On a day when meteorologists had generously predicted the weather would be “intermittently biblical,” Witham CC hosted their age-old rivals Braintree CC in a match sensibly reduced by the captains to 20 overs a side in the hope that a result would be achievable.
In fact, in a prediction that would embarrass even Michael Fish (ask your parents) no rain appeared, and a pleasant match of cricket took place under leaden skies.
Winning the toss Captain Calum MacLeod decided to have a bowl, having earlier happily predicted that he’d chosen a 20-20 format to give Johnston ‘licence’. However, first the bowling unit had to put in a shift. And what a shift it was.
The Braintree line up was young and inexperienced, but that was no problem. The experienced captain opened the bowling himself from one end, managing to present a buffet so delectable if it had been a cricket tea it would’ve included both home-made sausage rolls and pizzas.
He did however get himself amounts the wickets, having Harry Icely caught well by Jay Shah at mid wicket for 0, and he signed off with the ball of the day, a spitting bouncing ball going away that was too good for the batsmen to even get bat on, finishing with figures of 1-31 off 4 overs.
At the other end Lewis Walker-Everton took one look at his captain and leader’s contribution and decided he would do the opposite. He gave the opposition nothing, bowling tight lines and a brilliant length to rip through the line up. Constantly he beat the bat outside off stump, until the true carnage happened when he challenged the stumps. Time and again the batters had no answer, as he worked in tandem with the safe hands of Joe Chaplin to have 3 different batters caught by him, including one effort which required Chaplin to run back and take it over his shoulder.
The final wicket of the spell even fell to Johnston at wicket keeper, safely snaffling an inside edge onto thigh pad. Walker-Everton ended a day to remember for him with figures of 4-12 off 5 overs, a quite fantastic bowling performance.
The team had to juggle the bowling line up at that point, as sadly Thomas Mellon had injured himself whilst performing amazing acrobatics in the field, leaving Charlie Moore and Joe Chaplin to lower the bowling age even further. Moore immediately began by hooping the ball round corners, but when he controlled his lines causing trouble to the batters, and taking a very sharp caught and bowled off one of the more experienced batters for Witham, finishing with 1-28.
Chaplin, after showing his sticky hands in the field with 3 wickets then settled into his bowling rhythm, again keeping tight lines and pitching the ball up to tie up an end, putting pressure on the batters. He bowled a maiden in a 20-20 match, and got the Witham skipper and key wicket caught by the safe hands of Karl Parker at cover, finishing with figures of 1-14 off 5 overs.
Lyra MacLeod came on for her wonder moonballs, fully appreciated by Johnston behind the stumps, and immediately found a line to the batters which on another day would’ve picked up a couple of wickets. Bowling at the death to a set batter was never going to be easy, but she kept probing away and giving them nothing easy.
Eventually Witham were restricted to 117 in their 20 overs - a brilliant performance by the bowling unit supported by excellent ground fielding, and almost flawless catching.
It was decided a quick turnaround would be sensible with the weather, and Lockhart and Johnston padded up ready to go.
Someone once wrote ‘every step away from home makes the return even sweeter’ and for Johnston this was his first return in competitive cricket to Witham, where he learnt his cricketing trade, but stepped away 27 years ago to pursue a career as a professional diner/golfer/cricketer with a bit of law thrown in.
Now a Braintree stalwart, Johnston returned to the ground where his dreams began – and, gloriously, refused to get out. Not bowled, not caught, not even vaguely flustered. Like a man fueled by nostalgia and white chocolate cookies, he anchored the innings with quiet defiance, having kept wicket for 20 overs, only allowing 2 byes in that time.
They say that partnerships make cricket, and whilst Johnston started the innings so slowly that at one point the scorers assumed he was just padding up for someone else. His strike rate resembled dial-up internet, but with Lockhart at the other end it didn’t matter, as they put on 35 for the first wicket, Lockhart dispatching the ball regularly, before eventually being bowled for 31 out of that partnership.
The fall of the first wicket, with Braintree slightly behind the run rate brought Will Sherry to the crease, full of enthusiasm and being distinctly told by Johnston ‘you’re a better batter than me so just play your game and run when I shout’ By this time Johnston’s lesser spotted parents had also turned up – coats and thermos ready for a cricket match in early June. Suddenly, a man who had just spent 30 minutes prodding at full tosses sprang to life. Gone was the cautious nudger; in his place, a man possessed. A man determined to prove to his mother that he had not peaked in 1998.
After seeing off the opening bowlers both Sherry and Johnston played serenely, punishing the bad balls to the boundary, but running singles constantly, rotating the strike rate and putting the fielding team under constant pressure, inviting them in to stop the quick runs and then hitting the ball back over their heads.
Sherry kept finding the gaps, scoring 3 boundaries all over the field, whereas Johnston took a more ‘I’m not running at the moment’ approach with 7 boundaries.
Despite the near 30 year age difference between the 2, they kept pace with each other’s running throughout, and it was clear that a successful chase would be achieved. The pair put on an unbeaten stand of 83 to see Braintree home with 4 overs to spare, leaving Johnston the first batter of the season to carry his bat from start to finish with an unbeaten 40 and Sherry an adult career best of 33 not out.
All in all, a quintessential English cricket match: the constant threat of rain, the experienced and youth in random, two wicket keepers who’s combined age might have been 100 and should’ve known better – and absolutely wonderful.
Cricket was the winner. Johnston on his return to his first home ground was probably second.