Team for the day: Dave LLLL, Joy, Hans, Amol, Flo, Dan, Ritwik, Vishv, Keshav, Sameer, Nishant
A classic top versus bottom, David versus Goliath, England versus Australia or TSVGCC versus MCC 2s.
The 4 cars trundled off down the A8 towards Augsburg leaving the thunder and lightning behind hoping for a dry day on the field. Upon arrival, the usual set up of the ground was taking place, boards being carried out and a coconut mat with more holes than Swiss cheese. All seemed to be in order when 11 players arrived, 11 or so oppo players and finally the umpire, having travelled from Tegernsee (or at least that’s the club he is affiliated with). As is standard, and I believe a requirement of German cricket, the running track on the pitch. Today, we would be playing in the middle of it, giving rather short boundary on leg and off side and long infront and behind the wicket. Grass the perfect length to play football on, meant arial shots were to get the runs.
Captain LLLL continued his run of form by winning the toss and sending the oppo into bat. Much to their
dislike, as they wanted to field first and improve their Net Run Rate.
To start the game, Keshav with the 1 st over. 2 nd ball of the day went up and down, the unfortunate pair of hands underneath, were Vish, whilst unlucky not to take the catch, it set the tone of how they were to bat. Vishs’ time would come. Up next, with his first over, Ritwik, an LBW on the 6 th ball and his 2 nd wicket in the 7 th over. A shell shocked TSVGCC were 12-2. Vish was brought into the attack in the 7 th over and he struck with Flo taking yet another catch on the leg side, with the oppo looking to go over the top. It took until the 11 th over for the next wicket to fall, Vish doing a ‘Rahul Singh’ and only catching off his own bowling. And what a catch it was, struck hard and Vish out stretches his left hand down low, and it stuck right in there. He ran off like a footballer having scored the winner at Wembley. Well deserved. Ritwik then knocked the stumps over and the oppo 37-5 after 12. Vish was to get involved yet again and stuck with a run out in the 18 th over off of Joys bowling. Nishant in on the action, what can only be described as classic cricket, well bowled outside off stump, the batsmen edges to the keeper (Sameer) who takes a regulation catch. Not out of place in the Oval. All round good cricket. In the 22 nd over, Joy dismissed their tall batsman LBW for a duck, 72-8. Scenes of disgust, the batsman declaring he hit it, their entire team coming onto the pitch to remonstrate with the umpire, shouting at him (in Pashto) with none of us understanding. If I was asked to translate, I suspect it would have been ‘oh dear boy, I fear you got that incorrect, it did not hit pad, but in fact, the toe end of the bat, I do hope that you see you made a mistake and will of course, overturn your decision’. Alas, off he trotted, having not got his way. Nishant then got his 2 nd of the day, 72-9. Unfortunate scenes in the next over, as Nishant was chasing down a high ball, hoping for a catch and ran into the water pipe and apparatus on the pitch, which tripped him up and landed badly, this resulted in a long down time in which Nishant was treated by paramedics and a doctor and whisked off to hospital. We all wish him well and a speedy recovery. The innings came to a close with Sameer taking a stumping off of Vishs bowling. Not often you hear it that way round. All round great performance in the field. Keshav unlucky to not be one of the wicket takers. Target of 109 to win.
Until Amol got to 2 not out, the scorecard looked like binary code 1,1,0,1,1,0. At one point we were 12-5,
Amol and Extras (the only 2 to hit double figures) to the rescue and we made it to 47-10. Amol top scoring with 17. The duck race continues to produce new entrants and those that are disappointed to be left behind, gaining places All in all, we are unlikely to play these guys again as they will be promoted and us not. Too bad.
Next up, Würmtal away on Sunday. What on earth could this bring?
Over and Out. LLLL
