Wirral Nomads
By the time the first ball was bowled, the Bar were up to 7 strong with promise that Vice Captain Gosling was on route. With Captain Harthan stuck in London and Gorton on his sick bed the Bar were starting the season 3 men short.
Stand in Captain, Prior saw the opportunity to blend youth and experience at the top of the batting order and sent in Orr and Rishton who promptly started to put the Wirral batting to the sword. An array of powerful and well-timed shots took the Bar past 40 before Orr (16) fell to a full length ball that he was trying to heave over mid-on.
Tinkler joined Rishton at the crease and the two moved the score on quickly and skilfully. Rishton, in probably his best innings for the Bar so far, hooked 3 impressive sixes as well as unleashing an array of cover drives. Tinkler too, clearly buoyed by last seasons ‘best player’ award and recent fatherhood, played a steady innings with a wonderful display of wristy shots to the boundary.
The scorekeeping was the only thing letting the Bar down at this point as Rishton’s 50 came and went without acknowledgement. When his score was realised and promptly applauded from the boundary, Rishton was forced to retire by stand in captain Prior having made a splendid 53.
Armstrong came to the crease in high spirits but quickly found his timing was all out despite snatching the bat that Tinkler had been using at the far end. He was bowled by a straight one having made what would be charitably be described as a scratchy 14.
Murphy arrived and hit a couple of quick fire boundaries before Tinkler completed the innings with a glorious drive through the covers. The Bar finished on a very respectable 155 off 18 overs with Tinker (40) and Murphy (14) both not out at the end.
Wirral very charitably loaned the Bar a couple of fielders and the Bar charitably allowed Armstrong to keep wicket in the absence of Harthan. Prior (3-1-7-1) and Gosling (3-1-8-0) opened the bowling for the Bar in very economic fashion, immediately finding their natural line and length. Prior uprooted the off stump in his second over with Wirral well behind the run rate while Gosling had a nick dropped behind the stumps.
Orr (4-1-12-0) and Murphy (3-0-8-2) came on at first change and kept up the pressure on the Bar with Murphy showing particularly impressive pace given his time away from the game. Orr took a splendid catch off Murphy’s bowling while he himself was virtually unplayable with a series of slower and dipping deliveries.
Wirral were progressing slowly and looked well short of runs but Prior, being the keen sportsman he is, was determined to get the game over quickly to get to the bar. He summonsed the Bar’s answer to Ambrose and Walsh in the form of Tinker (3-0-0-24) and Eastwood (3-0-2-15) in an attempt to polish off the Wirral.
In what was a complete surprise to all present, the pair bowled with guile and accuracy, Eastwood picking up two wickets through great pouches by the stand in Captain Prior, who was so used to making excuses in the field, he was even making them when taking catches.
Rishton (1-0-0-5) got an over at the end meaning 7 of the 8 Bar players got a bowl with everyone contributing something to a good victory.
A couple of run outs left Wirral 7 down after their 18 overs having amassed somewhere in the region of about 80 runs (the exact score is a mystery due to Eastwood cutting it off when taking a photograph of the score book). The fact that Wirral had left what appeared to be a couple of very handy cricketers back in the hutch perhaps illustrated the way the game was played.
It was a good first game for the bar, particularly given they were down on numbers. Several players threw their hat in the ring for man of the match with Tinker in particular going close with a lovely display of batting and bowling. It was however Rishton’s impressive start to the season that saw him nick it in the end.
Result; Liverpool Bar won by about 75 runs MOM: G Rishton
Cholmondeley
The pick of our bowlers was a “ringer” – Peter Barnett of Mossley Hill – whom Tim Kenward had persuaded to play the night before by binding and gagging him and driving him down to Cheshire in the boot of a car. Ben Murphy and Charles Prior had to open the bowling with much effort and little reward, until the ringer became accustomed to the light. Between wides - and off an inexplicably-long run-up - Barnett produced wicket-taking deliveries which thumped into the hands and chests of Tim Kenward, Michael Armstrong and Simon Gorton. Behind the stumps Peter Harthan got the fourth Barnett dismissal as a surprise leg side delivery dollied up into the iron gloves. All was going well with Orr bowling a tight line, and Kenward bowling around the wicket without waiting for the batsman to be ready. Then Cholmondeley’s equality and diversity officer got going, and somewhat ruined everyone’s bowling figures. Kenward bowled him with a full toss, and declared it a no-ball, before going back to full length somewhere short of a yorker. The one controversy was Barnett’s unlikely catch, which the batsman, in a state of utter confusion from Orr’s change of pace through the over, thought a bump-ball. 199 was the score, after 40 overs (with 8 down).
Harthan took the game to Cholmondeley, indeed presented it to Cholmondeley by playing straight but straight around a straight one in the first over. Enter Kenward, flustered from having had his two-hour pre-batting preparation compressed into two minutes. A series of run-outs nearly occurred when it was far from clear how Cholmondeley’s jockey opening bowler was actually bowling. Kenward, dropped a couple of times (one perhaps being a favour from Cholmondeley’s multi-cultural officer, whom Kenward had given not out when he was the bowler), went breezily on to 92. Around him Andrew Sinker came, hit a cover driver, and went; Ben Murphy came, tried to run two while Tim tried not to run at all, and went; and Pete Barnett came, shaped up and got out to easily the best ball of the day, if not the best ball ever bowled at the ground. And it also kept low. Simon Gorton however was the mainstay with TK, though later claiming that the scorers had numerically understated his endeavours in the book, and demanding a recount/ accountancy balancing exercise. Prior managed to hit the ball, but, with the score on about 170 and with three overs to reach 200, Liverpool’s hopes faded with Kenward being run-out by an off-stump yorker. Orr fussed about having a runner. This distracted him from giving the runner anything to do, because he too ran himself out immediately to an off-stump yorker. An injured Michael Armstrong was the last man, and he overcame injury to whack a four. He had his revenge on Prior’s birthday celebrations of two or three years ago (when Prior extravagantly called both Armstrong and Chester through, having hit the ball first to silly point and second to leg gully) by calling a hesitant Prior back for a second run in the covers. He, despite being fleet of foot, was turning to start this second run as the game ended on another run-out. The strategy, let along the tactic, behind this second run was questionable: the Bar needed about 18 off five balls, and Armstrong, true to name, tended to score a boundary a ball, whereas Prior tended to make a boundary a season.
Team: Peter Harthan (cpt)(wkt); Andrew Sinker, Tim Kenward, Ben Murphy, Simon Gorton, Peter Barnett, Charles Prior, Nick Orr, Michael Armstrong.
St Hilda's Staff
Anne Whyte took the field for St Hilda’s innings, in case Harthan turned up. Harthan did turn up to see Gorton – desperate to get out of bowling – doing a creditable impersonation of a wicket-keeper, and putting further distance between the captain’s pretensions and the slot of first-choice wicketkeeper. Murphy bowled a keen off-side line, but it took the greater variation of Sinker and Tinkler to get the St Hilda’s innings going. Chester began calmly before his early release method was deemed too dangerous for him to continue. Armstrong handed his box to Gorton, and threw up a few leg-spinners. He also threw himself down like a German guard in war film, when the ball came whistling through the air towards him on the boundary next to a moving tree. St Hilda’s got rid of Prior’s leg-stump half-volleys, ending on 130 for 6. LBCC – Murphy, Whyte, Prior - sportingly dropped a few catches in order to engineer this close result. Most of the paying spectators marvelled that the fielders even got near to taking these catches. Those who keenly follow LBCC did not even rate them as chances but as opportunities for athleticism.
Man of the match: Mark Chester
Ormskirk 2013
Most observers felt the Bar had plenty of runs on the Board and the question was whether they could bowl Ormskirk out in 39 overs. The Bar’s bowling attack had other ideas and with a healthy run rate and few wickets down Ormskirk looked well placed at the mid-point of their innings. Armstrong sustained a ball in the face having failed to take a catch at square leg off Power’s bowling. However, the introduction of Prior to the bowling attack changed the course of the game. A stumping and catch from interim wicketkeeper Gregg led to favourable comparisons with the Bar’s usual custodian of the gloves, whilst the hobbling Harthan took a catch at Point. With 5 overs remaining all 4 results were still possible. Prior and Reade (T) bowled tightly to ensure that the Bar did not lose the game. In a close finale, the runs scored in the final over of the Bar’s innings ensured that Ormskirk came in just short with 6 wickets down. Thus an entertaining and enjoyable match ended in a draw. The day was then completed by watching a tight finish in the marginally higher standard Lancashire Cup match between Ormskirk and Heywood on the main pitch.
Man of the match; Charles Prior, with Tom Reade a close 2nd
Fletchers 2013
It was the Bar’s turn to bat on this occasion with Sinker and Tinkler opening the batting. Both were dropped early on their innings, before Sinker skied the ball to mid on, which this time was duly taken. Tinkler, Chester and Gorton all contributed with some runs. Cameron guesting for us was unfortunately run out for four. Our Captain back from injury stepped in to bat and was the pick of the batsmen holding the innings together. Going into the last over he was on 46,but for the sake of the team took a single off the fifth ball of the over leaving him stranded on 49 at the non striker’s end.There were some useful runs from Charlie Gray at the end. The Bar’s final score was 114-7, which was considered reasonable, but there was a feeling it might not be quite enough.
Fletchers Solicitors stepped into bat and the Bar quickly got amongst the wickets with two batsmen dismissed early on. Cameron guesting for us bowled well and took wickets. The innings continued with the Bar restricting the run rate and not allowing the opposition to get any control of the game. The high point of the innings came during Rishton’s bowling spell with the opposition requiring 50 to win off the last seven overs .Shortly into his spell he bowled one of their batsmen and the in-coming batsman was sent back first ball in the same way. Fletcher’s Captain came in for the hat-trick ball –all crowded around the bat-a good ball was delivered,but it was sadly not to be. At this stage the game could have gone either way, but the Bar kept the bowling and fielding tight not allowing the opposition to keep up with the run rate. Eastwood came on to bowl towards the end and was incensed, when a clear l.b.w. appeal was turned down. Towards the end the opposition’s Captain was run out by Pete guesting for us-we subsequently learnt he was a friend of their Captain-this was to be a talking point for them. The opposition were some 20 runs short at the end making it a comfortable victory for the Bar.
It was a good all round performance by the Bar with everyone contributing with either bat, ball or in the field.
Man of the Match Peter Harthan
Bibby 2013
Brooker – sardonically down as “Blocker” in the “book” (two scraps of paper from a notebook) – came out with a bat rescued from his attic, and, despite scratching around with a couple of boundaries flicks and nudges on the deck, hit a few on the full. At twenty overs the score was 181, and Power still a run short of his 50. But lo! By the Duckworth-Lewis system for stretching a game out due to sun, the match became Twenty-Two22, and Power glided another single to make his 50 and long-awaited retirement. Enter Eastwood, wearing a cap to protect his scalp from the beating sun. By knocking a single, he managed to get the score to 209 for two at the end, since Brooker despatched the rest of the bowling without troubling to run.
The Bar had all turned out in its gilt-edged strip, with Prior even wearing the club kit rather than some curious clothing from a spurious club. Harthan chose to wear a non-conforming sun hat, which made him look like Bez, and made him keep wicket like Bez [Charles, I’m astonished that you know who Bez is - Ed]. Gosling stormed down the hillock to take three wickets, although due to an overly-attacking field and overly-generous, rank half-volleys he and Eastwood, the opening bowlers, put Bibby Distribution ahead of the run-rate (35). Chester had to tolerate fielding on the boundary next to the camp squeals of Crosby’s drunken youth [I thought they were remarkably well behaved, if they sue for libel you’re on your own - Ed]. Eastwood heroically bowled up the hill, sometimes overtaking his own deliveries on his follow-through. Gosling trapped Bibby Distribution’s keeper-batsman LBW with a high one, but the umpire clearly thought that the ball was “on its way down” and gave the lone appellant his appeal, amidst much embarrassment and soul-searching. He movingly dedicated the wicket to his new-born son, oblivious to the life of a parent ahead, as by this time Crosby’s youths came close to breaching their ASBOs [I do hope you’ve properly investigated this and sought their views before publishing so as to satisfy the Reynolds Defence - Ed]. At times the Bar’s fielding owed a lot to spot-betting arrangements, with boundaries conceded regularly through the legs. Prior huffed and puffed for four overs, the high point of which was Eastwood’s confident clutch at deep mid-off to take Bibby Distribution’s best (only?) batsman. Armstrong dangled some leg-spinners in front of the batsmen. His subtle signals to Harthan behind the stumps, such as scratching his Lego head, were lost on the batsmen, and the ‘keeper too. Yet “two-steps” Harthan took a sharp stumping, as the batsman failed to put his bat over the crease within the allocated minute, and the crowd could hold its breath no longer. Rishton turned his arm to spin, and had both Gorton and Chester flailing athletically at balls looping over their heads, so decided to bowl the batsman instead. This led to the first missed bowled opportunity in cricketing history, because Harthan yelped and threw off his glove when the ball passed or hit it, and the batsman denied that the ball had bowled him. Rishton had to appeal in a novel way for a “bowled”. Another cricketing first was made when the first-ever appeal for “bowled” was given Not Out, the umpire clearly inclining to disbelieve the Bar’s skipper on oath. It took a resurgent Sinker – down in the book as “Stinker” – and a re-called Eastwood to bowl out the overs, to give victory to the Bar, with Bibby Distribution making 117 for seven. Man of the Match: Power the Power Catch of the Match: Eastwood Moment of the Match: Cricket’s three firsts – the missed bowl-out, the first appeal for bowled, the first not out for an appeal of bowled.
Revenues 2013
Nevertheless the early signs were good for the Bar. Ed Brown and Alex Rankin opened the bowling and skittled through the Revenues top order leaving their innings close to collapse at around 20ish for 5. Revenues strength however clearly lay in their middle order as a partnership developed which restored some pride to their innings. Steady bowling from Patrick Reade and Matty maintained pressure on the Revenues. The game having been extended to 22 overs, and with only Power and Armstrong left to bowl against in form batsmen, there was a fear that the end of the innings might prove painful. Such fears were misplaced however as Armstrong and Power bowled steadily and Revenues were bowled out for 113 in the final over, a total which looked very gettable. As the Revenues batsmen threw the bat in the closing stages there was the unusual feature of 3 ‘father and son’ stumpings with Power snr bowling and Power jnr keeping wicket. Whilst the trio of stumpings led some to call for Power jnr to be instated as 1st choice keeper, the captain, remembering a dropped catch earlier in the innings, remained guarded on the subject. Power snr (twice) and Harthan took catches and Armstrong took a blistering catch one handed off his own bowling, restoring some pride for the Atlantic contingent with Chester and Gorton having earlier put chances down.
Sinker and Chester opened for the Bar. A young bowler with genuine pace bowled the second over and pitched the ball short leading Sinker to take evasive action. Unfortunately on the third ball Sinker was not so lucky, and got a taste of leather, leaving the field with blood pouring from his facial wounds. A desperate search for protective helmets found just one in an adult size which Chester took off the incoming batsman Armstrong. The next over Chester was dismissed, I think bowled, but as this correspondent was in the dressing room with the injured Sinker at the time that may not be correct. Harthan and Armstrong then set about restoring the Bar innings. Harthan played the steady anchor man role with Armstrong playing in his more flamboyant style. The fast bowler started pitching the ball up but could find no way through, whilst runs came freely from the lesser bowling at the other end. With the score at 50odd for 1 (plus Sinker retired hurt and gone home), and the decent bowler seen off, after 10 overs the Bar appeared to be cruising for victory. Unfortunately however Armstrong top edged and was caught. Still Gorton and Harthan appeared in little trouble until what spectator Kevin Reade was later to call the turning point of the innings. Gorton cut the ball and immediately set off running calling Harthan through. Second slip however made a good stop making the run suicidal. In a decision he would later regret, rather than send Gorton back to face jeopardy, Harthan took the brave decision to chance the fielder’s arm and run to the danger end. Unfortunately the throw was good and Harthan was dismissed in disappointing style. Still the Bar looked well placed and for a while Patrick Reade and Gorton kept up a steady run rate. However both were dismissed at a crucial stage with around 30 runs required leaving the youngsters and Nigel Power to chase down the final runs. Despite some good batting from the tail end, particularly from Alex Rankin, the Bar fell just short.
MoM; Alex Rankin, produced with both bat and ball, closely followed by Michael Power for his 3 stumpings
Carpenters 2013
The Bar’s 130 for 5 looked above par on quite a big ground, and had not even required Orr, Gorton (S), Sinker and Power (N) to add finesse if not runs to the score. Orr stepped up to open the bowling with Reade, and scooped both the openers. Carpenters’ danger man was a big hitter, whom the Bar’s fielders dropped three times. (I shall not name them). Reade took 3 wickets, one being possibly the best batsman for a golden duck. Orr’s loud LBW appeal removed the danger man, and Rishton breathed a sigh of relief. Power breathed two sighs of relief. Orr ended on 4 for 19. Then Prior and Rishton had a go, and there was run-out. Carpenters made 60 or 64 all out. The final beckons, when most of the team will be on holiday.
Man of the Match: Orr
All-rounder of the Evening: Reade
Fielding Point: Harthan (during LBCC’s innings)
Chester Bar 2013
But now there is a new dawn, Chester is part of the Northern Circuit and we are all friends. Which is just as well, as the Liverpool team was made up of 5 barristers, a son, a brother-in-law and 4 ringers sportingly accumulated by Chester captain Julian Shaw in the pub the night before. Although the accumulation of ringers was sporting, as things turned out their allocation amongst the teams was more than sporting.
The five barristers from Liverpool had put arrangements in place; a combination of bridging loans, remortgages and pay-day loans meant that all were ready for whatever match fee came their way. Bitter experience told them that the sumptuous banquet between innings normally came with a financial sting at the end of the match.
Worse was to come, as Harthan announced on arrival that he required the full name, date of birth, career statistics and inside leg measurements of each player for his new iPad scoring App. After new-pads-raised-match-fee-gate earlier in the season, there was considerable trepidation amongst his troops as he unfurled his new bat, as yet unadorned with his top scores over the ages.
So to the game itself; Liverpool won the toss and batted. Gosling, obviously flummoxed by Barrow CCs’ new sightscreens, missed his first ball and meandered back to the pavilion to complete his Primary Club application form. In came Ringer number 1, Bart Beswick. “I don’t play much, but let’s see how it goes” he confided to his batting partner. Twenty-five balls or so later he was back in the pavilion having made a quick fifty and retired. The revenge of the ringers then took place, as Chester’s Dave McClements spun his way through a string of Liverpool batsmen, his dismissal of Gorton the most memorable; first ball he fumbled at a leg-break outside off-stump, next ball he left a googly which demolished his stumps. Not liking what he saw from the non-striker’s end, Power then cynically manufactured a period of ten overs or so when he barely faced a ball to save his precious (only to him) wicket.
Liverpool needed a rethink, and it came with the stunning addition of Bill Prior to the pantheon of great umpiring performances in this fixture. Standing about 18” wide of the return crease at he bowler’s end, his view made it nigh-on impossible to give any batsmen out and he was true to that cause.
Will White swatted a few, the Skipper’s new bat added a quick 35 and Power meandered to 50, bringing back the Tavaré taunts that have haunted his career. Liverpool, with another ringered 37 from Andy, had made it to a post-war record of 230 in 35 overs.
That left them 40 overs to bowl Chester out. Julian Shaw failed, scoring only 44 at the top of the order. Gosling gained his revenge, skittling out Williams at the other end, but back came McClements. There then followed a passage of thrilling cricket which did not require the intervention of any barrister. Beswick and Metcalf bowled full-paced at McClements and he rose to the challenge, swatting them all around the ground until on 49 he was caught by a stunning catch from Churchill, another triumph of the ringer. This was hugely important as it mean that the batsman was denied the chance to retire at 50 and come in at the end to win the game. Prior took a quick three wickets (without the help of his Dad’s umpiring), Jebb came in and smote a few, mostly from the 14-year-old son, but his Dad came on to bowl to take revenge and Gorton caught him out to gain his and secure the win for Liverpool.
And so to the match fee. Given the fine spread of sandwiches at tea, the plentiful supply of beer and the excellent barbeque at the end, it turned out to be very modest indeed. Luckily there was no technology supplement as Harthan hadn’t done his homework and couldn’t work the App. That will come next match.