An absolutely scorching day is lovely for a game of cricket but not so much for the 17 mile hike to pitch three of the Sporty. It was ten v ten but rumours of a player from each side having succumbed to exhaustion during the climb from the car park are as yet unconfirmed.
Galpin took on the skipper’s armband and valiantly lost the toss, Shirley putting us in to bat.
Hurst wasted no time getting off the mark with a two and a four in the first over, but when he was adjudged caught behind, that was it for him. Blades 6-1 after one over. Hamer K and Rhodes took on the opening attack but there was nothing being given away. Literally. Two maidens followed. Tras opening his account in the next over and the runs began to trickle, but at 12-1 after six, it was slow going. Rhodes took one in the stomach but replied in the following over with a smart four behind square leg. The eighth over closed with Hamer K clean bowled, the score 21-2. The arrival of Grimes and the change of bowling allowed for an upturn in the Blades batting fortunes. Runs began to flow a little easier, the boundary seemed a little closer and both batsmen were finding fours. If it weren’t for the scampering fielder in burgundy, there may have been more. There were near misses too, the occasional catch being offered, most notable Rhodes offering first slip a routine training catch, which he declined from a surprisingly recumbent position.
The fifty came up in the fifteenth over and Grimes retired on an excellent 27 in the same over. More bowling changes allowed for more extras but also the arrival of Whitear at the crease meant the cultured stroke play continued. Rhodes was bowled for a solid 23 in the 19th over, leaving Khan to accompany Whitear in tonking 14 from the last over including a huge six. From a slow start the Blades closed on a respectable 105-3.
Galpin wasted no time taking on the Shirley openers. After allowing them only a single run in the first over, he then bowled the number two for a duck. This correspondent was busy tweeting the good news to our follower, and therefore missed the legendary spread-eagle celebration. The second over didn’t go quite so well as Meering was hit for two fours, but he soon had his revenge and bowled the number 3 in the fourth over with the score at 22-2. So a brisk start for Shirley meant they were ahead of the Blades total at the same point, but level on the overall rate and with two early wickets down. Game on.
Unfortunately that’s where the Blades fightback stalled. The Shirley batsmen were finding shots and fours amongst the Blades attack where there weren’t necessarily that many bad balls. At the halfway point they had trundled on to 64-2, ahead of the rate now and with settled batsmen. But settled batsmen retire and by the end of the next over, both were back in the pavilion and two fresh batsmen at the crease scored a little slower. Hamer B and Whitear took a wicket each with the score at 85 and murmurs among the capacity crowd were that this could be where the Blades turned the screw. In the fifteenth Hamer K stretched to a high catching chance, brought it down but despite two bites it evaded his grasp and denied Hamer B a second wicket and the Hamers a family dismissal.
Richardson bowled his first over since 2014 but Shirley quickly rattled off the three runs they needed. Their batting had been just too strong, picking up ones and fours and never slipping behind the rate despite the fall of wickets, and they ran out worthy winners with 106-4
RESULT: SHIRLEY WIN BY 6 WICKETS
Champagne moment contenders:
Grimes unbeaten 27
The return of Richardson to the bowling attack
Rhodes solid 23
Whitear’s first runs since 2017
The Blades CC 