Bedouins v Beacon at Wombourne – Wednesday, 5 August 2015

Bedouins lost by 6 wickets

The delightful Beacon CC ground at Wombourne has the Staffs Worcester Canal running alongside, close enough to ensure the disappearance there of a few cricket balls during a match; hence the very long-handled fishing net kept permanently at that end of the ground.  For those unaware of cricket balls’ propensities, they will float.

Last season, in the first meeting of Beacon with the Bedouins, balls were being hit for six into the “cut” with monotonous regularity – unfortunately most of them by the Beacon batsmen.  But not so this time.  When the Beds met the Beacon men in early August, the fishing net stayed mostly dry.  Bedouins skipper John Branch put the second ball of the match there, but there were only two sixes during the evening, one to each side, and neither of them into the drink.

Put in to bat, the Beds got off to a good start, with Branch adding two more boundaries before being bowled for 16, and Jon Stanier, hitting four fours and a six in his retirement 30.  John Howells (15) and Paul Lippitt (18 not out) then took the final score on to 99 for the loss of three wickets.

Beacon are able to field a team of more than capable cricketers, and a target of 100 in 20 overs was probably not quite enough to test them.  Although Lee Bywater and Spratters did an excellent job of keeping the opening batsmen quiet (a total of just 16 runs in the first six overs), the home side proved their batting ability by hitting the winning runs with just four wickets down and more than two overs to spare.  There was a wicket for Richard Spratley and one for Austin Gregory.  At the close Stanier finished up with the ridiculous figures of  0.3 overs, 2 for 3.

They’re a good bunch to play against at Beacon, and they have now become an established part of the Bedouins fixture list, both home and away.  They attend to the finer points of the game, by providing an excellent post-match buffet, although some of the more elderly gentlemen in the Beds ranks could do with a few more seats available in the pavilion after a gruelling 20 overs, no less, in the field!

Bedouins 99 for 3 (Stanier 30; Lippitt 18 not out; Branch 16; Howells 15)

Beacon 100 for 4 (Stanier 2 for 3; Spratley 1 for 17; Gregory 1 for 20)

Bedouins v Enville Over 40s at Enville – Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Enville won by 7 wickets

After the disappointment of “Oldbury Oh B .g..r” rainy Sunday, the Bedouins got back to action against “Enville Over 40s” – and probably wished they hadn’t, after one of their worst all-round displays in a long time.  It was just one of those nights!

Now, far be it from any true Bedouin to register any kind of complaint about the make-up of an opposition team; we’re happy to take on anything thrown at us.  But the Enville Over 40s appeared to contain a fair few “over 40s” who were suffering a nasty bout of nappy rash.  There were the odd few who lived up to the “over 40” age tag, including Fred Hodges and Ian Burn, who are both now probably even nudging the 50 mark.

It was the younger members of the team who featured in the early bowling, as the Bedouins began their innings.  Skipper JB “got a good one”, as they say, and was bowled for 11.  Lee Bywater seized the opportunity of an early spot in the batting line-up to reach the 30 retirement point, and he would have been joined by John Howells, who hit four juicy boundaries before being cruelly run out just one short of a retirement 30; wild horses won’t drag from this writer the name of the perpetrator, Lippo.

With the aforementioned Paul Lippitt making 22 not out, the Beds’ closing total was a respectable 111 for 2.

The Bedouins’ bowlers, who had been in such good form in recent matches and had made major contributions to a three-match winning sequence, all chose the same game to be off-colour.  Wides came thick and fast from a number of quarters, and the result was scarcely in doubt from quite early on.  Enville Over 40s won by seven wickets with a little more than three overs to spare.

The saving grace was that, once again, Bedouins enjoyed the opportunity of an evening in each other’s company – and the rain stayed away, just.  Plus, the post-match buffet was as good as always!

Bedouins 111 for 2 (Bywater 30 retired; Howells 29; Lippitt 22 not out)

Enville Over 40s 112 for 3 (Branch 1 for 4; Bywater 1 for 14)

Bedouins v Kinlet at Kinlet – Sunday, 12 July 2015

Bedouins won 4 wickets

In the grounds of the magnificent Moffats Boarding School at Kinlet, sheep safely graze in the field adjacent to the cricket ground.  It’s a field that doubles as a parking area for those fortunate enough to be engaged in cricket there.  Not privy to the ways of cricket crowds, the sheep are inclined to wander around behind the bowler’s arm, but there’s little that can be done about that.

However, when they get too close to the skipper’s car, in an attempt to get out of the fresh north-west wind that is inclined to blow across the ground, something has to be done.  And something was done to move them on when they came too close on a fine but windy Sunday afternoon in July.  It almost looked as if they had a “sheepish” grin on their faces as they moved on!

But enough of this somewhat wordy meandering.  Down to the game itself.

This was the day when the Bedouins showed what they are really capable of.  It was the most complete performance from a Bedouin team for ages.  To get tight, accurate bowling, sharp and incisive fielding, and well-paced batting all in one place at one time is unusual in the annals of Bedouins cricket.  But that’s what happened here.

As always, it was a pleasure to be spending time in the company of another team of cricketers who like to play the game the same way as the Beds.  Matches against Kinlet are always occasions to be relished.

Bedouins won the toss and, much to the chairman’s evident displeasure (what does he know, silly old fool?), chose to field first.  It turned out to be a good decision.  The Beds opening attack was on top form.  Krishna Balthu produced one of the best spells of hostile opening bowling that many of us could remember.  And at the other end, Spratters was in equally accurate mode.

In the first ten overs, the home side could muster only 24 for the loss of three wickets, all taken by Balthu and including two fine slip catches by John Branch, the second particularly memorable just inches above the ground, to remove a dangerous Kinlet batsman.  The knees may be going, skipper, but the reactions are still pretty sharp.

The remaining Bedouin bowlers all did well, with Lee Bywater the most successful (3 for 23), backed up by Adrian Susman (1 for 20) and Nick Slym (1 for 32).  The latter at last got his radar tuned in correctly, completing his last three overs without bowling one wide.  More of the same, please Nick!  Spratters, who had pulled up complaining of having strained a muscle that he never even knew he had, finished with 1 for 25.

Chasing a moderate 40-over total of 134 for 9, the Beds sent out a 110-year-old opening pair.  With plenty of time to get the runs, they could pace themselves, waiting for the occasional bad ball.  The scorebook shows how successfully they did this, with their opening stand of 76 being comprised totally of boundaries or singles.  Skipper JB made 41 and Jon Stanier 35.  They weren’t parted until the 18th over, and, after that, it was fairly plain sailing.

Krishna Balthu rounded off a good day with 21, including two sixes, and Jono Hill, making a welcome return to Bedouins colours, made it look as if he’d never been away, with a quick 15 that included a trademark six over extra cover off the back foot.  Tony Hancock (10 not out) and Adrian Susman (9 not out) hit the winning runs, with four boundaries between them, and the Beds won with a total of 138 for 6 and best part of 10 overs to spare.

Along the way, Kinlet majordomo (look it up, like I did) Francis Engleheart took the MCC Cricket Coaching Manual too literally – “when fielding, always keep your eye on the ball” – when stopping a Jono shot with his forehead.  It was a worrying moment, but he was up quite quickly and, although he trudged off to the dressing room, he thankfully put in an appearance later at the Eagle & Serpent, looking none the worse for wear  He it is the Beds thank for arranging another highly entertaining day at Kinlet.

Kinlet 134 for 9 (Balthu 3 for 20; Bywater 3 for 23; Spratley 1 for 25; Susman 1 for 20; Slym 1 for 32)

Bedouins 138 for 6 (Branch 41; Stanier 35; Balthu 21; Hill 15)

Bedouins v Pedmore House at Enville

Wednesday, 8 July 2015 – Bedouins win by 61 runs

“Austin’s Army”, otherwise Pedmore House, were comprehensively beaten by a resurgent Bedouins at Enville, the “home” side recording a 20-over total of 145 for 1, which can rarely have been beaten in Bedouins history.  After a stuttering start to the season, the Bedouins can now bask in the splendour of a winning streak of no less than two games.

Each of the Bedouins first five batsmen made decent scores.  Skipper John Branch got things going with 31 retired, which included five boundaries that removed the need for too much of that damned running between wickets.  The scorebook shows two run-twos but, with JB’s famed amble between wickets, that must surely have been an error on the scorer’s part.

Opening partner Jon Stanier has clearly not yet got the hang of all Beds rules.  Anticipating the application of the “mug with the jug” rule, he made sure that he got himself out one run short of 30.  Paul Lippitt was in belligerent mood, hitting his first two balls for four and retired with 30 not out, including a couple of trademark reverse shots.

Adrian Susman (22 not out) and Lee Bywater (14 not out) took the total on to 145 for 1.

Krishna Bulthu had a couple of early wickets in the Pedmore House reply, as the Bedouins continued with their unaccustomed habit of taking their catches.  Bedouin Ian Woodhouse, complete with dodgy knee, made an appearance for Pedmore House and weighted in with 31 retired, which was completed with two successive sixes.  However, the Bedouins total was always going to be challenging, and Pedmore House finally succumbed by 61 runs with a total of 84 for 6.

Best of the bowling came from Krishna Balthu with 2 for 11 and Josh Lemm, making a welcome return to duty, with a similar 2 for 11.

All of that just left the highlight of the evening to be completed.  The barbecue!  That was Austin Gregory’s most memorable contribution to a memorable evening.  Thanks, Austin.

Bedouins 145 for 1 (Branch 31 retired; Stanier 29; Lippitt 30 retired; Susman 22 not out; Bywater 14 not out)

Pedmore House 84 for 6 (Balthu 2 for 11; Lemm 2 for 11; Spratley 1 for 10; Branch 1 for 7)

Bedouins v Open GI at Enville – Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Bedouins won by 9 wickets

At about the half-way point in their 2015 season, the Bedouins can at last bask in the glow of what it feels like to win a game.

Erstwhile Beds playing member, Des Johnston, brought his Open GI team over from Worcester on the hottest evening of the year, and proceeded to receive a bit of a “roasting” from a home team that finally lived up to its potential.  Chasing a competitive total of 119 to win, the Beds lost only one wicket in getting there, with an over or so to spare.

A resounding win, all right, but “Nil DES-perandum, Des” (see what I did there?), there’s always next year.

Traffic problems in Kidderminster – so what’s new? – resulted in a late start on a sultry evening, with the light fading almost from the start, much to the consternation of the elderly gent in the scorebox, who was having some difficulty in telling his Lippo from his Spratters.  Open GI got off to a terrific start, with 50 on the board in the first six overs.  John Pearsall made his customary 30 retired, as did his fellow opener, and the Beds looked to be in for a tiresome evening.

Adrian Susman then got to work on a hard wicket that suited his variety of leg-spin.  A return of 4 for 9 in 4 overs told its own story.  Austin Gregory took two wickets and Jon Stanier 2 for 4 in one over, and there was a wicket apiece for Lee Bywater and Richard Spratley.

Two other points worth noting.  Firstly the Beds recorded a “nil” figure in the “wides” column, which definitely makes a change this season.  Secondly, catches were held – mostly!

Never noted for the extreme youthfulness of their team, the Beds new opening pair of John Howells and Jon Stanier set the record-hunters a-flutter, with a total age of somewhere around 120.  But they  showed that they knew their stuff, with each hitting the boundary rope half-a-dozen times.  Both reached the 30-run retirement point.  They were followed by Krishna Balthu with 30 not out and Lee Bywater 19 not out, as the Beds reached their target of 119 for just one wicket with the second ball of the final over.

The annual meeting with Open GI is the Beds’ longest standing fixture, now probably well past its 20th year.  The trophy now returns into the Beds’ hands, which will come as some relief to the trophy engraver in Bridgnorth, who had become used to putting the Bedouins name on the shield each year until the last two, in which h it had been in Open GI hands.  Welcome home, baby!

Open GI 118 all out (Susman 4 for 9; Gregory 2 for 18; Stanier 2 for 4; Spratley 1 for 20; Bywater 1 for 34)

Bedouins 119 for 1 (Howells 32 retired; Stanier 32 retired; Balthu 30 not out, Bywater 19 not out)

Bedouins v Beacon at Enville – Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Bedouins lost by 19 runs

The Bedouins continued with their losing streak as they went down to an unexpectedly narrow 19-run defeat by an accomplished Beacon XI.  The opposition put out a team of actual cricketers against the home side, which seemed a trifle unfair, but all was conducted in a generally jovial Bedouin atmosphere.

The early signs were not promising, as Beacon cruised to 35 without loss in just three overs.  But the Beds managed to slow them down a bit, restricting them to just 26 runs in the next seven overs.  Two batsmen reached the 30 retirement point, and some later hard hitting produced an impressive 20-over total of 131 for 6.

Five of the Beds bowlers took one wicket apiece – Bywater, Susman, Gregory, Lippitt and Branch – and a couple of stumpings by John Howells saw the years roll away.

At 5 for 2, the Bedouins’ score after three overs hardly matched up to the Beacon three-over total!    Fortunately the home team’s guest player for the evening, Alex Rowbottom (another of Austin’s army of mates) proved a more than useful addition.  He reached 30, including four fours and a six, but had to retire all too soon.  Neil Smith and Austin Gregory both made 13, but the star of the late late show was Tony Hancock with a hard-hit 23 that included one six and an extra-cover drive for four that fairly fizzed to the boundary.

When Hancock was bowled, Alex Rowbottom returned to the wicket but scarcely had he got started again than his partner was run out at the other end, leaving the Bedouins just 19 runs short at 112 for 9.

Unfortunately the Bedouins injury list continues to lengthen.  Ross Morgan couldn’t bat, still suffering from the bruise caused by his acrobatic c&b in the game the previous Sunday, where his dive had measured 6.4 on the Richter scale.  And Spratters was gone in the fetlock, but still managed to turn up for the evening to give the team some support – nice one.

Where’s that first win of the season coming from?  Well, the Beds’ next game is on July 1st against Open GI, so our good friend Des Johnston and his “lads” had better watch out!

Beacon 131 for 6

Bedouins 112 for 9 (Rowbottom 31, Hancock 23, Smith 13, Gregory 13)

Bedouins v Fossils at Enville

Sunday, 14 June 2015 – Bedouins lost by one wicket

The Bedouins welcomed Fossils CC to Enville for the first time, on a reasonably fine Sunday afternoon – a welcome change from the Armageddon-style rain of the previous day that had washed out all cricket throughout the UK.  And before anything else, let’s get the final few minutes out of the way.  They are worth recording in detail:-

Final over arrives with Fossils needing three runs to win, with two wickets in hand (Adrian Susman bowling from the pavilion end)

1st ball – number 10 batsman clean-bowled

2nd ball – number 11 (head Fossil John Reynolds) blocks

3rd ball – number 11 blocks

4th ball – number 11 hits through close-set field, takes two runs and tumbles over turning for the third to win the game.  Beds do the decent thing and help him to his feet instead of running him out

5th ball — number 11 hits the winning single

So, a win for the Fossils by one wicket with one ball to spare, after chasing a fairly moderate Bedouins target of 130 off 35 overs to win.

But that tells only part of the story.  The Fossils scored just 92 runs in total in their 35 overs.  The remaining 38 came from extras and included no less than 28 wides.  Clearly the Bedouins have not yet got used to bowling at three stumps rather than a couple of beer crates.

Having agreed a 35-over format with the opposition skipper, the Beds batted first and got away to what is becoming their customary fairly slow start, producing only 21 runs in the first eight overs for the loss of two wickets.  They included the skipper who scarcely had time to recover from the shock of running a “two” from the fourth ball of the first over before playing on for 10.

Adrian Susman and Lee Bywater got things moving a bit, but the latter managed to sort out deep mid-on nicely to be caught after hitting two boundaries.  That brought Pankaj Mishra to the wicket, and some urgency was brought to the innings.  He and Ade put on 45, before Pankaj was bowled for 31.  Susman then took control and eased his way towards the 50 retirement point.  But someone hadn’t told him that getting there would not necessarily result in having to buy drinks all round, and he went for a big yahoo, only to be bowled for 49.

With a beefy 13 not out from Ross Morgan, the Beds managed to get the score up to 129 for 7 at the close.

The cunning plan to cripple the Fossils with delicious cakes during the interval was only partially successful, with four of the first five batsmen getting to double figures.  Lee Bywater got rid of their capable opening batsman for 16, Tony Hancock discovering that the secret of a good catch is to take the ball in the hands and not, as the previous time, with his chin.  Adrian Susman completed a good day by taking 3 for 17 in his seven overs, and the Welsh wizard, Gareth Callow (he of the Strictly Come Dancing run-up) reeled off seven superb overs taking 3 for 15.

But it was those damned wides that really did for the Beds this time, and the result was the thrilling, but ultimately fruitless, finish described above.

Bedouins 129 for 7 (Susman 49; Mishra 31; Morgan 13 not out)

Fossils 130 for 9 (Callow 3 for 15; Susman 3 for 17)

Bedouins v Chancers at Enville – Wednesday, 3 June 2015

Bedouins lost by two wickets

The Bedouins made a welcome return to active service – or at least what passed for “active” – with an ultimately close encounter with the Chancers, the home side losing by a couple of wickets with an over or two to go.

With fewer players having arrived by 6.30, the Bedouins agreed with the Chancers that the home team should bat first, to get the game under way.  That gave the visitors first use of the new ball, and they had the bowlers to take advantage of that, tying down the experienced Bedouins opening pair of John Branch and Jon Stanier, to the extent that the ten-over total of runs was no more than 20.

With JB out for 16, a clatter of wickets brought Lee Bywater and Neil Smith to the crease, and these two accelerated the scoring rate, enabling the Beds to post a final total of 90 for 4, with Bywater 27 not out and Smith 15 not out.

The opposition made a more determined start to their reply, with the top three batsmen all reaching double figures.  Then five wickets fell in the seventies, as that man Bywater weighed in with 3 for 20 and Stanier included two maiden overs in his 3 for 11.

But the home side’s slow batting start, added to the rash of dropped catches and a couple of Bedouin bowlers finding that they had, after all, got muscles that it was possible to pull, proved too much of a handicap as the Chancers reached a winning 91 for 8 at the end of the 18th over.

However, the good news was that, for much of the evening, the sun shone.  Plus there was a generous helping of good humour.  Plus Mrs Skipper did a first=class job as stand-in caterer, as the usual incumbent relaxed in the Spanish sunshine.

Bedouins 90 for 4 (Bywater 27 not out;  Smith 15 not out; Branch 16)

Chancers 91 for 8 (Bywater 3 for 20; Stanier 3 for 11)

Bedouins v Kinlet at Enville – Wednesday, 29 April 2015

Match abandoned

The Bedouins’ 2015 season got off to shaky start – you can say that again! – at Enville on April 29th, with a rain-affected draw with our good friends from Kinlet.

There was a bit of a key crisis.  We managed to gain access to the pavilion OK and to dis-arm the alarm system.  But where were the keys for the dressing rooms?  Spratters knew – except they weren’t there.  And a multitude of panic phone calls later, we still did not have any access to the dressing rooms.

Finally all changing was done in the pavilion itself, so that we could get the game under way while there was still some light left.  Except that we now had no stumps – they were locked away in the dressing rooms.  So, probably for the first time in its illustrious career, the Enville ground had to suffer the indignity of beer crates stacked at either end of the wicket to represent the missing stumps.

The Kinlet lads – God bless ’em – accepted it all in good humour (there was a bit of “Middle-ish, please, umpire” when taking guard), and the game finally got started at around 6.40, with the Beds complying with the Kinlet request for the two-overs-per-bowler rule to be applied.  The Beds took the field with two new “boys” making their first appearance – Ross Morgan and Nick Slym – and one “almost new boy” in Jon Stanier.  Stand-in keeper was Pankaj Mishra, who gave plenty of reason to suppose that it wasn’t the first time he’d done the job.

Best of the bowling came from skipper-of-vice Mike George, who gave away only 6 runs from his two eight-ball overs and took one wicket, clean-bowling the Kinlet opener, with an immediate call from Lee Bywater in the outfield of “Crate bowling, Georgie”   Ross Morgan also did well in his one over – 1 for 6.  The other wicket to fall to a bowler went to Krishna Balthu – 1 for 9.

Kinlet finished on 99 for 4 – a target which look gettable for what appeared a strong Bedouins batting line-up.  Pankaj Mishra went quickly in the chase for runs, and Paul Lippitt followed for 11, just as the famous “Lippitt dab” seemed to be getting going.  It was left to Jon Stanier to show his undoubted class with 24 not out, but just as it was getting interesting, the rain came down, with the Beds on 39 for 2 in seven overs.

A premature end to a memorable evening.  The cricket was good (Beds’ fielding outstanding), the opposition were as friendly as usual, the post-match buffet was terrific, but unfortunately the weather wasn’t “crate”.

Kinlet 99 for 4 (George 1 for 6; Morgan 1 for 6; Balthu 1 for 9)

Bedouins 39 for 2 (Stanier 24 not out)