A Promising Start… Briefly
The Oaks paid a hefty price for a disappointing batting display yesterday, undone at the idyllic, sun-drenched Wherwell ground by a spirited Thruxton side.
Batting first, things started brightly. Kunal opened up with a couple of crisp boundaries, and George looked composed, calmly nudging it around. But then… it all went as the Cockney rhyming slang goes…Pete Tong.
George was the first to go, gifting Thruxton a start by clothing a truly rancid full toss straight to a fielder. Less dismissal, more a vomit inducing donation. Kunal followed not long after, falling to a delivery that was decent but far from unplayable for a man of his calibre. Then Ian made the walk back before he’d really arrived: LBW, first ball. Golden duck. Oh the joy of cricket.
A Middle-Order Misfire
From there, the collapse set in properly. Joby (9), Jack (10), and Goughy (12) all did their best to spark some momentum, but it never quite clicked. The innings fizzled out with a whimper, and poor George Bird was left stranded on 4, not getting the chance to bat on valiantly, just marooned at the non-striker’s end without a partner in sight. A lonely island in a sea of ducks and mishits.
All out for a limp 77. Pathetic if we are honest.
Some Fight with the Ball
Still, there was some spirit left in the bowlers. Zak hit good areas in a bid to redeem his own moment of madness with the bat (a classic Bob Lethaby goes walkabout incident). He picked up two wickets, as did Sharan, while Ollie chipped in with one. Thruxton, for their part, didn’t bat particularly deep, and we at least grabbed a couple of bowling points from the day’s wreckage.
Frustratingly, another 30 or 40 runs and it could’ve been a proper contest against a team hampered by unavailability. But as it was, we were always chasing a miracle rather than reality.
A Silver Lining
There was a twist in the tale of our woeful Saturday: our relegation rivals managed to somehow do even worse. So, bizarrely, we ended the day in a stronger position than we started. One more win should see us safe, and that’s something to hold on to, if not celebrate wildly, or at all. Best just to be quietly relieved.
Praise for Thruxton
It wasn’t a day for the scrapbook, but a word of praise for Thruxton. They’ve built a really lovely set-up, complete with scorers, a nice little pavilion and a cracking tea. A great atmosphere and a credit to village cricket. Well done to them.
On we travel.