who looked as surprised as most of the team, the batsmen, the umpires, opposition and the pissed blokes on the balcony of the pavillion. But he found a good line and length with some good nip, and deserved a wicket.

The partnership was eventually broken thanks to some tight bowling from Ishy and a great catch in the deep from Fezzle – using the Heath Brockenback Ledger method of “trap ball against boob” – but who cares, they all count. But the damage had been done – the partnership was worth around a hundred and left Saints with a required rate of over 8.

Saints’ batting demons showed themselves again and despite a few heaves and moos from Brocky, Fishy and Ishy, and two of the most exquisitely defended overs I’ve ever seen from little Tom Veillard, Saints slumped to a rather dismal 70 odd all out.

Once again, big thanks to everyone who turned out for the A side and for putting in a determined effort and for some quality banter.