Strongroom (285) beat London Fields (214/8)
by our special correspondent, Misha Maruma
It’s that time of year again when the sun goes down late in the evening and there is plenty of time to while away the hours, drinking tins of larger late into the day. It was on such a day as this that London Fields CC cricket season started.
The cancellation of the games the week before meant that an undercooked London Fields took on a Strongroom team who were able to iron out any flaws in their technique and get their eye in the previous week.
Nevertheless, this London Fields team displaying the characteristics of this great Hackney institution went down fighting on the first Sunday of the season
Winning the toss and bowling first on a sticky wicket, London Fields made the early breakthrough, but a lack of match practice let the game slip from our grasp, literally. Some early dropped catches let Strongroom steal the initiative with their top six batsmen contributing 250 to their total of 285. Dave Lane unfortunately ended up in Homerton A&E. No, he was not shot or stabbed by someone who cannot even spell those words, but rather took one for the team attempting to catch a ball travelling at some speed. A good effort, a nasty bent finger. Get well soon Dave.
But the steel I spoke of earlier came to the fore through London Fields man of the match Steve Fernbank, steaming in to unsettle the Strongroom batsmen with three good wickets built on some decent pace, movement of the ball and a desire to get London Fields back into the game.
Having started so well, Strongroom will have been disappointed to not complete their allotted overs, finishing all out with three overs to spare. This gave the Fields some hope, but they were still facing a tough run chase.
This got harder as Rhodri was out ‘playing a shot in his scoring zone’. Unfortunately he departed without troubling the scorer on this occasion. Shannon and Travis batted the Fields back into the game, but the run rate was steadily climbing with every over bowled. Good knocks from Jason and, as I mentioned before, Steve with 80 not out were valiant efforts, but ultimately all in vain as Fields only managed 214/8 off their 36 overs.
Not a perfect start to the season for London Fields, but not a disaster either. The team showed fight, spirit and determination, but ultimately lacked time out in the middle. Saying that, the beers were flowing, the new recruits bedded in well and the sun was shining. If the season carries in like this, the main aim will be achieved, enjoyment all round… and of course victories will follow.
Meanwhile, check out the Strongroom’s report
Strongroom CC Batting
No Details
London Fields Bowling
Name O M R W Avg
1 Simon Yates 6 0 48 0 –
2 Misha Maruma 4 0 38 1 38.00
3 Tony Tedore 7 0 49 1 49.00
4 Carl Death 5 0 40 2 20.00
5 Mike Sharkey 2 0 40 0 –
6 Steve Fernbank 5 0 20 3 6.67
7 Travis Willis 3 0 30 2 15.00
8 Arthur Smart 1 0 6 1 6.00
London Fields Batting
Name Scoring How Out Bowler Runs
1 Rhodri Evans Unknown Unknown 0
2 Shannon McKenzie Unknown Unknown 28
3 Travis Willis Unknown Unknown 20
4 Jason Lord Unknown Unknown 33
5 Steve Fernbank Not Out 80
6 Arthur Smart Unknown Unknown 0
7 Misha Maruma Unknown Unknown 1
8 Mike Sharkey Unknown Unknown 8
9 Carl Death Not Out 5
10 Simon Yates Did Not Bat –
11 Tony Tedore Did Not Bat –
Extras 39
Total 214 for 7
Strongroom CC Bowling
No Details
Original article published on www.londonfields.net
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