Bedouins v Beacon at Wombourne, July 25th

Bedouins won by 1 run

Yippee! A win. OK, only by 1 run, but a win nonetheless. Matches between the Bedouins and Beacon have a habit of producing close finishes. And they don’t come much closer than this one. The late-season fixture meant a number of late changes owing to holiday commitments, and those drafted in helped towards a good all-round performance from the Bedouins.

The Wombourne wicket was looking flat and hard, and stand-in skipper John Howells seemed pretty pleased to have first use of it. Paul Lippitt and J.J. Smith (son of Neill and no mean cricketing talent – breed ’em well in the Smith household) opened the batting, and the latter was soon hitting boundaries to all corners. He retired in the 7th over, having hit six boundaries in his 31. Lippo went on to a well constructed 30 before also retiring.

Jono Howells (son of) had four boundaries in his 18, while the old man made 19 not out. Adrian Susman was again in good form, hitting 26, including one huge six. But, for many, star of the show was Tony Hancock, who not only hit a superb cover boundary first ball, but went on to smite his first ever six, straight into the canal. In the last over, Austin Gregory just got in, to face two balls and hit the final one for a boundary, which was to prove vital later on.

The result of all this was a Bedouins total of 150 for 5.

As usual at Wombourne, a good crowd of Beacon members had turned up to cheer the home side on, and batsmen came and went and all displayed sound batting technique. However, the 30 retirement point restrained one or two who looked pretty expert (surely not one or two first team players?), and some good Beds fielding contributed too.

Only two wickets were taken – one each for Jon Stanier and Adrian Susman – but the lively fielding restricted the scoring, and the final over arrived with Beacon needing just nine runs for victory. Occasional Bedouin Mick Robertson was bowling, and his accuracy proved vital, as the batsmen were restricted to just seven runs, giving the Bedouins a one-run victory.

Another good encounter with Beacon, and this time it was the Beds who came out on top. A welcome win in a season dominated by mostly narrow defeats.

Bedouins 150 for 5 (Lippitt 30, J. Smith 31, Susman 26, John Howells 19 not out, Jono Howells 18, Hancock 13)

Beacon 149 for 2 (Stanier 1 for 29, Susman 1 for 38)

Bedouins v Celebs at Enville, July 1^st

Bedouins lost by 7 wickets

Phew – what a scorcher! After many months in the planning, the only plan that could not be guaranteed was the weather. For once, the weather gods smiled, and the day was sun-drenched for this special celebratory match between the Beds and the Insurance Celebs XI. Mr Chairman had a broad grin on his face throughout the day, as he relished his 24-hour release from the confines of the score box, giving him the chance to celebrate his 80^th birthday and mingle. And mingle he did!

Not only that, but it was also a game he couldn’t lose. As well as being chairman of the Bedouins, he is president of the Celebs, so a win either way could result in a jolly “Well done, my lads” from him.

The fact is that the Bedouins came up against a team that contained no fewer than three sons of Celebs, who not only brought the average crashing down, but also ensured them a decent bit of bowling and a pretty good bit of batting too.

The Bedouins welcomed back skipper JB after a somewhat lengthy lay-off with a damaged fetlock. His movement between the wickets may still not have been the sharpest, but he showed no loss of batting technique in hitting 43 before retiring and walking – very slowly – from the field, having registered a labour-saving nine boundaries in his innings (83.7%).

Fellow opener Andy Hill, himself no stranger to the physio’s ministrations, also favoured boundaries to singles and hit four of them in his 17 runs before being bowled. He was followed by John Howells, who displayed his customary mix of immaculate forward defensive with some silky drives in hitting 33.

After a couple of quick wickets, it was left to Paul Lippitt (24 not out) and Lee Bywater (15 not out) to put on around 40 runs, to take the total to a competitive 182 for 5, the match having been reduced to 30-overs-a-side, owing to the tropical heat.

The Celebs team contained a few younger members, who were largely instrumental in the visitors reaching a winning total for the loss of just three wickets. Young Ben Oakley showed his dad the way with a patient 42 retired, having opened the batting. The fireworks came from Ryan Thorpe (another “son of … “), whose physique gave a hint of what was to come; he retired on 42, having hit seven boundaries and a six.

Among the bowlers, there were two wickets for Mike George and one for Adrian Susman. David Pearson made one of his very welcome trips from “oop north” to complete five overs (4.5 overs more than he completed last year, when he “went in the leg” after one ball).

The Celebs made 185 for 3, to complete a seven-wicket win.

Chairman’s Note: My thanks to all those who took part and who came to watch and engage in a fair bit of “Do you remember when … ?” The “girls” did a wonderful job of catering for the hordes, and Sam was kept beavering away behind the bar. At the end of play the Beds made a presentation to the elderly gent – a superb cartoon-type portrait by Geoff Tristram – and he went home as happy as Larry. Great day!

Bedouins 182 for 5 (Branch 43, Howells 33, Lippitt 24 not out, A. Hill 17, Bywater 15 not out)

Celebs 185 for 3 (George 2 for 30, Susman 1 for 29)

Bedouins v Oldswinford at Oldswinford, June 13^th

Bedouins won by 14 runs

It’s known as “London Bus Syndrome” – you wait for ages for one to come, and then two come along together. So it is with the Bedouins. Having waited all season for a win, two come in rapid succession. Joy was unconfined (did you know that Joy had been in confinement, by the way?). The chairman permitted himself a full-strength (no less) glass of Coke, while the skipper permitted himself a second plate of chicken curry (it’s that London Bus Syndrome again).

All this by way of preamble to the fact that the Bedouins beat Oldswinford on their ground by 14 runs, just a few days after the first success of the season, against Kinlet. This time it was the batsmen who set up the victory, and particularly the opening pair of Paul Lippitt and John Howells, who put on 51 fairly rapid runs for the first wicket

John Howells led the way with 31 retired, including a number of classy boundaries, and was even seen to scamper a couple of quick singles. Looks like he may have been on the red meat again – better be careful, John, look what it did to “Beefy” Mike George! Lippo added 18 before falling c&b, and the Beds were on the way.

Numbers three, four and five failed to contribute much, so it was left to Neill Smith (22 not out) and Lee Bywater (20) to add 44 runs for the fifth wicket, taking the Bedouins’ final total on to a reasonable 117 for 5. However, it was a good Oldswinford wicket, so nothing was yet decided.

The Bedouins’ regular opening pair of bowlers were again in good form, particularly the effervescent (don’t remember him when he effer vasn’t) Mike George, who completed his four overs for just 11 runs. Lee Bywater was accurate too, his two spells of four overs in all costing 23 runs.

Jon Stanier took particular delight in securing two wickets against his “other” club; Adrian Susman had a wicket with first ball and went on to 1 for13 in four tidy overs; and our guest for the evening, Matt Watts, had 2 for 22.

There were a couple of spilled chances in the field, but both would have been pretty good efforts if they had been taken. Tony Hancock made up lots of ground to get close to a catch in the deep field, failing by inches to make it. Mejdi Mabrouk found himself under a skied off-drive and again almost completed the catch before taking a hefty tumble that left him bruised and battered.

However, man-of-the-match honours went to John Howells, who followed up his good batting from with a terrific display behind the stumps that resulted in three stumpings.

A good evening all round, against friendly but competitive hosts, and on a superb wicket, was rounded off with a welcome chicken curry in the pavilion. The names of those who went back for seconds have been noted and will probably be used against them at a later date.

Now can we keep up the winning run? We’ll see what the Celebs have in store for us on Chairman’s Day, July 1^st.

Bedouins 117 for 5 (Howells 32; Smith 22 not out; Bywater 20; Lippitt 18)

Oldswinford 103 for 5 (Stanier 2 for 21; Watts 2 for 22; Susman 1 for 13)

Bedouins v Kinlet, June 10^th

Bedouins won by three wickets

On a fine June Sunday afternoon, when the Scots were beating the English (good grief!) in a 50-over international at Edinburgh, an even more sensational result was emerging from Enville. The Bedouins, who had been on as long a losing run as most historians could remember, were beating their good friends from Kinlet to register their first win of the 2018 season. But, heavens above, it was tough going and a bit like pulling teeth at the end.

From the scorebox could be heard the sound of teeth gnashing, and paramedics were already on standby, just in case the old codger’s dicky ticker went on the blink. Chasing a less than formidable total of 96 to record their first win of the season, they were at a reasonable 33 for 2 after 9 overs. But they then rapidly subsided to 58 for 7 in the 20^th over, by which time the alarm bells were ringing ever louder.

It was Adrian Susman (10 not out) and his mate, playing for the first time for the Beds, Phil Pountney (23 not out) who got together and, with no pressure from the overs count, they nudged and nurdled the home side to a win in the 31^st over. Jollification all round; church bells were rung; the Red Arrows swooped low over the ground; and Phil the Fan waved a banner or three.

Unusually for the Beds these days, it was bowlers and fielders who laid the foundations for the win with a solid display. Mike George – some call him the “evergreen”, but he looks more “ever white” to me – had probably his best ever spell in Bedouin colours, taking 4 for 18 in 8 very tidy overs. He was backed up by skipper Lee Bywater at the other end, who completed his first 7 overs for a total of 7 runs, before being clouted in his eighth and final over.

Along the way, there were four excellent catches (none dropped!), including a spectacular caught and bowled for Phil Pountney and a running over-the-shoulder job from Paul Lippitt. There was also a tidy spell of 4 overs for just 9 runs from Will Howells, and two wickets each for Pountney and Susman.

Amidst the carnage of some parts of the Bedouins’ innings, there was a typical hit-and-miss

22-run effort from Kiwi Keith Dawson, making a welcome return to Bedouin ranks.

All in all, then, a satisfactory afternoon for the Bedouins. The rest of the season will now, no doubt, produce as long a winning run as the losing run that has just ended – or will it??

Kinlet 95 (George 4 for 18; Pountney 2 for 11; Susman 2 for 21; Hill 1 for 0)

Bedouins 96 for 7 (Dawson 22; Pountney 23 not out; Susman 10 not out)

Bedouins v Austin’s Army at Enville, June 6^th

Bedouins lost by 36 runs

“Dear God. Will it never end?”, they cry. The “it” in this context is the Bedouins’ losing run – now five out of five, following a 36-run defeat by Austin’s Army. The length of the losing run is being compared, in some quarters, to the length of the Baggies’ losing run in this season’s Premier Division, and by others to the anticipated winning run of the mighty Bees in next season’s Championship. But are we concerned? “You bet your sweet bippy we are” (Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in, 1970). Are we down-hearted? Definitely not. That’s not even in the Beds’ vocabulary. We’d just like a win sometime.

This was an Austin’s Army without Austin. You can tell how he thought the game would go from the fact that he put out a team of cricketers (I ask you), then took leave of absence, to avoid the accusing looks from Bedouin team members. No doubt he was off to do something important, like addressing the annual convention of the West Mids fish fryers’ association – not much point really, because they’re all hard of “herring”!

Sorry, hysteria is creeping in, due to the constant defeats.

The story of the game was that the Beds skipper, Lee Bywater, having lost previously by batting first, changed procedure and opted to bowl first. Good thinking, Lee, except that it didn’t change a thing. Austin’s Army had two batsmen who reached the 30-run retirement point and a third who hit hard for 24.

The bowling attack started well, with just 12 runs and one wicket coming in the first four overs, thanks to the efforts of the skipper and Mike George, the latter taking the first wicket to fall, caught behind by John Howells. But it was a bit of a false dawn. Things started to go downhill, and the ball started to go down, just as the fielders were trying to get hold of it. Three fairly straightforward catches went down, and the Beds fielding all round could be reasonably described as “patchy”.

Jon Stanier had the unusual distinction – if that is the right word – of having a catch taken off a no-ball. It was a terrific effort by Jono Hill, who dived forward to scoop the ball up, but it was ruled not out by the umpire’s no-ball call. Next ball the same batsman put up another catch to Jono – a relatively easy one – which he dropped. Such is life!

With a wicket each to George, Lippitt, Stanier and Bate, the visitors’ total was 130 for 4.

A total of 6 for 1 after 4 overs was not the kind of start the Beds wanted. However, John Howells went on to hit some classy boundaries before retiring on 31, while Jon Stanier did his best to keep things ticking over, against tight bowling. Jono Hill made a welcome return to form with 22 not out, including four juicy boundaries, but the Beds were finally well short of the required runs at 94 for 5.

Austin’s Army 130 for 4 (George 1 for 34, Lippitt 1 for 24, Stanier 1 for 22, Bate 1 for 16)

Bedouins 94 for 5 (Howells 31, Hill 22 not out, Stanier 15)

Bedouins v Belbroughton Strollers at Belbroughton, May 30^th

Bedouins lost by 7 wickets

Picture the scene. A perfect, pastoral English summer evening. The sun shining from an azure sky; maidens frolicking in the newly mown fields; birds twittering in the trees; all that sort of thing.

Except it didn’t quite happen that way for the Beds’ first ever visit to the picturesque Belbroughton ground on a late May evening. The sun wasn’t shining; in fact it was bleedin’ grey, misty, murky and drizzly (the Scots have a word for it – “dreich”). And although there were maidens about, they were the kind that are being increasingly bowled at the Bedouins batsmen. And the birds weren’t in the trees; they were crashing into them because they couldn’t see them in the dark. And we lost – AGAIN!

In spite of all that, there was a warm welcome from the Belbroughton team to their ground, which embodies all that is fine about the English country cricket setting. The gate to the ground was “wide” open. But more of that later.

As time goes by, the early promise of headaches for the selectors (AKA Adrian) in terms of having to leave people out and rotate selection from the plethora of those available, has dissipated. Early season injuries have taken their toll – could over-training be to blame? Nah! So we are back to drafting in the odd guest here and there. Some of them are not that “odd”, like Kevin Potter (another off the production line of Stanier mates), who turned out for us and made an instant hit with his accurate bowling. Then, of course, there’s Josh Lemm, who has been appearing as a last-minute sub so often that he is just about regarded as a regular Bedouin – but none the less welcome for that.

This has been a somewhat lengthy introductory section to a report which must, alas, come to the point, We lost – AGAIN! That’s four out of four now. Surely we couldn’t be heading for some kind of Bedouin record, could we?

With constant drizzle, the game got off a bit late, so became based on 15 eight-ball overs, with wides being recorded as two runs, but no extra ball being bowled. That had a degree of significance later, as will be revealed. Beds batted first and had yet another new opening pair. Neill Smith and Paul Lippitt did a good job against tight bowling, but were finding it difficult to get the ball away. It has to be said that the Strollers bowled well and fielded excellently throughout the innings.

Lippo was first out, stumped (the first of three) for 13, and Smithy followed soon after for 6. Jon Stanier top-scored with 22 and Adrian Susman was just getting going, having hit a six (the only one of the match) over mid-wicket, before being stumped. The Beds’ final score of 75 for 7 was probably about ten runs short of being competitive in the conditions.

Both Belbroughton openers reached the 30-run retirement point, which more or less decided the game. However, the Beds fought back and took three quick wickets, two to Josh Lemm and one to Mike George with a rapid bit of fielding to run a batsman out. With the last over to be bowled, the Strollers needed four runs to win. Skipper Lee Bywater took on the responsibility of bowling that over and all was going fairly well, with the score only having reached 74 for 3 with two balls to go.

Then what had been a friendly but competitive game of cricket lost a bit of its shine, as the home umpire called the penultimate ball a wide, giving the Strollers a win with one ball to spare. A pity that such an agreeable game should end that way. As the colonel of the regiment – that lovable old rogue with the shiny boots, slicked back hair and bristling moustache – would say “Hrrumph!”

Bedouins 75 for 7 (Stanier 22, Susman 15, Lippitt 13)

Belbroughton Strollers 76 for 3 (Lemm 2 for 11)

Bedouins v Oldswinford at Enville, May 9^th

Bedouins lost by 8 wickets

There’s poor light. And there’s bad light. And then there’s the Stygian gloom in which most of the Bedouins’ opening game of the season – against Oldswinford, at Enville – was played. You can tell how dark it was – the scorer had to call out from the scorebox to enquire the name of the incoming batsman, only to be told that it was his son!

Following a Bank Holiday weekend of glorious, sunny weather, it was sod’s law that all would go downhill by the time Wednesday evening arrived. And that’s the way it was. But at least, the game was completed (some of it in rain), even though the result was not a good one for the Beds – defeat by 8 wickets.

It all started so well. Bedouins batted first, and the skipper had clearly been on the red meat again. After three boundaries in the opening over, JB completed his first 20 runs without actually having to move from the crease, as he found the middle of his bat with regularity. At the other end, Ian Woodhouse took some time to find his touch, but finally weighted in with a couple of trademark Woodey sixes, before being bowled for 25. Meantime, John Branch was also bowled, for 24.

The tempo slowed in the middle overs of the Bedouins innings, while three more wickets went down. Then Adrian Susman (16 not out) and Lee Bywater (18 not out) took the total on to 101 for 5. Along the way, big Lee near-as-dammit decapitated his partner, with one particularly powerful straight hit for four.

The home team’s total was always likely to be a bit short of par, and so it turned out. Oldswinford made a solid start against the pace of Bywater and the guile of the evergreen Mike George – the latter returning the impressive figues of 1 for 15 in his four overs. The only other wicket fell to Ross Morgan, who, it has to be said, bowled a “variable” length, but still made a welcome injury-free return to Bedouin ranks.

Jono Hill had the dubious privilege of having a bowling return of 0.1 overs, for two runs, as the skipper displayed a somewhat surreal sense of humour by bringing him on to bowl with just two runs needed for victory.

Oldswinford thus won the game by eight wickets, with almost four overs to spare. At the wicket at the close was the Beds’ own Jon Stanier, who had transferred himself to his “other” team to make up for late withdrawals. It remains to be seen whether his application to return to the Bedouin ranks will be accepted any time soon!

Bedouins 101 for 5 (Woodhouse 25, Branch 24, Bywater 18 not out, Susman 16 not out)

Oldswinford 102 for 2 (George 1 for 15, Morgan 1 for 28)