The Oaks Third String arrived at Hook on a roasting Saturday afternoon, desperately searching for a win on a scorched Rotherwick pitch with an outfield offering roughly the same resistance as a marble staircase.
The obvious key to success was to win the toss, bat first and slowly drain the life out of the Hook fielders while we sat in the shade drinking water. Skipper Dan failed spectacularly in this mission, prompting scenes of utter disdain from the dressing room.
Still, we just had to get on with it. Worse things happen in life than being asked to field first as the temperature nudges beyond 30°C, although at that precise moment nobody could think of many.
Young Guns and Old Legs
Young Tom McCarthy opened the bowling alongside Jack Cousens and produced a tidy spell, taking a useful wicket during four overs that cost just under four runs apiece. With the heat intensifying, he was replaced by Zak Newton.
It clearly wasn’t hot enough for Jack, who ploughed through his full allocation of eight overs and finished with an excellent 2 for 26. Zak also bowled six tidy overs, picking up a wicket and conceding just 3.83 an over. His figures could have been even better had he not treated his opening six deliveries as an official warm-up session.
The Oaks were fielding well in the heat. Well, some of them were.
Bob stoutly refused to chase anything that went past him, largely through fear that the afternoon might end with him attached to a defibrillator. It was too hot for a young man to sprint downhill, let alone somebody held together by painkillers, statins and fading memories of athleticism.
As Zak began to tire and Jack completed his allocation, Will Hodgetts and Jack Brundle were handed the opportunity to make an impact with the ball. Unfortunately, neither quite gorged themselves on it and, within six overs, Hook had dragged themselves firmly back into the contest.
Cricket is strange like that. In the space of 20 minutes, you can go from, “I hope the opposition make a game of this,” to, “Bloody hell, we’re in danger of cocking this up.”
Temu Warne and McGrath
Dan reacted quickly and turned to himself and Bob Lethaby.
Hardly Ambrose and Walsh, but the thinking was that if they bowled towards the stumps rather than the sky, the pavilion or the nearby golf course, they might get some joy. And so it proved.
Bob and Dan suddenly transformed into the Hampshire lower-league version of a Temu Warne and McGrath. Dan provided nagging medium pace while Bob tempted the batters to either go big or return to the pavilion. It was a partnership that has existed just long enough for me to remember some of what happened.
Between them, they brought the Hook innings to an end. Dan finished with an excellent 3 for 32 from eight overs, while Bob wrapped things up with 2 for 29 from 7.4. There was also an excellent run-out from Jack Cousens, proving that at least one person in the team was still capable of moving quickly.
It was a fine effort from Bob and Dan, whose combined age of 109 demonstrated that cricket can still be played while travelling steadily towards meeting one’s maker.
Hook finished on 181, which felt distinctly below par on a pitch where anything beating the field appeared to accelerate towards the boundary.
Captain Marvel Takes Charge
Having finished with the ball, it was now time for Dan to become Captain Marvel with the bat. He opened alongside another promising Oaks youngster, 75-year-old Steve Savage, and soon began plundering anything loose.
Steve battled hard for a valuable 20 before returning to the hut with The Oaks in a commanding position at 93 for 1. Tom Harris arrived looking like a man with somewhere else to be. His slightly chaotic contribution ended when he was bowled for 15, leaving The Oaks with around 50 still required.
Would there be a trademark Third XI collapse?
Would several batters suddenly forget which end of the bat to hold?
Would an apparently comfortable chase descend into unnecessary panic?
For once, the answer was no.
Jack Brundle found the step down from the Seconds rather agreeable, while Dan continued to lead from the front before eventually departing for an excellent 72. George Rutt also looked comfortable as The Oaks eased their way to victory with 11 overs to spare.
A Much-Needed Win
It was a thoroughly deserved and much-needed victory.
The foundations were laid by a strong bowling and fielding performance on what was comfortably a 250-plus pitch. Anything that passed a fielder fizzed across the outfield and disappeared to the boundary before anyone had time to consider chasing it.
That disciplined effort allowed the batters to approach the chase without panicking about the required rate, and they took full advantage. It was then back to Oakley Park to hear about the heroics elsewhere as The Oaks completed their first Saturday hat-trick of the season.
Three teams, three victories and, remarkably, no disasters to report.
A special mention must also go to Hook, who were friendly hosts and played the game in an excellent spirit throughout.
A cracking afternoon, a long-awaited win and proof that the Thirds still have plenty of life in them, even if several members require regular maintenance.