Texaco twins fail to tarnish memorable win
Hampshire Hogs 280 for 6 (Robinson 70, Henderson 3-72, Hobbs 2-44) lost to
OCCC 284 for 8 (Copleston E 70, Hill 56, Johnson E 40, Howard 35) by two wickets
Click here for the full scorecard
We have had some extraordinary games, including two wonderful wins, with the Hogs in the four years they have been hosting us. Something unusual or controversial always seems to happen. On a sunny and occasionally warm August bank holiday weekend, this game lived up to all expectations.
OC’s never have the full complement of 11 cricketers at the allotted start time. It isn’t a great stat. It doesn’t show what a committed and professional outfit we sometimes are but it always adds to the drama and forms part of the story of the day. Charlie Clarence-Smith rang up at 10.55 from Jubilee. He was told in no uncertain terms that he was supposed to be opening the bowling and he ought to get himself hurtling down south pronto. He made an honest mistake. The next paragraph talks about the other two who were nowhere to be seen when the bell rang at 11 o’clock.
Jumbo Jupp and Michael Roper were no doubt bumbling leisurely across the Sussex countryside in Jumbo’s blue polo with one working headlight. One imagines they may have talked a little about the game or about Jumbo’s exciting new living arrangement or about Michael’s questionably tight shorts. Whatever they were chatting about, at some point not too far from the Hogs grounds, one of them, probably Michael suggested that they stop for a cup of coffee. They spotted a Texaco garage and assumed that some brown hot drink would be available. So, they stopped. Perhaps one of them, probably Jumbo, checked the time and calculated how long they could afford to stop for.
Doubtless they enjoyed their cups of coffee and carried on chatting, perhaps about Michael’s continuing bad luck on the dating front. When Jumbo got back behind the wheel they probably both realised they had stopped for longer than they ought given the impending 11 o’clock start. What is beyond doubt, and not denied by either of the culprits, is that they took the wrong road out of Texaco and (unbeknownst to them) pootled out of Hampshire and back into Sussex. One of them must have sensed that they were heading east towards China rather than West towards Hawaii and checked a map. A sheepish phone call from Michael to angry captain Ed Henderson ensued. Michael claimed to be ‘in the area’ and ‘5 to 10 minutes away’. Judging by his arrival 40 minutes later he had lied on both counts.
The silver lining on the underside of this most grey cloud was that the Hogs kindly lent us three fielders. After three balls in which Henderson satisfied himself he could just remember the fundamentals of bowling, he invited one of the Hogs to go into second slip. Next ball and edge was caught by said Hog to much amusement all round.
The good start was short lived when Jamie Richards, opening the bowling instead of the missing Clarence-Smith, pulled a hamstring in the field and was forced out of the game. David Bugge (0-45) found himself in the attack within 10 overs and a new ball in his hand. He bowled a very tight eleven over spell and deserved a wicket.
Jupp and Roper appeared after this drama had taken place. You would have expected a degree of contrition from the pair. It was forthcoming from Jupp but not Roper who was banished to fine leg. Unfortunately that didn’t prevent him chattering away like an excitable monkey for the next 40 overs. It is possible that he said something funny at some point, the law of averages are in his favour on that point, but Henderson (3-72) has enough experience of this particular miscreant to block him out. It seems likely that some of Roper’s commentary would have concentrated on Henderson’s costly no ball on which he bowled the number three who went on to make 50.
280 was actually a generous declaration in the circumstances as it came at 3.10pm. Peter Hobbs had bowled well and taken a good catch and the same can be said for Bugge. We experimented briefly with Eds Copleston and Damien Hill in the attack. Clarence-Smith (arrived 1240 and was in no hurry to get himself changed and onto the ground) grabbed himself a wicked too.
At the half way stage Henderson told his batsmen that if they applied themselves we could chase this score. Quite how Euan Johnson (38) interpreted this instruction to mean try and score through the heavily populated slip and gully region from every ball is not known. Indeed when the Hogs opening bowler somehow bowled a ball down to third man, Johnson sprinted after it, or was it the petrified fielder, with his bat raised. After such a tempestuous start he needed an experienced partner of stable mind at the other end. He had Will Howard.
At 60 for 0 after 6 overs the captain was not complaining. In fact he was beginning to enjoy things. Howard delighted his watching team-mates with a loud shout of ‘buzzers’ when a Hogs fielder shied at the stumps and generally busied himself with the business of the chase, happy to hook any slow long-hops into the cow field. After he departed, Jupp top edged a sweep to deep square and Johnson ran out of steam, the game was back in the balance.
Damien Hill (56) and Edward Copleston (70) then put on a fine 4th wicket hundred partnership and looked like they were taking us home. Copleston drove, harried between the wickets and punished full tosses which Hill focussed on not letting Copleston lap him whilst running a three. Hill timed the ball better than he has in five years.
At 5pm and with a victory looking likely we still had not had the annual moment of controversy. Henderson had noted to Jupp that there was to be an umpire related twist to this tale and sure enough there was. The bowler fired a flat one towards Copleston’s nipple. Copleston flayed and was caught at midwicket. He stood staring at the square leg umpire in that faux-aghast way that only he can. The umpire wasn’t calling a no-ball and the Hogs spectators began to murmer about poor sportsmanship by the batsman for not walking off.
If it wasn’t for the calm, straight bat of Bugge (29*) we would have butchered the run chase. After Hill was out, Clarence-Smith, Roper and Henderson left Bugge stranded and it was the every-youthful looking Hobbs (6*) who stood firm to see us home.
For one of the 55 overs we bowled, we had eleven men on the pitch. One fielder light on a big cricket field with a depleted bowling attack on a good batting wicket is tough yet we stuck to the task, fielded well and managed to create periods of pressure. Chasing 280 to win is a fine effort and, as the sun set over the hill that had earlier seen the Red Arrows and a Vulcan bomber pass over, we were able to reflect on a very satisfying day. Ed Henderson
Click here for the full scorecard
We have had some extraordinary games, including two wonderful wins, with the Hogs in the four years they have been hosting us. Something unusual or controversial always seems to happen. On a sunny and occasionally warm August bank holiday weekend, this game lived up to all expectations.
OC’s never have the full complement of 11 cricketers at the allotted start time. It isn’t a great stat. It doesn’t show what a committed and professional outfit we sometimes are but it always adds to the drama and forms part of the story of the day. Charlie Clarence-Smith rang up at 10.55 from Jubilee. He was told in no uncertain terms that he was supposed to be opening the bowling and he ought to get himself hurtling down south pronto. He made an honest mistake. The next paragraph talks about the other two who were nowhere to be seen when the bell rang at 11 o’clock.
Jumbo Jupp and Michael Roper were no doubt bumbling leisurely across the Sussex countryside in Jumbo’s blue polo with one working headlight. One imagines they may have talked a little about the game or about Jumbo’s exciting new living arrangement or about Michael’s questionably tight shorts. Whatever they were chatting about, at some point not too far from the Hogs grounds, one of them, probably Michael suggested that they stop for a cup of coffee. They spotted a Texaco garage and assumed that some brown hot drink would be available. So, they stopped. Perhaps one of them, probably Jumbo, checked the time and calculated how long they could afford to stop for.
Doubtless they enjoyed their cups of coffee and carried on chatting, perhaps about Michael’s continuing bad luck on the dating front. When Jumbo got back behind the wheel they probably both realised they had stopped for longer than they ought given the impending 11 o’clock start. What is beyond doubt, and not denied by either of the culprits, is that they took the wrong road out of Texaco and (unbeknownst to them) pootled out of Hampshire and back into Sussex. One of them must have sensed that they were heading east towards China rather than West towards Hawaii and checked a map. A sheepish phone call from Michael to angry captain Ed Henderson ensued. Michael claimed to be ‘in the area’ and ‘5 to 10 minutes away’. Judging by his arrival 40 minutes later he had lied on both counts.
The silver lining on the underside of this most grey cloud was that the Hogs kindly lent us three fielders. After three balls in which Henderson satisfied himself he could just remember the fundamentals of bowling, he invited one of the Hogs to go into second slip. Next ball and edge was caught by said Hog to much amusement all round.
The good start was short lived when Jamie Richards, opening the bowling instead of the missing Clarence-Smith, pulled a hamstring in the field and was forced out of the game. David Bugge (0-45) found himself in the attack within 10 overs and a new ball in his hand. He bowled a very tight eleven over spell and deserved a wicket.
Jupp and Roper appeared after this drama had taken place. You would have expected a degree of contrition from the pair. It was forthcoming from Jupp but not Roper who was banished to fine leg. Unfortunately that didn’t prevent him chattering away like an excitable monkey for the next 40 overs. It is possible that he said something funny at some point, the law of averages are in his favour on that point, but Henderson (3-72) has enough experience of this particular miscreant to block him out. It seems likely that some of Roper’s commentary would have concentrated on Henderson’s costly no ball on which he bowled the number three who went on to make 50.
280 was actually a generous declaration in the circumstances as it came at 3.10pm. Peter Hobbs had bowled well and taken a good catch and the same can be said for Bugge. We experimented briefly with Eds Copleston and Damien Hill in the attack. Clarence-Smith (arrived 1240 and was in no hurry to get himself changed and onto the ground) grabbed himself a wicked too.
At the half way stage Henderson told his batsmen that if they applied themselves we could chase this score. Quite how Euan Johnson (38) interpreted this instruction to mean try and score through the heavily populated slip and gully region from every ball is not known. Indeed when the Hogs opening bowler somehow bowled a ball down to third man, Johnson sprinted after it, or was it the petrified fielder, with his bat raised. After such a tempestuous start he needed an experienced partner of stable mind at the other end. He had Will Howard.
At 60 for 0 after 6 overs the captain was not complaining. In fact he was beginning to enjoy things. Howard delighted his watching team-mates with a loud shout of ‘buzzers’ when a Hogs fielder shied at the stumps and generally busied himself with the business of the chase, happy to hook any slow long-hops into the cow field. After he departed, Jupp top edged a sweep to deep square and Johnson ran out of steam, the game was back in the balance.
Damien Hill (56) and Edward Copleston (70) then put on a fine 4th wicket hundred partnership and looked like they were taking us home. Copleston drove, harried between the wickets and punished full tosses which Hill focussed on not letting Copleston lap him whilst running a three. Hill timed the ball better than he has in five years.
At 5pm and with a victory looking likely we still had not had the annual moment of controversy. Henderson had noted to Jupp that there was to be an umpire related twist to this tale and sure enough there was. The bowler fired a flat one towards Copleston’s nipple. Copleston flayed and was caught at midwicket. He stood staring at the square leg umpire in that faux-aghast way that only he can. The umpire wasn’t calling a no-ball and the Hogs spectators began to murmer about poor sportsmanship by the batsman for not walking off.
If it wasn’t for the calm, straight bat of Bugge (29*) we would have butchered the run chase. After Hill was out, Clarence-Smith, Roper and Henderson left Bugge stranded and it was the every-youthful looking Hobbs (6*) who stood firm to see us home.
For one of the 55 overs we bowled, we had eleven men on the pitch. One fielder light on a big cricket field with a depleted bowling attack on a good batting wicket is tough yet we stuck to the task, fielded well and managed to create periods of pressure. Chasing 280 to win is a fine effort and, as the sun set over the hill that had earlier seen the Red Arrows and a Vulcan bomber pass over, we were able to reflect on a very satisfying day. Ed Henderson
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