Capt Banger
Cardiff UCCE - The Match
Capt Banger
By Grockle April 4 2008
A 40 over game against a bunch of guys who looked like first years? Well it's cricket but not as we're going to face it in future weeks but it was a start and showed something of what we have. Marcus captained today with Steff doing the VC role. Lots of lanky people bowled, some slow and some not so slow and a lot of promise was suggested from young people in that strange one day kit.
Capt Banger
A 40 over game against a bunch of guys who looked like first years? Well it's cricket but not as we're going to face it in future weeks but it was a start and showed something of what we have. Marcus captained today with Steff doing the VC role. Lots of lanky people bowled, some slow and some not so slow and a lot of promise was suggested from young people in that strange one day kit.
I'm afraid I missed the Somerset innings because of work but thanks to STAN I have some info for you about the nature of things.
We scored 281 for 6 off our 40 over allocation. The stand out innings was from the man we hoped it would come from Marcus Trescothick with a clean 105. A good season starts with Banger putting a second string bowling attack to the sword. They got him in the end though because he lost his stumps! Neil Edwards was caught for 38 but I was far more bothered by the fact that our new kit design meant that all players had the same kit on this time BUT we still had players without names on their shirts while others wore the same kit with the numbering done - Why?? Can't we organise one set of kit for all?
Hildreth lost his wicket early bowled for 18 and unfortunately John Francis still doesn't look comfortable making only 4. Wes weighed in with 22 while the other big innings for us was from Craig Kieswetter, not out for 72. I hoped to hear good things about the surprisingly tall Omari Banks but he managed to run himself out for 5 even though our Wickie was shouting 'NO' at him as his stumps were broken!!
Ben Phillips kept Craig company at the end and added 2 himself before we ran out of balls. I got there just at the end of our contribution and wehave half a ground. Heaven nows where they are going to put people on a busy day. If you want to be down for the Hampshire game, make sure you get here early and know where you want to sit. They were playing almost in front of the Press box so the CA bar was covered as the Side screen (whose bright idea was that? It was Tractor's birthday so they were still managing to drink...but not inside the bar!
Other things to know. Beer,Lager and Cider is nearly £3 a pint. There are no local brews (very much as said at the AGM) on tap and bring your own Walkers crisps because the only type they now sell are 70p a packet and hand fried!! The kit is not Orange and it isn't Maroon. It's something Burnsy called Jester Red...appropriate. The trousers look like something from a "Saturday Night Fever" disco but it's not as hideous in the flesh.
Alonzo Thomas may have problems getting registration to play for us as a Kolpak. He had a meeting at Lords this week - it was short but no-one was saying what the outcome was. If you want to know about the Phase 2 shortfall then you'll have to ask Tractor who was bending official's ears about all these things.
ian Blackwell is nursing an injury from Dubai at the moment. Not sure if we'll see him next week or not.
The Cricket
Well Cardiff came out to reply and faced a nippy and lithe Steffan Jones from the River and quite an impressive Andy Sutton from the Old Pavilion (OP). It's Sutton who hits first and with 1 on the board they are changing batsmen. Turner is first change at the River with Phillips looking the straightest and tightest of the 4 when he comeson at the OP. At 60 though Turner bowls number 2.
By the 20th, the second set have tied up the Cardiff batsmen and then Phillips rips in, clean bowling a third student with the score on 73 and then removing the fourth 3 balls later in the same way before he has even settled.
After that we revert to spin at both ends with Banks getting a bowl at the River (languid, tall and flighty) and the extra player in the side - Arul Suppiah taking duty at the OP with a much flatter and faster delivery. The students seem to cope with this a little better and although Arul tempts one to go too far and claims a 5th wicket, it isn't until the last 6 overs and a return to seam that we take a 6th when Turner gets one to sky the ball to Banks.
By the last over CUUCE need 123 off 6 balls. They manage 3 and lose by 120 runs. Not too taxing a competition but they didn't give up and although no-one really took us on, at least we got 80 overs of practice.
Phillips will give Steff a run for a first team place. Turner looked pacy, but against students and Sutton looked promising (new ball partnership of the future?) Banks looks fit and rangy and his spell gave enough to be optimistic about his value with the ball. He looked more of a handful than Whitey was with the ball - but it was Cardiff Uni.
Nice to see people and say hello. Glamorgan will be more of an indicator and so will The Bristolians next week. But no-one got injured and no-one significant looked out of sorts.
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