Well, where to begin?
How about at Elstead? It was speculated that the chase
there in the previous game was the most dreary in Mandarins history, falling 50
short with 5 down. Well the archivist says no! I offer you Mandarins v Jesus
College Cambridge on 2 May 1981, where we showed our contempt for the Jesus
target of 185 by scoring only 71 for 5, including a pointless run out off the
last ball. This game, by wonderful contrast, was one of the very best any of us
could remember.
- Item: Wonderful weather
- Item: Superb setting, castle and cathedral resplendent
- Item: a great cricket wicket, hard but always something in it for seamers and spinners
- Item: peerless hospitality from Jeremy Walker and King's School colleagues. The tea, gargantuan,
- took an hour and tested the willpower of opening batsmen and bowlers to the utter limit. Special mention for sponge cakes and fresh scones.
- Item: the post match glimpse of Arcadia in the gardens at Restoration House, now well on their way to spectacular completion. Thank you very much for their hospitality to Jonathan and Robert.
- Item: proper umpires. John Hawkins speculated that this was because he had given Baxter not out 9 times in his winning knock in the previous year's fixture. These umpires confirmed John's excellent judgement. Baxter (well his pads anyway) survived another 9 or so lbw appeals.
Skipper Jonathan wore an enigmatic smile for much of the
day. It was as if he, the machiavellian master analyst, knew the result in advance.
But it was a roller coaster ride. Mandarins fielded first "by mutual
agreement". Hebden and Metcalfe looked worryingly aggressive. Both were
cut off in their pomp by Andy H in his pomp. Cracking nip-backers trimming the
top of the stumps. Rob bowled superbly at the dangerous Jones and Saunders,
finally claiming the latter with another nip-backer, but rueing 2 drops and two
misses in the slips.
Despite all of this Kings scored at over 5 an over, and
Jonathan feared a target of 250-ish. It was pulled back thanks to much better
than average ground fielding (special mention to sweepers Stan Forman and Tim)
and three blinding catches by Dan, and Chris Healey, twice. Hursty was
niggardly, and the three Formen (if you follow) took a five-for between them.
They also caused the only frissance of a mellow day as the oppo scorer found it
incomprehensible that three men called Forman could be playing in the same
game, and made a minor pitch invasion in protest.
So, a challenging target of 187. Cake-fuelled Baker got
us off to a flying start, and Tim and Chris H kept well ahead of the asking
rate. There was a suggestion that Tim's pads, whilst exuding their anti-lbw
vibrations, were losing their explosive qualities. This was more than made up
for by Tim himself very nearly exploding in the changing room when run out for 39. There isn't
time to explain. Suffice to say Chris took some responsibility. That was 103
for 2 in the first of the final 20 overs.
The promotion of Eastaway did not come off. Hursty, given
#5 responsibility by the Cheshire Cat captain hit trademark blows, some
along the ground, but fell at 142. Still, Jonathan and Chris pressed on
strongly and we reached 175, needing 13 with 9 overs to go, Chris on 66. With
two batsmen of such pedigree, and so many wickets and so much time, what could
possibly go wrong?
Well, in a game with many individual moments of
excellence, Dom Saunders (also on his way to 4 for 31 with beguiling off spin),
made what I rate the finest catch I have seen in Mandarins cricket, sprinting
from mid on to wide deep mid wicket and diving full length to snaffle Healey
one handed inches from the ground. Thereafter batting became a different
proposition altogether.
Skipper (may have been smiling but too far away to
confirm) frustratingly (or very cunningly?) didn't get much strike, and
watched as Hawkins and the first two Formen fell for a total of two runs. We
had scored 5 runs for 4 wickets in 8 overs. 8 required off one over, two
wickets left.
Bizarrely, the draw, having been rank outsider for 82 of
the game's overs suddenly became hot favourite amongst results. The dangerous
Saunders bowled the last over at Jonathan. Two dots. Surely he isn't playing
for the draw??? Facial expression
impossible to fathom in absence of field glasses. Then a single. Stan Forman on
strike. Doesn't know what a draw is. Biff. 4 straight down the ground. 5 th
ball, Stan goes for glory, misses and is stumped. One ball left, 3 needed, all
fielders on boundary, last man in. Heard. All 4 results possible. Well,
Jonathan had orchestrated it all the way along, I can't help thinking. Andy
swipes/smears/drives/wibbles/edges (delete as applicable) into the only large
gap on the field at third man, and they complete the three needed for victory.
Move over Elstead. Follow that Reading.
(need some work on the lighting next time - Ed.)
Chris Baker
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