27/09/10 6pm: Saints wiped the floor against Corinthians with an emphatic 7-0 win. Defending a low total turned out to be no bother as Saints’ bowling was solid all round.
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Saints have a team in this year’s Indoor Cricket League in Division 2. Fixtures are on a Monday evening at either 6pm, 7.15pm or 8.30pm. Saints A vs Cobo Report by DJ The difference a week makes. After consecutive losses in the last 2, we were keen to put things right with a win against Cobo. Continuing the recent trend of a complete inability to field a side consisting of more than a handful of registered A team players, however, Scrappy and George once again maxed out their phonebooks in pulling together a side. It’s why I love this club – even having played two or more games already this week, the boys will still turn out, no questions asked. Making their 2010 Season debut for the A’s were Jimmy “Furbrush” Ferbrache and Tim “Timbo” McNab. Back for some more action – Chris “Oooh me guts” Hurley, John “Purderino” Purdy and Al “I’ll catch anything” Streeting. Saints 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. 23/06/2010 Report by a dejected DJ Seeking to avenge the defeat from earlier in the season and cement a place at the top of the table, a depleted Saints A side took to the field. George and Brocky had done a sterling job to make up the numbers from an injury/commitment/football ravaged Saints teams sheet. Brocky won a good toss and inserted the oppo. Saint Saviours got off to a flyer, taking wickets at regular intervals. Everyone got a sniff of the action, with Doddy, FezzleDizzle and Ishy all picking up quick wickets. It was about the best fielding performance Saint Saviours have put in all season – everyone alert and keeping the run rate down. Goodie (when he finally turned up) was in the middle of the action with a couple of catches, including a stunning low diving catch away to his right off DJ2, and a couple of sharp stumpings, and a clean sheet on the byes front. Olly Tapp and Steve Eulencamp were visions of youth in the field, throwing themselves about left, right and centre, little Tapp picking up an impressive battle injury the length of his right forearm, which is sure to scar nicely and win some points with the ladies. The oppo struggled to get the ball away and instead had to nurdle the ones and twos. Brocky and Deputy Dave bowled the last 4 overs, and even Brocky picked up a couple – Saint Martins finishing on 99 for 9 off their 20. There’s no easy way to write the next part, because the result was regrettably all too predictable. Suffice it to say that the “low target gremlins” struck once again, and Saint Saviours, faced with a meagre required rate of 5, made a complete hash of the run chase, in an innings that boasted 2 golden ducks (yours truly included), at least 3 more less than 5 and only two men making double figures – RV was unlucky to be given out caught behind trying to upper cut a blatant no-ball that whistled past his nose, and Brocky gave it a bit of welly for 25. There were no real highlights of a batting performance that moreorless gifted the win to the oppo. In should be said that the bowling made the most of the Port Soif mat, and, importantly, they held on to all the chances that we so willingly gave them. Games like this are always a massive disappointment and it’s often hard to lock down the cause of such abject failure. We know we should have won, and we should have done so comfortably. There is no concession or excuse that it was a weakened Saints A side as there was more than enough talent in the top 7 to see the runs off with time to spare. Having done all the hard work to keep the oppo to a low target, the application and concentration, starting at the very top of the innings, simply wasn’t there. At just 5 an over, there was no need to be hitting, especially in the air, and at least 6 of the 10 Saint Saviours wickets will accept they contributed to their own, and the team’s, demise. It’s done and it’s time to regroup and pick ourselves up, ready for the next. We can still win the league – but there’s no room for any more mistakes. Up the Saints. Saints A vs DHS St Pierre by “Mike” Thornton, aka DJ At an eerily listless Port Soif, which now feels like Saints’ home ground, the Saints boys turned out after a week off, still feeling the pain from their narrow defeat to Rovers. Things weren’t looking too clever from the off, with an already weakened side suffering from last minute dropouts, suggesting that Saints were on for a struggle. But there’s one thing you can’t fault about Saint Saviours Cricket Club – the strong and determined spirit that runs throughout the whole club – and the gaps in the side were plugged purposefully by Alex Streeting, Ishwar and a debut for mini-TV Tom Veillard. In a tactical change of direction, skipper Scrappy let vice-skipper Brocky handle the toss. Playing right in to our hands, they called correctly and asked Saints to bat. RV and DJ1 opened up. DJ was quickly suffering from the strong sunshine and unusual lack of howling wind (weather-wise), and failing to find the boundary, which meant a lot of running. Fortunately, RV was unphased at the other end and was soon picking off a rather lacklustre St Pierre bowling attack. 6 overs in and the score had raced to 60 with the only threat to the run-scoring being DJ keeling over. RV soon passed 50 and with the score on 80 odd, DJ finally found the middle of the bat, only to see it scream directly in to acrobatic hands of wide extra cover, departing for 24 and a bit of a lie-down in the shade. This brought Kneller to the crease who, in judging the complete lack of threat from the bowling, elected to don the floppy wide-brim instead of a helmet. A good call, and the free flow of runs continued. Saints A vs Grant Thornton Match abandoned due to rain. Both sides get a point each. Saints A vs Rovers A The top of the table clash between Saints and Rovers went to the wire. Rovers batting first got off to a flyer, and were 60 odd for no wicket after just 6 overs. A huge total was looking likely, but fortunately some superb, tight bowling from the Saints lads, soon reined them in. A couple of quick wickets helped to stem the flow and after their 20, Rovers had got to 140 odd. After the start they’d had, this was an excellent display from the Saints bowlers and fielders. 140 was very gettable. Unfortunately, though, the Saints batsmen struggled to get going. DJ and Brocky opened and got away to a painfully slow start, with only 30 runs on the board after the first 6. Wickets fell at regular intervals with only RV managing to form any sort of an innings. Saints were faced with 15 (ish) needed from the final two overs, and despite some good hitting from LittleBig, Goodie, Dj2, Marc Guille and others, fell an agonising 4 runs short at the end. A horrible feeling for the Saints boys, knowing that we should have chased down that total with balls to spare. Seems to happen though – small totals are always harder to chase. Never mind boys – Rovers 1, Saints 0 – we’ll have ‘em next time. Highlights: DJ2 4-0-25-1 RV 35 Saints A vs Corinthians By Owen Brock(back) On a tropical, sunny, Thursday evening, Saints took to the field against their Wanderers stablemates looking to inflict a defeat which would allow the weekend boys bragging rights, and more importantly continue a fine winning streak which has seen us top of the league. Lily duly strode out to the middle with the oppo skipper, and no surprises – lost the toss. Saints were asked to set a total, which actually worked out rather well as Goody was at a meeting about little boys. (I have asked for an invite to the next one, but apparently it is priests and teachers only.) Saints A vs Report by Sir/ Master Goody (with a bit of editing from DJ) Much has been said as to the rejig of the divisions this year and it’s had no bigger effect than on Cobo. Saints have been the only team in recent seasons to threaten to beat Cobo, despite them fielding pretty much an Island XI. Only on a few occasions has the game been a one sided affair. The new rules and regulations have forced Cobo to field a lesser side in the new Division 1 evening league format and it shows – the Cobo team that on the evening contained a few familiar faces and a good deal of the colts team that have played lower down the leagues in previous years. Cobo weren’t the only side to be making radical changes to their side. After just three games, Saints were struggling to field 11. NewDJ and Cynthia both unavailable. Onagainoffagain Ben Driver, same. Lee Gallienne has done the dutiful and returned to his beloved (and struggling) Div 4 Strollers – seems a waste of a quality bowler, but such is life. Marc Guille is showing his true Saints colours by stepping up, again, and with OldDJ back from melting bits of metal together, Saints find themselves with 10 men. Not happy with that Brockback and Scrapdog pull out all the stops in finding their man – and after 2 years of assertion that he had retired, the Saints legend Phil “PC” Challenger is coaxed back in to donning the blue shirt and taking to the field for the mighty Saints. And what a sight it was. (Did we stitch two more shirts together again?) |
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