The Threes made it three wins on the bounce in a good, competitive match against our friends down the B3400. With both skippers understandably keen to bowl first after overnight rain, Overton’s captain called correctly and sent the Oaks into bat. While the strip didn’t quite resemble Hyderabad after a dry spell—like it did a fortnight ago—the slightly less baked surface still offered all the eccentricities we’ve come to expect from an “interesting Newfound pitch.”
So it proved, with Overton’s opening bowlers extracting some sharp bounce from a good length, troubling both Jeff and Dan early on. A decent breeze helped, too—particularly for one of the bowlers from the Pavilion End who was hooping the ball in like it was on elastic.
With batting proving tricky, Dan decided to put Jeff out of his misery by calling for a single that would have troubled Usain Bolt, let alone someone with biscuits for knees. Another pint owed.
Dan followed shortly after, having struck a couple of boundaries. The feasts of last season seem to have given way to this year’s famine. Returning Oakley Legend™ Tom Harris came in at three but wasn’t in for long—bowled by a good length delivery that cut in and knocked him over. A good nut, to be fair.
In came Noah to try and forge a partnership with Benjamin, and he didn’t disappoint. He battled well but, after doing the hard work, chased a wide one he really should have left alone—caught in the gully. Benjamin and Steve then put together a decent partnership, with Benjamin eventually falling for a well-earned 31.
Middle Order Mischief and Lower Order Wags
After a lean season last time out, Steve continued his excellent form with a more-than-handy 41 (he’ll tell you it was 44) to help the Oaks into a position that could be described as “reasonable.” Harrison and Adam chipped in with 8 and 11 respectively. Then came Tom McCarthy—another of our excellent Colts—who added a busy, eye-catching 8, before James Middleton arrived with serious intent and smacked a quick 14.
We finished 170 all out. Slightly below par perhaps, but on a pitch like Newfound’s, we knew that bowling well and bowling straight could make it a very tricky chase.
A Quick Wicket, Then a Quick Fightback
With the Overton skipper at the top of the order, we knew early wickets would be key. Dan coaxed Jeff into a four-over opening spell, paired with Harrison Bird at the other end. It paid off immediately—Harrison struck with his first ball, a simple caught-and-bowled.
Any thoughts that we’d be wrapping this up before tea were swiftly dismissed by the Overton number 3, who began dispatching anything short and/or wide with brutal efficiency. The game looked like it might be slipping.
Dan threw the ball to James Middleton in hopes of offering the batsmen something different to think about—which, judging by the early overs, mainly involved deciding whether to leave the wide one or the even wider one. Just as Dan started to question his life choices, James pulled one out of the bag and removed the dangerous number 3 with a sharp caught-and-bowled. 77–2 at drinks, and still Overton’s game to lose.
A Captain’s Bollocking—and the Desired Effect
Until that point, we’d been lacklustre in the field—quiet, flat, and half a yard off the pace. Dan got the team in and made it very clear what was needed. In summary: stop being rubbish, or Overton would cruise to victory. We needed more energy, sharper fielding, and a bit of needle with the ball.
This season we’ve been taking wickets in clusters, and sensing the momentum shift, we pounced. Young George Bird steamed in with a fiery spell, knocking over three batsmen in short order—the third being an absolute peach: a fast, inswinging yorker that got well-deserved applause from ’keeper Savage.
Twin brother Harrison returned to grab two more (both bowled), and new recruit Tom McCarthy joined the party with a wicket of his own—also bowled. Once again, great to see our younger players stepping up and making a mark in the adult sides.
The Last Throw of the Dice
With the Overton skipper still holding firm amidst the carnage, and the target creeping closer, Dan brought Jeff back on to try and close it out. But the runs kept ticking.
Jeff and Harrison had bowled out, Tom had completed his four overs, and James was still offering slightly too much variation (and width), so Dan turned to himself for one last push.
And push he did. Two point one overs later: game over. A tricky little catch safely pouched by Tom McCarthy, followed by the Overton skipper bowled by a ball that (depending on who you ask) looped, spat off a good length, pitched a foot outside off, turned sharply, and took the top of leg… or, more accurately, the batter played all around a straight one and got bowled.
#Scenes.
A Proper Team Win
Once again, the Oaks sensed an opening and kicked the door off its hinges. A proper team win, with real joy at the final wicket and handshakes all round with the Overton lads.
Special mentions go to Steve Savage, still proving that age is just a number with superb keeping and valuable runs; a key partnership between Noah and Benjamin; George’s electric spell of fast bowling; and the continued emergence of young Tom McCarthy.
After a jubilant debrief, it was back to the club for beers with the 1s and 2s.
Next up: a tricky home game against Basingstoke, but very winnable if we keep playing like this.