Reds CC in England - Game Six

The streets of Worcester are festooned with Union Jacks after local club Old Elizabethans ended the Reds’ unbeaten UK record. Old Elizabethans, who play in the third tier of the powerful Birmingham League which feeds Warwickshire and Worcestershire, fielded three players from each of their four sides to record a tense two-wicket victory.

Batting first in the 45-over-a-side game, Reds crashed to 5-27 after 18 overs. Firsts quick Jamil and young off-spinner Garrett did the damage. Unluckiest dismissal was Devers, who cracked a pull shot only to be brilliantly caught by a diving Pullan. Most comical was Funky Miller, who went back to the bowler’s end and was chatting with the umpire about macrobiotic microbeers when an overthrow from point sailed out to deep square. Partner Kahn’s call of “Come on Funky, wake up” will be inscribed on Funky’s tombstone, possibly using fragmentsof Kahn’s skull, after Miller lost a race with OECC skipper Truby who hared around from deep mid-wicket and sent a bullet throw over the bails.

The next fifteen overs saw a painstaking revival to 5-61 against the crafty front-of-the-hand legspin of 79-year-old Tony Neel, an OECC legend who sometimes plays four games a week, including over-60s county games. But when Chawla hit out once too often agaist Truby’s inswing and Cletus followed next ball, Reds were 8-82 with just ten overs remaining. To the rescue came man-of-the-match Rafter and veteran Williams with a superb stand of 54. Rafter clouted 41, including a savage pull for six into the golf course next door, while Williams recorded his best knock for the Reds, highlighted by powerful drives through and over mid-off.

After yet another sensational British tea, Reds set out to defend their modest 136. It seemed a forlorn hope as OECC Ones batsman James Bull worked the ball with ease in an opening stand of 43 in 16 overs. The run-rate sagged as Chawla’s off-spin tied down grafter Briscoe. Cletus hit a purple patch to snag the first three wickets, all caught by Chawla at first slip with various levels of unease. OECC skipper Truby hit hard to revive the run-rate, and at 3-93 after 31, OECC were well in command. Then Rafter and Thomas started rattling the stumps in four overs of mayhem, helped by Kahn who for once smashed the woodwork with a batsman out of his ground as Truby tried to take Thomas for a second six into the golf course. 

Score 8-103 with ten overs remaining, and Reds were suddenly in the driver’s seat, with OECC no.11 Neel boasting a batting average of 0.15. To the wicket came OECC veteran batsman and junior coach Peter Boyle, who had played just once in the last two seasons ... and made 140. Chappie had him perilously close to LBW with a leg-break, but umpire Boyes turned down a huge appeal with a decision that would have had bowler Boyes storming down the pitch in fury. From that point, Boyle and Colburn wiped off the deficit with a cagey combination of nudged singles and lofted drives, and OECC scrambled home by two wickets with two overs to spare. After the game, skipper Thomas was barely able to string two hundred words together in his disappointment at the loss of Reds’ “Invincibles” tag. 

Reds now head to the Lake District for a T20 against Appleby Eden, followed by a full-length game against Keswick.

Fall: 8 (Bergin) 14 (Devers) 22 (Gill) 27 (Miller) 27 (Donovan) 61 (Kahn) 82 (Chawla) 82 (Palin) 136 (Rafter) 136 (Williams)..

Fall: 43 (Walker) 55 (Bull) 68 (Briscoe) 93 (Pullan) 99 (Truby) 103 (Garrett) 103 (McPherson) 103 (Bayliss).

Old Elizabethans won by 2 wickets.