Keen to make amends on this season’s previous Priston fixture (humiliation doesn’t come close – we lost by 100 runs) a vastly improved team (we dropped Madigan) assembled on Sunday.
Captaining the team, Bond senior thought it best not to, opting instead the random “draw a straw” approach to batsman selection. This slack-handed approach to captaining comes either from not wanting to offend or not wanting to think. Either way though once the straws were drawn, it didn’t look that bad a call. Admittedly the tail (Harding, Hewes & Bond) looked awesome but so did the openers and mid order!
Priston’s opening bowler proved a handfull and runs came slowly (Dale bowled 5 maidens out of 7 overs). Painter and Lodge battled through this well with maturity and patience under increasing pressure. They saw him off before getting some more hittable deliveries. Jimbo then went on the score a ton before retiring, aided at the crease by Lodge and Stump Chat (29), having batted for just under two hours, there wasn’t much time for the other Sloths to do much, coming in and swinging (or just running – see 3rd footnote) the next 6 batsman added an extra 18. With a large extra total of nearly 40 – we had a good total of 210 to defend.
Priston teas, reportedly not to par on the last match, we as excellent as ever, with Stump Chat and Lodge showing great restraint and selflessness, waiting for others until they had their third or fourth plate. (I suspect Stump had a post match 5th.)
On the field – we had worries – bottling the oldies into safe fielding positions always proves problematic (you can soon have half a dozen slips). Painter having batted so long, could hardly walk let alone run, Lodge stopped running about three years back. Howard was cramping up… BUT I can honestly say that it was the best all round performance I’ve seen in a Sloth pack over quite a few years. (Antiques included). Memorable was Cam Bond’s epic throw from the downhill boundary edge back to keeper, the ball passed about 10 feet above the jumping Jimmi C, almost to the other boundary – can you have a “six” over throw?!
Harding bowling off a three pace run up along with Hewes (normal “spacky” left arm run up) outdid their openers. Bowling 6 overs a piece – Tom 1 for 8, Ric 1 for 12. The two did as much with ball economically as Painter had with bat. Leaving Priston needing to score big to be in the game. The Lewises then took their turns with young Laurie bowling 6 overs (1 for 19) outdoing his aging father (0 for 28). The Lewis partnership with ball cost us just under 50 runs of the 13 overs. Howard (cramp removed by Cam) had a go but by then the chase was on – and though smacked for 50 took 3 wickets removing one of their bigger hitters with a fine caught and bowled (which was more self defence – the option not to catch, would have left a cricket ball sized hole in his chest). Lodge in support, was far more economical (1 for 23).
In the field the Sloth’s in general moved as a team, used their hands and heads. Behind the stumps both Stump Chat and Jimmi C were brilliant.
Editorial footnote: Painter has now “patented” a new catching technique, “The Slow Strip”, this is to be used in the case of high lofty catch instances (the “that’s high, it’s coming to me, maybe I should move, fuck maybe I should have run away” sort of affair) – basically after the “that’s high and to me” phase – you take an item of clothing off each second until ball reaches you, this stops the brain from debating wether or not to run away.
Editorial footnote footnote: Painter ran all his runs himself, for a change.
Editorial footnote footnote footnote: Fresh – if I run myself out to give you strike for the last remaining three balls – USE THEM!