Team United 2014
23/09/20 12:56 Filed in: 2014
The Bar made their debut in this competition however it was familiar failings that left them short against last year’s runners up. Even with the move to an 8 player format the Bar were unable to field a full team. Harthan, Armstrong, Chester, Tinkler, Sinker, Eastwood and Orr were the familiar faces with competition organiser John Moore stepping as a guest.
The Bar were concerned that the oppo looked quite useful in their warm up. Having lost the toss the Bar were put into bat. Chester and Armstrong opened against a bowler who, in breach of Rule G (perhaps the Bar skipper should’ve spotted it at the time), wandered all the way back to Otterspool to begin his run up. Playing with a pink ball which seemed to do a bit more in the air than the more traditional dull red corky, the openers built a steady platform off the first few overs before Chester fell. Harthan then came to the crease. Despite an early disagreement arising from Armstrong’s failure to properly understand Rule B (the “Double Play Rule") the Harthan/Armstrong partnership frustrated the opposition. In an unusual twist of roles, Harthan, who has a steady average of 1 six per season throughout his cricket career, hoiked a couple of balls deep onto the bowling green whilst Armstrong struggled to find his usual big hitting form. Even when Armstrong did find the middle of the bat, and in scenes reminiscent of Carpenters last year, he found Harthan at the non-strikers end a capable fielder. In something of an indignity for the 2010 player of the season, at one point the oppo’s skipper was setting a deep field for Harthan and closing the field for Armstrong. In the last 5 or so overs the Bar began to attack the bowling in a more flamboyant style. Unfortunately, rather than the hoped for acceleration to a par score, the wickets began to tumble. Armstrong and Tinkler departed in quick succession, Harthan was then caught at deep mid on, Orr and Eastwood went in the final couple of overs leaving Sinker to successfully fend off the final few deliveries and avoid the eponymous last man standing scenario.
Notwithstanding the suspicion that the oppo’s batting line up might have given priority to their weaker players, the Bar got off to a good start in defending their total. Chester bowled in a manner that suggests he has been woefully underused in the last few seasons, whilst Orr with his deceptively slow paced deliveries caused difficulty for the batsmen. At around 40 for 4 off 8 overs the match looked evenly balanced. However finding 5 bowlers from the Bar line up was always going to be a challenge, and things got worse when, stretching to stop a leg side wide, Harthan’s lower back went into spasm and he had to crawl off the pitch. With fewer fielders and Orr & Chester gone from the attack, the oppo found the going a little easier. “Team United” reached their target without further loss and with a few overs to spare.
All in all a satisfactory start to the Bar’s LMS campaign, though seasoned observers of the game have already highlighted the need to have 5 bowlers as one of the main obstacles on the Bar’s road to Barbados.
The Bar were concerned that the oppo looked quite useful in their warm up. Having lost the toss the Bar were put into bat. Chester and Armstrong opened against a bowler who, in breach of Rule G (perhaps the Bar skipper should’ve spotted it at the time), wandered all the way back to Otterspool to begin his run up. Playing with a pink ball which seemed to do a bit more in the air than the more traditional dull red corky, the openers built a steady platform off the first few overs before Chester fell. Harthan then came to the crease. Despite an early disagreement arising from Armstrong’s failure to properly understand Rule B (the “Double Play Rule") the Harthan/Armstrong partnership frustrated the opposition. In an unusual twist of roles, Harthan, who has a steady average of 1 six per season throughout his cricket career, hoiked a couple of balls deep onto the bowling green whilst Armstrong struggled to find his usual big hitting form. Even when Armstrong did find the middle of the bat, and in scenes reminiscent of Carpenters last year, he found Harthan at the non-strikers end a capable fielder. In something of an indignity for the 2010 player of the season, at one point the oppo’s skipper was setting a deep field for Harthan and closing the field for Armstrong. In the last 5 or so overs the Bar began to attack the bowling in a more flamboyant style. Unfortunately, rather than the hoped for acceleration to a par score, the wickets began to tumble. Armstrong and Tinkler departed in quick succession, Harthan was then caught at deep mid on, Orr and Eastwood went in the final couple of overs leaving Sinker to successfully fend off the final few deliveries and avoid the eponymous last man standing scenario.
Notwithstanding the suspicion that the oppo’s batting line up might have given priority to their weaker players, the Bar got off to a good start in defending their total. Chester bowled in a manner that suggests he has been woefully underused in the last few seasons, whilst Orr with his deceptively slow paced deliveries caused difficulty for the batsmen. At around 40 for 4 off 8 overs the match looked evenly balanced. However finding 5 bowlers from the Bar line up was always going to be a challenge, and things got worse when, stretching to stop a leg side wide, Harthan’s lower back went into spasm and he had to crawl off the pitch. With fewer fielders and Orr & Chester gone from the attack, the oppo found the going a little easier. “Team United” reached their target without further loss and with a few overs to spare.
All in all a satisfactory start to the Bar’s LMS campaign, though seasoned observers of the game have already highlighted the need to have 5 bowlers as one of the main obstacles on the Bar’s road to Barbados.