Sometimes Cricket returns to it’s roots and a good day can be had by all no matter the result with some simple requirements:
1. A TEA. AN ACTUAL TEA being provided in Division 9 (rest of the league take note - it isn’t difficult, and as of writing nobody has come down with Covid/other infectious diseases that teams use as excuses
2. The opposition, despite playing at home, having to apologise for a couple of players being late as they had to be directed to the right ground
3. A pitch that never made you feel like you were in
4. An unaccompanied child being left to themselves whilst their dad took to the field and assumed that someone would take care of them
Braintree 3’s made their longest trek of the season to IPSCOL to be greeted by a friendly opposition, our 1’s playing on the pitch across the car park, and in good spirits after the last result.
Captain Calum won the toss yet again - the lifelong unluckiness of being both a Newcastle and Scotland fan are helping with the call on the coin this year. Electing to bat to put a score on the board, he sent the veteran duo of Lockhart and Johnston to the crease, another year added to the clubs oldest opening partnership with Johnston’s birthday the day before.
Despite the age now being closer to 110 than 100, the openers once again showed the youngsters and those with less timber how to run on a very challenging pitch - taking singles wherever possible as the opposition started defensively with 2 boundary riders from the off. It was a difficult pitch - show by the fact that, in just 1 over, Johnston played 4. Yes 4. Defensive straight shots down the ground.
Of course there was also the entertainment of a Johnston innings - 2 snicks behind waved away by the wicket keeper, and 2 cover drives dropped by the same player, to an earful of abuse. Not from his own team, no, they were lovely. Instead by his 9 year old son on the boundary. ‘Dad you’re meant to catch it’ and ‘Dad why did you drop that’ were some snippets of the innocence of youth.
Eventually Lockhart fell, trying to push the run rate, and captain Calum, fresh from his innings or lack thereof the week before came to the crease. Unfortunately his patented flick off the legs didn’t help as the opposition set a field for him, and he soon found that it was a challenge to bat. Johnston decided that he’d had enough of a strike rate of 50, and it simply wasn’t cricket, so hit out, and was eventually caught by the same fielder he’d teased so often before with chances. They’ll soon be writing ‘caught long on’ on his headstone if this season continues, but in the spirit the game was played in (and to the confusion of the 1’s watching from the other pitch, Johnston went and shook the hand of the fielder).
The final experienced batter in the form of Jeremy Hollingsworth came to the crease, but again, he found it a pig of a pitch with uneven bounce and accurate bowling.
Jay Singh-Shera, promoted up the order, came out to bat, as much for a break from his new best friend/childminding duties he’d made on the boundary. Unfortunately, he was soon to return, running a suicidal single with Archie Payne having learnt from the last week debacle and keeping away from the danger end.
Lucas Hale came fresh from his maiden 50, and, despite not hanging around too long, began to get the measure of the pitch, and played the technical shot of the day, a lovely cover drive all along the ground racing to the boundary - the first boundary Braintree had hit in 9 overs as they struggled on the pitch.
With his wicket, Riley Payne came out to play, having woken this morning and chosen violence. After comparing the Payne’s to the chuckle brothers last week, this week they went full Waugh brothers (ask your parents). Archie had sent one ball so far into the air the local pigeons took cover. Having been dropped he then took about smacking anything that he could, with Riley making him run constantly. Whilst last week the car journey home might have been a quiet one because of the run out, this week would probably be quiet because of the tiredness. The brothers smashed anything everywhere, with Riley particularly strong off his legs, taking Braintree from 92-6 to 186-6. Archie no doubt will hear ‘run the first one hard’ from his brother in his sleep for weeks to come.
But that’s what 3’s cricket is. It’s the fun, it’s 2 guys who before last summer had never picked up a cricket bat coming together, looking at the old goats struggling to bat and just going for it. Archie brought up his maiden 50 and it was a wonderful thing for all to see.
Cometh the hour, cometh the tea. And what a tea. Sandwiches going a bit crusty round the edges, pizza that looked like it had seen better days, lovely sausage rolls and a chocolate roll cake that fuelled Braintree for the second innings.
Once again a veteran opening pair took the new ball, with all the bowlers fully aware that the bowling might be chopped and changed if things weren’t working, and with the looming possibility of Johnston getting to turn his arm over concentrating their minds - nobody wanted to see that sort of filth on a Saturday afternoon.
Thankfully the bowling was, as ever, accurate and tight. Garner makes cricket look such a simple game, tucking batters up and forcing mistakes from them as he consistently hits that line and length.
Johnston had been relieved of the gloves for the day, so found himself grazing at second slip/gully as the first of Garner’s opportunities fell to him, and old safe hands made no mistake - either with the call or the catch.
Next up Garner did it all himself, taking a sharp caught and bowled and opening up the middle order. At the other end Joel Ainsley had been as miserly as ever, to such an extent that he made the umpire give a wide against his bowling as he was that generous. He soon removed numbers 3 and 4, bowled and caught by Archie Payne having a lovely day out. 39-4 soon became 55-6 as Garner picked up another 2 wickets, bowled and then caught by Lucas Hale.
At this point Ainsley was rested, having bowled a hilarious 6 overs for 13 runs and 2 wickets. And all with a smile on his face.
This brought Singh-Shera to bowl - a man who had persuaded the skipper more successfully than Johnston that he should bowl. He (probably) proved it was the right decision, absolutely smashing through the lower order, with one notable catch from Lockhart, staying low at slip and having the ball carry to him. The batters couldn’t deal with the pace of Singh, and then the mixture of Lyra MacLeod from the other end. With Leigh Garner finishing his spell by being hit for 10 off the last over, his figures took a very slight dent, 11 overs for 47 runs and 4 wickets. It was class to watch as ever.
All that was left was to show the spirit of cricket. The only batter who looked in good nick for the opposition being stumped by Jerry Hollingsworth whilst square leg umpire admired the flowers at his feet and desperately didn’t want to give it. But, the player accepted that, as he was on the line and the line belonged to Hollingsworth he was out and walked. With a smile on his face. And a hand shake.
Ultimately it was a relaxed win for the 3’s, but it was so much more than that. It was everyone putting in a performance, it was everyone playing with a smile, and it was having a friendly opposition no matter the result. This is what cricket is.
Oh, and let’s not forget the tea.