Merry on song to sink Horsley

OCCC 268 for 6 (39.3 overs – Merry 88, Jupp 46, Gates 43, Shapland 28, Hammond 22, Seipp 3 for 45) beat East Horsley 156 (Brown 56, Drake 45, Hill 3 for 2, Langmead 3 for 34, Treadwell 2 for 50, Craven 1 for 25, Watkinson 1 for 34) by 112 runs

After a crushing victory the day before, a majority of the Follies Farm team carried on their tour up the A3 to Horsley met by another gloriously sunny day and a track that looked more mid-summery than late-April.

The captain won the toss and with three people at the ground on time, decided to bat on what looked a good track. Sam Langmead and Jonny Gates strode purposefully to the crease, safe in the knowledge that a pre-season in India would stand them in good stead. This certainly looked to be the case when Langmead slapped his first ball into the huge extra-cover boundary and the duo ran four, before he then flicked his next ball over square leg for six - the start we all wanted. This optimism was premature when Gates dropped one into the midwicket region and called Langmead through for a risky single which resulted in a direct hit and Langmead dragging himself back to the pavilion with a long, hard (fully deserved) stare at Gates.

Harry Jupp came in at No. 3, fresh from a duck the previous day, but he got this monkey off his back with some glorious driving, being particularly ruthless off his legs, hooking one which flew like a bullet right into the pavilion roof. This was all after Gates had spent the two balls after running out Langmead desperately trying to run out his old school 1st XI opening partner, his calling leaving a lot to be desired.

These two together started to look the part, though, picking up from where they left off at school in 2003. Graeme Brown, playing for Horsley, came in for some severe punishment, particularly from Jupp and finished with 0 for 50 from six painful overs. Gates was also looking a real class act, particularly through the off side - hopefully this is going to be the year he starts to convert his starts into really big scores. Both were keeping the score ticking over nicely before perishing in quick succession, Gates to a rising delivery caught behind and Jupp to a somewhat dubious LBW decision - whatever happened to favourable early season umpiring Curly Craven???

This brought Rob Merry and his lump of an Indian bat to the crease. £100 (petty cash to Rob!) invested in Mumbai looked to be a very poor purchase until he drew a silence from the crowd by getting off the mark for the season with a cover drive that was over the boundary before the bowler has even finished his follow through - it was a sign of things to come. Supporting Rob at the other end was Dom Hammond, wicket-keeper/batsman, who played some delicate and precise sweeps and paddles as well as some rasping square drives before gloving behind.

Mark Shapland, self proclaimed man of leisure (while waiting to bat Mark was asked “When you go abroad what do you put as your occupation Mark?” to which he responded “Hero…”) but never to score the runs his correct technique deserves, made a quickfire 28, putting every inch of effort he had into hitting the ball off the square but possessing an ability to time the ball beautifully and hitting the gap, a summer of runs beckons for Mr Shapland. He entered the closing overs still occupying the crease with Merry, before he was stumped running down the wicket in an attempt to increase the run rate. Watkinson, batting far too low at No. 7, came out and started to find the middle of the bat after facing only two balls in India, a couple of well hit boundaries are sure to add to his confidence and reaffirm his position as a genuine allrounder, particularly with high standard Cricketer Cup games this season.

While all this was going on, Merry was continuing to show no respect to any form of bowling, hitting the ball to all corners of the park, with a wagon wheel of excitement the World Cup has been crying out for. He reached his 50 in only 28 balls (Rikki Clarke making 82 in the same amount for Surrey that same day, come on Rob, pick it up!) and marching towards the elusive three figures. He looked well set, and the only chance he gave up was when he lofted one to deep mid wicket and the fielder was unable to pluck the ball out the air. If it was even possible, he upped the tempo and many watching were glad they were not having to field against a man in that form. The end of his innings however was far from glorious, trying a cross between Mal Loye’s sweep against the quicker stuff and KP’s ‘flamingo’, Merry got himself in all sorts of a tangle and ended up being clean bowled, much to his annoyance, and only 12 short of what would have been a well-deserved and highly-memorable maiden OC hundred.

It was at this moment that Watkinson decided enough was enough and declared the innings. We went for a fully deserved tea, and Merry pretended he didn’t care he had just had a complete moment of madness within touching distance of a hundred (Only the best make it through the nervous 80’s and 90’s at the first attempt Rob!). After a lunch spent with ham, cucumber and egg sandwiches whilst watching tennis (who could have guessed we were in Surrey!) the team went out on to the field charged up and ready to take the same aggressive bowling and fielding performance seen the previous day. The presence of the chairman proving an inspiration to the youngsters proudly wearing the OC shirt.

Brown came out and took guard opening the Horsley innings and was faced with a barrage of sledging, digs and aggressive bowling. He took his time to find his feet, surviving some close LBW shouts before upping the ante with a strut down the crease and a well timed punch over mid on for 6, a quality shot met with glares and a next ball bouncer from the skipper. Watkinson opened the bowling again, successfully, and in tandem with Alex Craven at the other end, they picked up two early wickets between them through consistent and accurate bowling with an old ball doing absolutely nothing off the pitch or through the air.

Brown kept the score ticking over with some gorgeous straight batted cricket shots and Horsley were up with the asking rate of only six or seven an over, highly gettable on that wicket with the quick outfield. It was the loss of Brown that hurt Horsley, padding up to a Langmead delivery one too many times and being given out leg-before, a fantastic knock of 56 showing that he certainly can bat when being sledged and abused, Opponents take note, Brown is the OC Mike Atherton, not worth sledging him, its not going to work!

Drake for Horsley, the current RGS 1st XI captain, carried on the fight, keeping the asking rate down to around a run a ball, but wickets started to fall around him. Langmead bowled a superb spell of consistent, probing bowling and fully deserved his figures of 3 for 34 and Tim Treadwell, our Old-Wellingtonian ringer for the day, sent down some well thought out off-spinners and took two crucial wickets, including that of Drake. Jupp helped finish off the innings with two well-taken and well-judged catches in the outfield having been banished from the slips, these catches putting a smile back on his face having skulked around the outfield like a stroppy teenager! Horsley had the wind taken out of their sails and the final thee wickets were taken by the main man himself, Damien Hill, including two in two balls which leaves him on a hat-trick for the Esher game this coming Sunday.

All in all, a top early season performance, punishing with the bat, probing with the ball and energetic in the field. Watkinson led the way with two direct hits, narrowly missing out on run-outs, although it wasn’t as good for his Headstart colleague Gates, who dropped a chance for the second day in a row. The team left the field in high spirits with all creating ways of dodging match fees, the worst of which being Langmead who tried to talk his way out of the payment despite having a graduate job and driving a Porsche … a definite fine!
Tristan Rosenfeldt