After a quiet night acquiring some new club kit in Tottenham, the MCC made their way to Old Deer Park, home of Richmond cricket club, former stomping ground of Mr white line fever – Mark O’Meagher. The toss was negotiated by the captains with Richmond to bat first in a 40 over affair.
After a gentle pre-match lolly warm-up, the MCC took the field raring to go. Scott and Fudge opened up for the MCC, and Scott had two early wickets: one in the pink for Turner and another one in the buckets for Clare at slip. Unfortunately, after 9.1 overs the heavens opened, with the game evenly poised at 37/2. There was a forced break of several hours, which was spent watching football and county cricket, and enjoying the teas. Samosas. Eventually the weather cleared, and a T20 was agreed upon, with Richmond to start their innings anew in the absence of Herrn Duckworth & Lewis.
MOM opened up in the T20, and his former team-mate Harding-Smith dispatched him back over his head for 6 first ball. Needless to say MOM didn’t pitch any more up. Fudge, schnell aber wahnsinn, started at the other end with an 11 ball over and was promptly removed from the attack. It was quickly apparent that this was not a friendly against Tegernsee or Punjab, with Harding-Smith and first drop Roberts carting it everywhere, albeit helped by some generous MCC catching attempts. MOM had an early wicket caught behind, but Rabbani, van Dalsum and Turner’s mate mate Cameron Moore probably don’t want to see their bowling figures. Clare eventually bowled Roberts for 42 and picked up a second next over. Harding-Smith fell for 83 to Fudgy’s bowling in the last over, and Fudgy had a second next ball. Richmond finished 178/5 off their 20 overs.
MCC went out with the intention to go down swinging. Rabbani, MOM, and Turner all hit a couple of lusty blows, but couldn’t carry on, and MCC sank to 75/5 after 11 overs. Lovell and Clare then put on 74 for the sixth wicket in 8.2 overs, attacking the spinners. Clare was bowled in the last over, and Harry fell in the same manner next ball. van Dalsum kept his head, and hit a single off the penultimate delivery to give Lovell, on 47, the strike for the last ball. The two MCC veterans somehow managed to scarper a 3 off the last ball to bring up a well deserved half century for Lovell. MCC ended on 153/7 – 26 short.
Special thanks goes to Richmond for hosting us on a beautiful ground and making sure we did get a game despite the weather, and to MOM for lining up the fixture. Post-match involved a couple of quiet beers with both teams at the ground, followed by a chicken tikka masala or similar at the local curry house. The VC and Treasurer finished with a post-post-match/pre-flight night cap at Jim Belushi’s bar/hostel with the conversation coming to the conclusion that it had indeed been a quality tour.
40 over
Owens DNB
Turner DNB, 1 catch
Rabbani DNB
o’Meagher DNB
Fudge DNB, 4.1 overs, 0 mdns, 16 runs, 0 wkts
Lovell DNB
Clare DNB, 1 catch
Khanna DNB
van Dalsum DNB
Giles DNB
Scott DNB, 5 overs, 0 mdns, 19 runs, 2 wkts
T20
Owens 6, caught
Turner 10, bowled, 1 catch
Rabbani 20, bowled, 3 overs, 0 mdns, 33 runs, 0 wkts
o’Meagher 16, caught, 4 overs, 0 mdns, 24 runs, 1 wkt
Fudge 5, caught, 3 overs, 0 mdns, 30 runs, 2 wkts
Lovell 50*
Clare 23, bowled, 4 overs, 0 mdns, 28 runs, 2 wkts
Khanna 0, bowled
van Dalsum 1*, 4 overs, 0 mdns, 41 runs, 0 wkts, 1 catch
Giles DNB
Moore DNB, 2 overs, 0 mdns, 20 runs, 0 wkts
