2010

EYMET CC v NOE-GASCOGNE – League Play-Off Sunday 1 August

A Cricket Conundrum - how do you win a league play-off match without your 3 top-scoring batsmen, your top wicket-taker, and your best all-rounder? Eymet’s first answer was to call for The Bishop, then win the toss, and then put the opposition in!

With such depleted resources it was always going to need unusual tactics to beat Noe-Gascogne, the unbeaten champions of the Midi-Pyrenees league, and Skipper Sam decided that giving the bowlers free reign was as good a place to start as any. Vince Morgan and the Cobra started well with tight spells, Vince felling the Noe skipper, Anbu, just where it hurts. With the Silver Fox, Mike Stratford, providing the medical attention he would surely never recover, but the plucky fellow rose only to be skittled by the Cobra a few overs later. Vince had also picked up a wicket and at 44-2 it was time to apply the middle order squeeze with the accuracy of Bish and Chris Farrell. The tactic worked superbly as Noe struggled to 81-4 off 30 overs. A brief flurry from Jalpen threatened Eymet’s dominance but Tom Hinds removed him and another danger man. With the Silver Fox also picking up a couple, the Noe innings was soon all over at 124 all out. Amongst the carnage Eymet had fielded superbly with fine catches in the deep from Hinds and Fabb. The Silver Fox had also been re-named Stratilova after his grunting effort to bowl out a young Frenchman who hardly knew which end of the bat to hold.

Without regular openers Eymet decided to shield the best bats but this ploy failed and they were soon 14-2. Skipper Sam and John Fabb restored order but without getting on top, and when John fell, closely followed by Tom Hinds, Eymet were 49-4 and struggling with only 17 overs to go. But this was only the prelude to the drama that followed. Time for Fabio to prove his worth, who had been promoted to beef up the middle order. Fabio began slowly but suddenly creamed 10 off one over and the stands erupted by chanting his name. Sam followed with 9 off the next, but it should have been 10, the “beef” did not quite build up enough speed and Fabio was run out going for a 2nd run. 80-4, and in a winning position, suddenly become 87-8, with yet another Eymet collapse, including Skipper Sam with a top-score of 37. It looked all over but the Golden Generation had different ideas. Stratilova guided the team towards 100 but was bowled attempting another big hit. The Cobra joined Bish for the last hurrah and promptly thrashed 2 fours. Incidents came thick and fast, just like some opening bowling attacks. Bish was dropped then broke his bat trying for a big hit. A ridiculous appeal against the Cobra, but not out, provoked a glaring match with Skipper Anbu, and suddenly Eymet were only 11 short with 2 overs left. Sriram bowled the tightest of overs, which left 9 off the last. Bish scampered a single off the first ball and the Eymet faithful watched as the Cobra lined up to crash the ball to the ropes. Alas, he was on unlucky 13 and the only thing that crashed was his stumps as Abid wrapped up the match.

With such a close match the post-mortem began during drinks. Fabio’s run-out had been crucial and Mr Wides had not been kind, scoring 22 for Noe but only 13 for Eymet. But you may prefer to be Frindellesque about such matters and look at the stats. Noe’s league form indicated that a total of 200 would not have been out of place, so Eymet had bowled and fielded for their lives. The Eymet XI had not batted well this year and their averages gave a total of less than 100, so 117 was about par for the course. The lack of batting stars in the line-up had taken its toll.

And as talk turned to the forthcoming series of touring teams more strange tales were heard. Lizzie, the Teas Mistress, had visited the local “don de sang” but her blood had been refused on the grounds that she was English and could have mad cow disease. Whilst clearly this is an absurd notion in the case of this young lady, a glance at some of the Eymet characters that you read about in this column and the French may have a point …………………

RESULT: NOE-GASCOGNE WIN BY 7 RUNS

NOE-GASCOGNE 124 All Out off 38.2 overs (Anbu 27, Jalpen 26, Stratford 2-6, Bishop 2-16, Morgan 2-20, Hinds 2-23)

EYMET 117 All Out off 39.2 overs (S.Harrell 37, Sriram 3-34, Abid 2-10, Inam 2-15)

EYMET: S.Harrell, T.Smith, B.Rhodes, J.Fabb, T.Hinds, A.Graham, V.Morgan, C Farrell, M.Stratford, T.Bishop, A.Coombe.