Charlton Down Cricket Club

Charlton Down V Plush
(At Charlton Down)
19/08/2007


So continues our friendly cricket season on a not so lovely day at Charlton Down, but what did look lovely were the Stunning new shirts over half the team were showing off. (I will get some pictures of the team in them after Thursdays game). Any way down to the game! I WON the toss for the second time this year! So I thought we would have a nice bat first.

It all started very nicely as Eric B and Jimmy “The Riddle” Mitchell put on 21 for the first wicket and doing so took the opening bowlers out of the game. Once Eric departed I stepped up the crease and proceeded to get dropped every other ball while at the other end Jimmy was starting some thing magical. We soon went from 30-1 off of 10 overs to 100-1 from 20 overs as Jimmy was plundering runs all over the show including a huge six which cleared the trees! Cheers were ringing from the pavilion and I swear I heard a muttering of “My six at Wimborne was much bigger”. With the score on 108 I left the crease with Jimmy still trying to beat the leather off of the ball. He was well aided by the rest of the batsmen Jesus, Kev J and Fraser C who stayed with Jimmy until he’d done what he’s been saying all season, “I’ll open the batting and I’ll get a century”. Well he did it and he did it in style with lovely pull shot which lost the ball. We finished on 220-5 off of our 40 overs which is a new club record! It was not the only record to fall as Jimmy had finished on 125 not out beating my score by 10 and becoming the clubs 3rd Centurion!!

After a lovely tea we set out to get Plush out nice and early, we hoped any way! Things started well with the first over a maiden from James Pretty and Chris T (Jesus) bowling their opener round his legs!! But the next over went for 12 runs with 8 of them almost going through me, heads started to drop as the two bats men were chopping the ball to all parts and they soon rushed to 103-1 off of 17 overs, we couldn’t seem to get them out! Then what can only be described as a piece of brilliant field placing by me, I had put Jon A on to bowl and decided to move the field around a bit so I stuck Jimmy at square leg and the next ball went sailing straight in to his hands! This turned the game on its head as 4 wickets fell for 22 runs with Rudo (2-26) and Jon Adcock (3-46) bowled us back in to the game. Cat like fielding from the silver fox (Dave S) kept Plush from piling in the runs. Towndrow Junior came on to bowl and did very well at the death. The fielding was very sharp and looked nothing like the team a week before!!! (Ask Rudo). They some how limped up to 212-9 and we had won our second friendly of the year!

It was a great game played in a friendly manner by both teams which made it all the more enjoyable!!! The best part of the day was seeing another century hit by Charlton Down player and I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that was brilliant Jimmy! Congratulations!

P.S Now you can't go to live in America Jimmy!!


Mark