News
Friendly Report
The friendly XI were soundly spanked by Bath Exiles.
Actually when the game began we were the friendly VI, due to a combination of cry offs, no shows and lateness.
Grover and Reg opened the batting. Upon setting off for the first single Reg suffered a major twang in the groin area and shortly afterwards was caught at slip for a golden.
Reg went home at this point so now we were V; 2 batsmen, 2 umpires and a scorer!
Iggy hit a well timed boundary but was bowled pulling at a straight one that kept low.
A partnership of 40 odd between Grove and Dwayne raised the spirits and the arrival of Amir, Gnaz and Sayed (1st game for the Cowboys and his first for 7 years) came close to doubling our numbers.
Dwayne was caught for a classy 29, then Tim went for a duck. This brought Amir to the crease who battered a quick 38, including 7 4′s. Although I think it’s fair to say Amirs innings did not include one single cricket shot, it was exactly what we needed.
Evans main contribution was to run out Grove who had played properly throughout with his bat straight and heed kept. Grove made 30. Gnaz was bowled for a couple, Sayed not out 1 and so, with only 9 batsman that was it; 135 all out.
Exiles opened up with with a small fellow in his late fifties and a large south african fellow in his early thirties. We couldn’t get either of them out and the youngun put us out of our misery in the 25th over by hitting 28 from the first 5 balls of Grovers spell. Young opener making 116, old opener 9!
Tim Knight kept bravely, Dwaynes outfielding was very sharp and Amir and Sayed both bowled well.
One Out Of 4
The Saturday 1st Team lost to Bath 4ths in an epic encounter. Bath scored 290 for 5. In reply the Cowboys got 227 all out. Gibbo hit 88 and Iggy hit 42 in 18 balls.
The Saturday 2nd Team lost to Timsbury 2nds. We hit 113 all out and they hit the runs in 21.4 overs.
The Sunday Team beat Failand and Portbury. We hit 244 all out from 40 overs. RT2 hit 64 and ran his little brother out. They managed only 135 with Dean taking for wickets.
The Friendly Team lost to Bath Exiles. We hit 136 with Amir getting 38. The Exiles hit the runs in 25 overs without loss. One of their openers getting 118 and the other getting 9.
TTs repost on the Saturday 1sts match goes thus:
With a waft of weedkiller on the wind and the call of a pheasant from the southern slope of the valley, the Cowboys took to the field at Farmborough for their first home game of the season against Bath 4th XI. It was still cold for May, but mercifully the space between isobars was further apart than in previous weeks and having won the toss, bowling first was the preferred option.
With RT1 absent injured, Budge and the Landlord took the new ball against a solid opening pair, soon discovering that the pitch and batsmen were unforgiving of anything less then a good length and that perhaps Grover had marked the boundary too short. Budge took a while to adjust his radar but when he found the spot and the batsman sliced to gully, Grover stuck his hand up and plucked the ball from the air, in the now familiar manner of an excitable child urgently requesting the toilet.
A couple of overs later, the Landlord delivered a slow yorker that he and the batsman thought was a beamer and duly found himself apologising before the ball had reached its destination, which turned out to be the base of middle stump, much to their mutual surprise and respective jubilation and grief.
The next man in was an experienced old hand, renown for his ability to hit a good ball from outside off stump over square leg: This he then proceeded to do, his partner proving similarly adept at hitting hard and causing the Cowboys to hone their skills of ball retrieval from the undergrowth.
Lalith and SteveO tried their hand at breaking the partnership, but with little swing or turn to be had and the margin for error small, the ball still regularly found the boundary, until not long after a spilled chance at long-on, a mistimed drive off SteveO dropped short at long-off into the Landlord’s hands: 116-3.
Lalith then settled into his spell, making the highly accomplished batsmen work hard, unfortunate to remain wicketless. Ev replaced SteveO but couldn’t prevent the run rate from rising to above six a over, the crack of bat on ball mirrored by the sound of shotgun blasts from the top of the hill and as rabbits and pigeons scarpered, Cowboys retreated to the boundary. The partnership grew, Dunc tried his slow-slow-quick-quick-slow routine but couldn’t wrong-foot the batters and carrying an injury, Iggy was the last of the bowlers to get mauled for a couple of balls an over, having tied the batsman down for the remainder.
It wasn’t until the old hand on weary legs had made a century and his partner had passed fifty that the latter was run out by an impressive direct hit from Grover, who got in on the action again to catch the centurion off Iggy before the innings closed on 289-5.
Tea was a smörgåsbord of love provided by Iggy and Helen and threatened to divert attention from the remainder of the match. Unfortunately, the opposition didn’t fall into the trap of consuming so much home-baked bread and cake that they were unable to return to the field and after an indecently short interval the Cowboys set about scoring 7.25 an over to win.
Ev and Ange started off with positive intent and in great style, finding the boundary regularly as the Bath bowlers struggled with the loose ball. Their fifty partnership came up gratifyingly early, evidence for any who might have been in any doubt that there were runs in the pitch. Just before the pair had added a century together at a run a ball Ange was caught for 32.
Bath turned to flighted spin which Ben and Ev treated with respect when due, stroked and smashed when not. Before long they too had added a half century partnership and when Ben was bowled, the score had rattled along to 159-2 with Ev on 88. Without adding to this, the jug evasion panel was convened as Ev attempted a run too risky given the swift accuracy of the fielding side and was forced to curtail his combative and productive occupancy of the crease.
A second run out success for the opposition ended Dunc’s stay as a familiar Cowboy wobble ensued: After Grover nearly hit a ball for six he missed another and was bowled and when Lalith became the second in the innings to be bowled by a maiden with the score on 177-6 the outlook wasn’t rosy. However, Iggy brought fresh impetus to the attack, batting with a brutal assertiveness that suggested the possibility of scoring the remaining hundred runs by himself, along the way launching five sixes and causing the opposition to doubt their ability to defend the total.
At the other end, Joe fell to another run out, then Preash’s defences were breached as the score reached two hundred, but with eight wickets down and the Landlord at the wicket, Iggy still oozed confidence and began bludgeoning the ball harder and further. When his penultimate partner was given out LBW after edging the ball onto his foot, the Cowboys’ skipper still looked capable of hitting the remaining seventy runs from the last seven overs. Alas the bubble burst when he was caught just short of a remarkably fast half century and the Cowboys lost by 62 runs.
Ev’s opening innings earned him the Man of the Match vote and Grover’s outstretched hand won him the Cider Moment. Fines were heavily incurred.
Casuals Win League
Hi Rich can you put a note out on the news please.
The casuals game has been called off tommorrow night so dont turn up
but we win the league
Ta Paul
Friendly YMCA
Should anyone fancy a friendly game of cricket on Sunday against Bath Exiles they should get in contact with Ev (evgibbons (at) yahoo.co.uk). Meanwhile we had a friendly 20/20 against YMCA at Golden Hill on Monday.
Jonse reports thus:
OK thermals (check) jumpers (check) hand warmers (check) Kendal mint cake (check)
Bovril (check).
“Off fell walking darling?”
“No love. going playing cricket”
We assembled at the Golden Hill sports ground on Monday to play a friendly with the chaps from the Y.M.C.A. . I had spoke to their captain in the week and told me that the team would be a mix of 1st team 2nd team and maybe some from the 3rd 4th and 5th. Mine I told him would resemble the cast from the dirty dozen. And they needed to be tough as the elements where out to blow and chill. The 3 cheerleaders I had hoped would bring some of the IPL razamatazz to the 20/20 match had cancelled due to it being “too cold for hot pants!”.
We bowled first and fielded well. Wickets fell at regular intervals by different bowlers. I feel this is important for keeping a good tempo throughout the team. 5 different bowlers got wickets. Some caught and bowled, catches taken in the field and middle stumps up rooted. When the wealth is shared like the buzz its infectious and I thought everyone looked focused, thinking where to be, offering up suggestions and well basically playing like a team. We had played well and knocked them over regularly enough but to their credit they stepped up and played some shots with their tail in the last 5 overs which pushed their score to 110.
“Doable I thought”. When looking through the team sheet it had struck me as a team of batters. In hindsight I’m now thinking I should of put the team of batters in first . Got a score up when it was still early evening better light and didn’t have to wrap my shivering batting order up in tin foil recovery blankets. It was tricky out there. The wicket was a doing a bit full of a length, flat and low short oh and I have mentioned it was blowing a hooley . Some real top draw shots were played right down to eleven. Unfortunately we needed just a pair of lads out there to lump some runs on and it didn’t quite happen.
Even in defeat I was impressed with everyone on Monday and we should take a lot of positives out the game. We gave some debuts to 3 blokes 2 of which got their first wickets of the mighty ECCC. We also put some 3in1 oil on the Grovernator to get his length up to Yorker length to devastating effect. If the appetite and attitude that was shown on Monday is taken to every match this season then we will not only enjoy our cricket gentlemen but enjoy some victories too.
Thank you again to everyone who helped in the week and on the day . Especially all of you offered to play that I was unable to give a game to.
Till the next time C’MON COWBOYS!
Wet Wet Win
The Saturday 2nds and the Sundays were rained off. But the Saturday 1sts recorded their first win in slow motion.
Midsommer Meth batted first and got 106 all out. Matt D bowled 9 for 3 off 8, TT 16 or 2 off 8, and Kalu 12 for 2 off 4.
In reply the Cowboys got the runs in the 35th over for the loss of 8 wickets. Gibbo scored 46.
TT reports the match thus:
It’s a little known fact that in the North Somerset dialect there are seventeen words for wind, yet none of them can accurately convey the climatic conditions which greeted the Cowboys on their arrival at Norton Hill School for their first outing against Midsomer Norton Methodists, who appeared to have prepared a wicket of moss on the side of a geological fault line.
Before the fun began, in what can only have been an act of sabotage to prevent a challenge to his batting average, Ev ran over Preash’s kit in the car park, which happily, like it’s owner, showed determined resistance and refused to buckle.
Having successfully tossed a coin and not seen it blown to the next county, the skipper invited The Meths to bat and handed the new cherry to Rich and Rob. Both bowled a tidy line and length, given all the geography going on, with the rain now rudely spitting, making the ball difficult to grip. No mean feat then for Lalith to hold on to a catch off RT1, who round about now had twanged part of his leg mechanism and was unable to complete his excellent spell of 1 for 7. On came Matt to replace him, bowling a menacing and threatening line which the batsmen found equally hard to put away, soon hitting the stumps to take the second wicket.
After eight overs of tight and testing deliveries for no reward, Rich was replaced at the portakabin® end by the Landlord. “Why Mr Landlord, do I not get more wickets?” asked Rich in the pub afterwards, having seen his successor sling down a rank first delivery which the hitherto difficult-to-remove batsman smacked in the vicinity of Ben, who took a superlative low catch. The answer to the question is of course to bowl more shite.
Matt’s judicious use of the ridged pitch soon brought him a second wicket, to have the opposition at 41 for 4 and without the score advancing further he hit the stumps yet again, finishing with fine figures of 3 for 9. Before the total had reached fifty the Landlord got in on the act and found the stumps too, but then came some resistance as their skipper dug in, smiting some hefty blows and forging a near fifty run partnership, eventually broken by Ev.
There were missed opportunities aplenty as catches went to ground and fielding went awry, the details of which, and some responsibility for, are best left with the fines’ fuhrer. Lalith kept his heed at the bowler’s end to secure a run out, thanks in part to their skipper, who he then bowled for 46, before wrapping up the innings in the penultimate over by bowling the number 11: All out for 106.
A generous tea and respite from the gale was taken in a portakabin® classroom and comprised fayre that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a televised cake bake-off.
From one perfect sponge to another, Grover and Ev strode out, the former returning one ball later, bowled for an ignominious golden duck. With only three runs on the board Ben was similarly bowled and despite powerfully and purposefully walloping his first ball, Angelo was bowled from the other end before the total had reached double figures. Iggy too took a direct approach, intent on putting away the bad ball, but when a lofted shot held up in the wind and was caught by his opposite number, the Cowboys were a windblasted and desperate 15 for 4.
Matt came out to bat and found the boundary once but added only another dozen runs with Ev before falling victim to the wicket which he’d earlier exploited so well with the ball. Lalith started cautiously, building a vital partnership to rescue some semblance of respectability and as the ball was given more air and he hit out, he was fortunate to be dropped at long-off. Far from dulling his resolve, an identical shot was played a short while later, which this time was competently caught.
Preash entered the scene with the score on 47 for 6 and set about rebuilding the mess with Ev, who by now was exhibiting some stylish strokeplay on the tricky sticky wicket. The newcomer blocked well and intelligently farmed the strike to his partner, despite the previous motorised assault on his baggage. The partnership crept along and the score advanced, aided at times by a little wayward bowling and nervous fielding in response to the growing Cowboy authority as the required total began to appear attainable.
Shortly after the pair had made a consummate fifty partnership the hundred came up, but just before Ev was able to complete a half century of his own, he was caught for a solid 46 which was later to earn him the Man of the Match vote. The remaining half a dozen runs were a formality, which the Landlord contributed nothing to, bowled as he was by a low straight one for a duck and it was left to Garner to finish things off with the immovable Preash, who for the second week remained not out on eleven.
Under an improbable rainbow back at the main Midsomer Norton ground, Ben’s catch was voted as the Cider Moment and the proceeds from the multifarious fines were donated to his forthcoming marathon running attempt in Edinburgh in aid of Parkinson’s UK.
http://www.justgiving.com/Ben-Preece
http://nscl.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11652450
Looking back in anger, and forward more in hope than expectation
Those who don’t know me well may not have heard the addage ‘never listen to Littleton’, don’t worry my predictions for this week won’t be so rash as last week’s! So how did it go? For those of you living in China, Mark, here is a brief resume.
On Saturday Iggy’s 1s fell by 10 runs at Nailsea, the skipper injuring himself and requring a runner may have hampered him although whether he should have selected himself after admitting that he has had 3 golden ducks at Nailsea now is maybe more the point! Pick of the bowlers was the Apeman Gibbons with 4-17 as Nailsea were all out for 158, the Cowboys being hustled out for 148 in response with 2.2 overs left. Patience is a virtue!
Meanwhile at Farmborough Jeff’s 2′s did their best (surely not, there are victories to come) to prove my prediction of an exciting tie correct, eventually falling by 11 runs with 1.2 overs left. Patience, patience, patience! Mom Barnaby, Alex and Steve O all bowled excellently however 28 wides on a windy day was to prove very costly, Whitchurch reacing 140 all out in 36 overs. In response DC1 and Simon looked comfortable against tight bowling but both went for 11, there then followed and 80 run partnership between Aussie Pete and Barnaby, they upped the run rate at the right time to put us within sight of victory. I made the prophetic mistake of comparing Aussie’s batting style to that of Justin, Barnaby was then run out, Donnie smote a couple of times and left, DL1 smote once and left, Steve O smote and nurdled and left, which left us needing 16 off 4, Stroddy, Johnsie, and Alex then all left in the same over. After the departure of the first 2 Aussie, standing at the other end on 48no hurtled down the wicket towards a bemused Alex who had defended the ball straight to a fielder, Alex was run out. Justinesque jug avoidance of the highest order. Aussie didn’t add to his score, as next over the skipper was softened up by a beamer to the neck and then bowled. Excellent game played in a good spirit against Whitchurch whose young bowlers were excellent.
And on to Sunday where Bolts Bruisers took on the foe from the other side. I’m sure you’ve all heard the tales by now suffice to say that we lost off the final ball. 178 all out, 1.3 overs left (Patience….. you have got the theme by now?) on what is considered a batting track was always going to be in question. The enemy needed 2 off the last ball and got them. Our 34 extras conceded to their 18 was another telling factor.
Monday saw Cowfolk gathered to witness the bastardisation of the beautiful game that is cage cricket- although I was only there for a couple of hours behind the bar, it was a great occasion watching cowfolk going pink under the sun and the influence of Steve O’s delightful brew. Well done to Iggy for the idea and he and others for getting it together.
So where does that leave us? Jeff’s 2s are in a position of strength as they aren’t joint bottom of their division as Timsbury and Nailsea 4′s both failed to put a team out so are on -4 points! Many happy returns for the weekend Jeff, so young and so many children!
The Iguanas are up against the Meths, or could be on it afterwards. The Midsomer Norton Methodists will be praying for another decisive victory after spanking their town counterparts last weekend, Stuat Green recording the remarkable figures of 7 wickets for 8 runs. The Meths were promoted in a reshuffle at the end of last season but look a strong team. My prediction is that God will not look on us kindly.
Sundays have another home fixture against Carsons & mangotsfield at BWI. C&M got their season off to a winning start against Failand & Portbury. Last season’s game finished in a tie last game of the season and a heavy defeat for an under strength Cowboys team. My prediction is a spanking for the Cowboys. Wayne will understand my negativity.
Sorry it’s taken so long to complete this, good luck for the weekend one and all.
DL1
Bristol Women’s Football Casual League (BWFCL) Awards Night
Lebeq Tavern on Fri 17th May 7.30 – 11.30. All welcome – come and join us to celebrate the end of the second round of the newly formed BWFCL.
3 Losses For Starters
The first league circket matches of the season went thus:
The Sunday Team lost to Old E bu 1 run. RT2 hit 56 and Angelo hit 38 in a total of 178 all out. In reply the old enemy hit the winning runs off the last ball. Kalpit bowled 6 overs, 1 maiden, 1 wicket for 16 runs. RT2 bowled 8 overs, 3 maidens, 1 wicket for 25 runs.
The Saturday 1sts lost to Nailsea 3rds. They hit 158 all out. Wilko got 2 for 27, Gibbo 4 for 17 and Kalu 1 for 20. Preash got 2 stumpings. In reply we hit 148 all out. Preece hir 29 and Budge hit 27. Match repot below.
The Saturday 2nds lost to Whitchurch 3rds by 11 runs. They hit 140 all out. Barnaby got 3 for 24, Fat Boy 2 for 21 and Hoops 2 for 22. In reply we hit 129 all out. Aussie Pete hit 48.
Sat 1 vrs Nailsea 3
Trying to bowl at Nailsea on Saturday was like throwing a wiff waff ball at a coconut in a hurricane. Which is why I doff my woolly hat to Messrs Burgess, Tinkler, Kumara, Wilkinson and Gibbons for keeping the ball in tight corridors and restricting Nailsea to a fairly paltry and gettable total.
The Cowboys lost here in the final over last year as a cold wind blasted, many small children ran around shrieking and footballers swore behind the beech hedge. Plus ca change.
On paper, the Cowboys looked invincible. Sadly, the paper was caught by a gust of wind and blown down the Severn estuary. And it had all started so well, with Iggy winning the toss and asking the opposition to bat on a slightly damp but fast-drying wicket.
Mister Burgess from the church end and Mister Tinkler from the other opened up the assault with the new ball, which they delivered accurately and beguilingly, despite a stiff breeze in an exposed field, the aspect of which is surely ripe for the erection of several wind turbines capable of supplying electricity to the whole of Bristol.
The ball did have an alarming tendency to fly swiftly from edges to the boundary line, but Joe and Rob kept the runs down and the pressure on, forcing both openers into errors that cost them their wicket. Your correspondent was then given the ball, which he controlled with the dexterity of an inebriated driver in a multi-storey car park, much to the Nailsea batsmen’s glee and profit. Did I mention the wind?
Lalith and Mark then showed how it was done, with spells of brave and tight bowling, more than ably assisted by debutant Preash who bagged a couple of stumpings as the Cowboys fought to regain control. Ev came on to bowl at some children who bravely hit back a bit before being dismissed. Somewhere along the way a ball got launched into the airspace above Ben’s head and he was blinded by the light – revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night – and forced to take protective action as the ball plummeted to earth a few feet away. How we laughed. Iggy, having pulled a muscle to ensure his position at slip, held two sharp chances but was unable to bowl, so to limit the opposition to 159 all out on the penultimate ball of the innings, with Ev taking a tidy 4-17 was a par performance. Could we sink the birdie?
Not on a tea of persil-white bread and sugar. Haven’t they heard of wholegrains here? At least it wasn’t windy inside.
Dave and Ev opened the batting needing four an over. The latter returned in the second, caught behind playing horizontally, leaving Ben to build a partnership which crept up to two an over before Dave was also caught by the keeper. Duncan helped move the score along, Ben timed the ball sweetly for boundaries, then Duncan was caught for a dozen and Mark joined Ben, who was bowled in the 21st over for 29. The Cowboys were 62 for 4, still needing another hundred runs. Lalith arrived at the wicket only to lose Mark the following over, bringing Preash to the crease, who proved a steadying anchorman as Lalith played his shots and sometimes found both ball and boundary.
With the required run rate nearly in sight, Lalith fell to another catch and your correspondent joined Preash, successfuly middling a few before feathering a tickle to the keeper as the ball drifted away. Have I mentioned the wind? Joe stuck around much longer, building what was to be the highest partnership of the innings with Preash, keeping the target in sight and making it look possible. When he fell for a spirited 27 the injured skipper came to the wicket with a runner in tow and possible hilarity ensued. None of us were laughing when he returned after pulling his first ball straight into mid-wicket’s hands. RT1 strode confidently out to face the hat-trick ball, the Cowboys still requiring 29 from the last five overs with the last pair at the wicket..
Despite making Nailsea work hard, running and striking with intent and coming close to a remarkable recovery, the Cowboys fell just a dozen runs short with a couple of overs remaining when Rob was bowled for legs eleven, stalwart Preash not out on the same score.
The Man of the Match vote went to Joe and the Cider Moment was shared between Joe palming a ball from his face, Ben’s “invisible ball trick” and Iggys two slip catches.
Thank You
Fromn Iggy
Firstly thanks to everybody that helped to make Rage in the Cage 2013 come together. From those who helped set it up and run it ,to those who came and bought a pint and supported our cricket club.
We raised around 4/500 quid to go towards our training facilities at Rose Green and our sight screens at Farmborough.
Congratulations to Barnaby’s Babes ,this years champions.
Most runs scored
1st Tim Knight (Duck Duck Goose) with a massive 84 runs
2nd Joe Burges (care in the community) 80 runs
3rd Andy Christie (Old E) 66 runs
Highest score in 1 innings
1st Tim Knight 50
2nd Joe Burges 36
3rd Joe Burges 35
Most Wickets taken
1st Ozzie Pete (barnaby’s Babes) 6 wickets
2nd Dave Toole (barnaby’s Babes) 4 wickets
3rd Eric Stephenson (Old E) 3 wickets
Highest Team Total was from Care in the Community with 109 runs in 1 innings.
Thanks to all the teams that entered and well done to the Footballers who are obviously good at cricket too.
Thanks to Grover and Cupis for donating the prize mugs and to Tooley for donating the signed cricket bat.
If anyone fancies a game this Saturday There is a interclub friendly at Farmborough all welcome.
Thanks again for making it a great day!!
CACKK WILD WEST KIDS CAMP
CACKK WILD WEST KIDS CAMP (7th and 8th June).
GET OUT YOUR STETSONS, STRAP ON YOUR SPURS AND SPLASH ON YOUR SUNCREAM – IT’S TIME TO BOOK ON TO THE CACKK “WILD WEST” KIDS (and parents/carers) WEEKEND IN WALES (7th and 8th June).
THIS YEAR THE CACKK KIDS CAMP IS IN BEAUTIFUL SOUTH WALES http://www.bunkhouse-south-wales.co.uk/ THERE WILL BE LOTS OF FOOTBALL , WATERFALL WALKS, KIDS’ TALENT SHOW AND DISCO, WILD WEST DRESS UP, BARBEQUE, COCKTAILS (ADULTS!), ARTS AND CRAFTS, TABLE TENNIS, SKITTLES, INDOOR AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND LOVELY SUNSHINE (WE HOPE!) There is campaing pitches AND indoor accommodation – priced at .£16.25 per person per 2 nights. Children under 3 are free. Space is limited indoors in the bunkhouse so book now. If you are camping in tents or campervans/ caravans please also book in advance. Email sambongo@gmail.com to book or sue.mennear@gmail.com for more information.
Cow flickr
