2006
2006 Season Review
23/09/20 13:22
The season began with a fixture against our keenest opponents, the Wirral Police Nomads, although this involved starting the unseasonally early in April. This meant that by the time the teams were ready to get the game under way, insufficient daylight remained for a 20 over evening fixture, and the matter was reduced to 16 overs per side. Even this seemed somewhat optimistic, and I was conscious that the toss was likely to be crucial as its loser would be condemned to batting in the gloom. We lost the toss and the Police decided to bat. The most senior Police Officer playing was a Police Superintendent, who was batting at number 2. Off the first ball he was called for a suicidally short single, and was run out without facing a ball. The other opening batsman made it plain that Damian Nolan’s sense of humour was a (yet-to-be) acquired taste, as Damian sought to suggest that his career prospects might have been irreparably damaged. Sadly, this only convinced the batsman that the pavilion was not a safe place to which to return, so that he ended up batting for the remainder of the innings. He was assisted in this by the fact that our star bowler, Charles Prior, had still not arrived by the time the 16th over had been completed. The innings closed on 100 for 3 wickets, with the major highlight having been a stupendous catch by Ivan Woolfenden. In the gathering gloom, it was only Ivan, of our early order batsmen, who was able to put bat to ball. But after Ivan had taken one liberty too many with the Police bowling, we reached the halfway point on 29 for 4 wickets, needing 71 runs off the remaining 8 overs, and seemingly well out of contention. This was the cue for a match-winning partnership between Peter McCaughley (20) and Jonathan Clarke (a magnificent 46 not out). As the batsmen’s eyes grew steadily more accustomed to the dark, it was the Police who struggled to locate the ball. However, the game still had a final twist in its tale. Peter fell in the penultimate over so as to put the pressure on the incoming batsman, Gareth Bellis. Asked by Mark Chester, whether he was nervous going into bat in such a situation, Gareth retorted “Nervous? Not when I’ve fought in three wars”. Off the first ball he received Bellis decided to take the attack to the enemy, and charged the bowling. This proved to be as futile as Blackadder’s last charge. In a second, his defences had been breached, and he was out stumped. Thankfully, Jonathan Clarke was proving that calmer heads for a crisis were to be found amongst those with experience of the Senior Service. As it happened, Charles Prior had just arrived, and strode to the crease by way of riding to the rescue, and made sure that the remaining runs were knocked off without any further alarm.
Our first Sunday game was an inaugural fixture against the Ormskirk Occasionals CC (under the captaincy of Malcolm Gregg of Quinn Melville). A 3rd wicket partnership of 65 between former chambers colleagues, Nigel Power (28) and Damian Nolan (45), seemed to have laid the foundation for a big score, before a middle order collapse reduced the Bar to 110 for 7. The damage was repaired in a partnership of 101 between Will Rankin jnr. (47) and Tim Kenward (54 not out) before a declaration at 215 for 8 (off 47 overs). This left Ormskirk Occasionals a minimum of 47 overs to score the runs, which never seemed likely once Andrew Edis, in his comeback game, reduced them to 19 for 4, on his way to match figures of 11-2-24-6. Bowling support was provided by Ian Harris (9-2-23-3) and Charles Prior (6-3-6-1). With the game lost, Malcolm Gregg came into bat at number 12 (taking a leaf out of the Chester Bar manual of cricket strategy) and milked LBCC’s occasional bowlers for 19 not out whilst announcing to his Ormskirk team mates that the runs would count for the Ormskirk end of season averages.
There was inordinate demand for selection for the team to play the CPS. This may have been linked to the flourishing CPS practice of Brian Cummings which has apparently taken off exponentially since allowing the first two balls which he bowled in the final over of the 2004 game to be hit for the match-winning sixes which had enabled the CPS to conjure an unlikely one wicket victory in that game. However, after a two year hiatus, even civil lawyers like Damian Nolan had nothing but revenge in mind. A tactical error was made in electing to bat first as this allowed for premature exposure to the generous and alcoholic refreshments brought along by Andrew Edis. The innings started well with an opening partnership of 53 between Michael Armstrong (61) and Simon Gorton (14). Armstrong’s innings came to an end when he tried to claim the credit for “walking” even though the sound of the edge carried to the Portacabin pavilion. Late runs from Damian Nolan (25) and Jonathan Clarke (two sixes in his 18 not out) resulted in a decent twenty20 score of 139 for 5. Unfortunately, slowed down by white wine of the highest quality, our bowlers were unable to stop the CPS getting off to a flying start, and although this was halted by James Hawks (2 wickets for 24 runs) and Charles Lander (1 for 15), the Bar slumped to its first defeat since the 1st August 2004 loss to the Chester Bar.
Winning habits were resumed against Northern CC at Crosby, notwithstanding the opposition being reinforced by the presence of former LBCC legend, Kev Reade, and his son. They contributed only 7 runs between them as Kev had failed to explain the LBW rule to his son, and a stunning catch from Simon Gorton ended the innings of Kev himself at a point when he was threatening to cut loose although not yet off the mark. We were left to chase 136 to win, and at 72 for 5 the game was in balance, before an unbroken partnership of 64 between Mark Chester (43 not out) and Will Rankin jnr. (34 not out) took us to victory.
A passing reference should be made to the Circuit game against the Western Circuit, so as to record a marathon bowling spell by Andrew Edis which yielded four more wickets, and almost brought victory with the Western Circuit eight wickets down, although the Western Circuit had every confidence in their number 11 bat who fancied hitting the winning runs off Simon Gorton.
Against the Liverpool Law Society on Liverpool CC’s top ground (once graced by Bradman), it would have been easy to have been intimidated by the slick turn out of the opposition wearing their special heatwave team outfit of Bermuda shorts and equivalent beach wear. Mark Chester and Andrew Sinker (32 runs each) put on 80 for the first wicket. Unfortunately Ashley Barnes (back to his best with a hard hitting 22) and Damian Nolan (15) seemed more concerned with building up their Brian Jackson & Co practice by falling victims to the senior partner in his bowling spell of 3 for 50 off 10 overs. Peter McCaughley of Brian Jackson & Co. also seemed to be engaged in the process of inviting tenders for work in the course of returning bowling figures of 10-2-38-3. In the end, it was Jonathan Clarke, with more interest in developing a practice in Carlisle, who fired a quick 56 not out, and Mark Stewart (20), already well established in Preston, who lifted us to 221 for 7 declared. After tea, Damian Nolan seemed strangely inhibited about taking wickets in an opening spell of 7 wicketless overs, but Jonathan Clark (6-4-6-2) made the early inroads, including the prized wicket of Brian Jackson (caught by Andrew Sinker) whose surprise at holding onto the ball prompted a football style celebration. However, it was to be Ian Harris, with an Edis-like spell of 10-20-36-4, who was to reduce the Law Society to 80 for 9 before James Hawks (who as a Solicitor turned Barrister had already batted for his former colleagues) ended a last wicket partnership of 68 to bring victory by 73 runs.
As usual, we turned up for our final game against the Chester Bar wondering what sort of side the Chester captain, Julian Shaw, would have assembled to play us – whether it would be a side of old faces, or new faces plucked Wenger-like, from the obscurity of junior representative cricket. As usual, Julian did not disappoint us, and his side bore testimony to the Chester Bar’s abandonment of OLPAS in favour of recruitment from the cricketing academies of Cheshire and beyond. Our skipper, Charles Prior, delegated the task of winning the toss to Michael Armstrong, so as to allow himself a little extra time for preparation for such a big game. Chester were duly inserted, and before long the old faces were back in the pavilion with the score 4 for 4. This included the run out of Shaw for 1 on what was to be a day of run outs. Andrew Ford made a spectacular debut with fielding which made him appear suspiciously like a ringer, and which brought three run outs, to which he added a wicket and a catch. Despite the best efforts of Jonathan Clarke (17.2-1-58-3) and Will Rankin Jnr (9-1-24-2), Chester recovered to 149 all out. Inspired by memories of his fifty in last year’s fixture, Simon Gorton set us on our way to victory with a brace of boundaries, before Shaw was able to avenge his earlier run out. Gorton was seeking to steal a cheeky run by attempting to deceive the Chester fielders into believing that the ball was dead. However, the Chester players were not to be taken in by such a stratagem, and a stunning piece of fielding saw Shaw claim the run out by which Gorton got his just desserts for such gamesmanship. Despite being clearly out of his ground, Gorton appeared to show dissent, although afterwards, in the course of putting his disappointment aside and staying for drinks with the opposition, Gorton explained that his delay in leaving the crease had been caused by his open-mouthed admiration and disbelief at the wonderful cricket which had claimed his wicket. Gorton’s dismissal turned the victory procession into a procession of wickets, only briefly interrupted by an entertaining partnership between David Tinkler and Michael Armstrong (2 sixes in his 32). 42 runs were still needed for victory when Prior joined Kenward for a 9th wicket partnership. By this time, Kenward was struggling to play the teenaged leg-spinners who were bowling at both ends, and had gone into his shell in the knowledge that his dismissal would leave only Liam Grundy, rather than a number 11 in whom one could place confidence like Anne Whyte, standing between the Chester Bar and victory. This did not prevent Prior from playing some shots, but with two overs left we appeared to be struggling to cling on for an inglorious draw, still 23 runs short of the target. Shaw brought back his opening bowler to administer the coup de grace, only for Prior to hit him around the park. 9 runs were needed off the last over, and 8 runs off 4 balls, when Kenward finally came out of his shell and hit a straight 6 which he will hopefully be forgiven for recording here. However, only a single off the next two balls brought about a last ball finish, with one run needed for victory, which was fittingly hit by Prior.
Good news on the subject of the Club’s silverware. In the course of packing up his Cressington Park villa, for another fling of the dice on the property market, Ivan Woolfenden tells me that he came across the Club’s trophies amongst the trinkets and other assorted debris left behind by his former lodger. These have now been restored to the guardianship of Club co-founder, benefactor and trustee, Andrew “Roman” Edis, for whom the S.W.G.E. silver cigarette box doubtless stands as a poignant reminder of his days as a junior with a taste for Senior Service. Sadly, now that the extent of the Club’s dining ambitions is limited to impromptu curries at the Gulshan (other then attempting to gatecrash the Winchester Cathedral Close garden party of Pump Court Chambers), it must fall to this end of season report to put on record who the season’s winners would be. The Captain’s Cup would go to Jonathan Clarke, whose dismissal in the Chester Bar game allowed him to have a batting average of 130 for the season together with a bowling average of 16.28. The S.W.G. Edis trophy for the most improved player would go to Will Rankin jnr, with a batting average of 43 and a bowling average of 17.33. Finally, the Tonker tankard would go to David Tinkler, not so much for any displays of fortitude triumphing over ineptitude, but more for poetic reasons.
Our first Sunday game was an inaugural fixture against the Ormskirk Occasionals CC (under the captaincy of Malcolm Gregg of Quinn Melville). A 3rd wicket partnership of 65 between former chambers colleagues, Nigel Power (28) and Damian Nolan (45), seemed to have laid the foundation for a big score, before a middle order collapse reduced the Bar to 110 for 7. The damage was repaired in a partnership of 101 between Will Rankin jnr. (47) and Tim Kenward (54 not out) before a declaration at 215 for 8 (off 47 overs). This left Ormskirk Occasionals a minimum of 47 overs to score the runs, which never seemed likely once Andrew Edis, in his comeback game, reduced them to 19 for 4, on his way to match figures of 11-2-24-6. Bowling support was provided by Ian Harris (9-2-23-3) and Charles Prior (6-3-6-1). With the game lost, Malcolm Gregg came into bat at number 12 (taking a leaf out of the Chester Bar manual of cricket strategy) and milked LBCC’s occasional bowlers for 19 not out whilst announcing to his Ormskirk team mates that the runs would count for the Ormskirk end of season averages.
There was inordinate demand for selection for the team to play the CPS. This may have been linked to the flourishing CPS practice of Brian Cummings which has apparently taken off exponentially since allowing the first two balls which he bowled in the final over of the 2004 game to be hit for the match-winning sixes which had enabled the CPS to conjure an unlikely one wicket victory in that game. However, after a two year hiatus, even civil lawyers like Damian Nolan had nothing but revenge in mind. A tactical error was made in electing to bat first as this allowed for premature exposure to the generous and alcoholic refreshments brought along by Andrew Edis. The innings started well with an opening partnership of 53 between Michael Armstrong (61) and Simon Gorton (14). Armstrong’s innings came to an end when he tried to claim the credit for “walking” even though the sound of the edge carried to the Portacabin pavilion. Late runs from Damian Nolan (25) and Jonathan Clarke (two sixes in his 18 not out) resulted in a decent twenty20 score of 139 for 5. Unfortunately, slowed down by white wine of the highest quality, our bowlers were unable to stop the CPS getting off to a flying start, and although this was halted by James Hawks (2 wickets for 24 runs) and Charles Lander (1 for 15), the Bar slumped to its first defeat since the 1st August 2004 loss to the Chester Bar.
Winning habits were resumed against Northern CC at Crosby, notwithstanding the opposition being reinforced by the presence of former LBCC legend, Kev Reade, and his son. They contributed only 7 runs between them as Kev had failed to explain the LBW rule to his son, and a stunning catch from Simon Gorton ended the innings of Kev himself at a point when he was threatening to cut loose although not yet off the mark. We were left to chase 136 to win, and at 72 for 5 the game was in balance, before an unbroken partnership of 64 between Mark Chester (43 not out) and Will Rankin jnr. (34 not out) took us to victory.
A passing reference should be made to the Circuit game against the Western Circuit, so as to record a marathon bowling spell by Andrew Edis which yielded four more wickets, and almost brought victory with the Western Circuit eight wickets down, although the Western Circuit had every confidence in their number 11 bat who fancied hitting the winning runs off Simon Gorton.
Against the Liverpool Law Society on Liverpool CC’s top ground (once graced by Bradman), it would have been easy to have been intimidated by the slick turn out of the opposition wearing their special heatwave team outfit of Bermuda shorts and equivalent beach wear. Mark Chester and Andrew Sinker (32 runs each) put on 80 for the first wicket. Unfortunately Ashley Barnes (back to his best with a hard hitting 22) and Damian Nolan (15) seemed more concerned with building up their Brian Jackson & Co practice by falling victims to the senior partner in his bowling spell of 3 for 50 off 10 overs. Peter McCaughley of Brian Jackson & Co. also seemed to be engaged in the process of inviting tenders for work in the course of returning bowling figures of 10-2-38-3. In the end, it was Jonathan Clarke, with more interest in developing a practice in Carlisle, who fired a quick 56 not out, and Mark Stewart (20), already well established in Preston, who lifted us to 221 for 7 declared. After tea, Damian Nolan seemed strangely inhibited about taking wickets in an opening spell of 7 wicketless overs, but Jonathan Clark (6-4-6-2) made the early inroads, including the prized wicket of Brian Jackson (caught by Andrew Sinker) whose surprise at holding onto the ball prompted a football style celebration. However, it was to be Ian Harris, with an Edis-like spell of 10-20-36-4, who was to reduce the Law Society to 80 for 9 before James Hawks (who as a Solicitor turned Barrister had already batted for his former colleagues) ended a last wicket partnership of 68 to bring victory by 73 runs.
As usual, we turned up for our final game against the Chester Bar wondering what sort of side the Chester captain, Julian Shaw, would have assembled to play us – whether it would be a side of old faces, or new faces plucked Wenger-like, from the obscurity of junior representative cricket. As usual, Julian did not disappoint us, and his side bore testimony to the Chester Bar’s abandonment of OLPAS in favour of recruitment from the cricketing academies of Cheshire and beyond. Our skipper, Charles Prior, delegated the task of winning the toss to Michael Armstrong, so as to allow himself a little extra time for preparation for such a big game. Chester were duly inserted, and before long the old faces were back in the pavilion with the score 4 for 4. This included the run out of Shaw for 1 on what was to be a day of run outs. Andrew Ford made a spectacular debut with fielding which made him appear suspiciously like a ringer, and which brought three run outs, to which he added a wicket and a catch. Despite the best efforts of Jonathan Clarke (17.2-1-58-3) and Will Rankin Jnr (9-1-24-2), Chester recovered to 149 all out. Inspired by memories of his fifty in last year’s fixture, Simon Gorton set us on our way to victory with a brace of boundaries, before Shaw was able to avenge his earlier run out. Gorton was seeking to steal a cheeky run by attempting to deceive the Chester fielders into believing that the ball was dead. However, the Chester players were not to be taken in by such a stratagem, and a stunning piece of fielding saw Shaw claim the run out by which Gorton got his just desserts for such gamesmanship. Despite being clearly out of his ground, Gorton appeared to show dissent, although afterwards, in the course of putting his disappointment aside and staying for drinks with the opposition, Gorton explained that his delay in leaving the crease had been caused by his open-mouthed admiration and disbelief at the wonderful cricket which had claimed his wicket. Gorton’s dismissal turned the victory procession into a procession of wickets, only briefly interrupted by an entertaining partnership between David Tinkler and Michael Armstrong (2 sixes in his 32). 42 runs were still needed for victory when Prior joined Kenward for a 9th wicket partnership. By this time, Kenward was struggling to play the teenaged leg-spinners who were bowling at both ends, and had gone into his shell in the knowledge that his dismissal would leave only Liam Grundy, rather than a number 11 in whom one could place confidence like Anne Whyte, standing between the Chester Bar and victory. This did not prevent Prior from playing some shots, but with two overs left we appeared to be struggling to cling on for an inglorious draw, still 23 runs short of the target. Shaw brought back his opening bowler to administer the coup de grace, only for Prior to hit him around the park. 9 runs were needed off the last over, and 8 runs off 4 balls, when Kenward finally came out of his shell and hit a straight 6 which he will hopefully be forgiven for recording here. However, only a single off the next two balls brought about a last ball finish, with one run needed for victory, which was fittingly hit by Prior.
Good news on the subject of the Club’s silverware. In the course of packing up his Cressington Park villa, for another fling of the dice on the property market, Ivan Woolfenden tells me that he came across the Club’s trophies amongst the trinkets and other assorted debris left behind by his former lodger. These have now been restored to the guardianship of Club co-founder, benefactor and trustee, Andrew “Roman” Edis, for whom the S.W.G.E. silver cigarette box doubtless stands as a poignant reminder of his days as a junior with a taste for Senior Service. Sadly, now that the extent of the Club’s dining ambitions is limited to impromptu curries at the Gulshan (other then attempting to gatecrash the Winchester Cathedral Close garden party of Pump Court Chambers), it must fall to this end of season report to put on record who the season’s winners would be. The Captain’s Cup would go to Jonathan Clarke, whose dismissal in the Chester Bar game allowed him to have a batting average of 130 for the season together with a bowling average of 16.28. The S.W.G. Edis trophy for the most improved player would go to Will Rankin jnr, with a batting average of 43 and a bowling average of 17.33. Finally, the Tonker tankard would go to David Tinkler, not so much for any displays of fortitude triumphing over ineptitude, but more for poetic reasons.