Sunday 12th Sept 2021 
For the season swansong, the Wick CC troop headed down to Barry Island to end the 2021 season, as it started, against our great friends Barry West End CC. The West End ground is always a favoured away trip and, true to form, Wick supporters were out in their droves to watch the cricket and take in the surrounding attractions.
The week preceding had presented an unprecedented selection dilemma with a surplus of available players. Dicky nobly took one for the team (and his own brownie points) as he agreed to be 12th man, Gutsy declared himself 13th man … we would not be short of a Dixon for this one!
The Wick AB De Villiers, Russell, was back after a recent break during which the lads thought he must have been ‘born again’ and converted to another language/religion/culture etc …. turns out his facebook had been hacked!
Skipper Rob lost the toss and, as is rarely ever the case, Wick were batting first. It was to his credit that Rob strapped the pads on himself and opened the batting, given he had done so against Barry in the first game of the season and joined the exclusive ‘Royal Duck’ club (out first ball of a season). No such bad luck this time though, as he and Steve Richmond made a fantastic start to the innings with an opening stand of 86. The crowd were captivated by some excellent strokeplay and power hitting. After one particularly brutal Rob slog-sweep, Kenny summed up the excitement with a cry of ‘Swept like a chicken mast’ … a clever play on his own famous catchphrase.
Rob reached a deserved half century before falling for exactly 50, edging a ball onto his stumps which the keeper then caught … as out as can be! Math joined Steve at the middle and the pair nurdled the score along. Steve, like a statistician’s wet dream, took a single off the last ball of the 20th over to leave the score well poised at exactly 100-1 at drinks. It was during the talk of statisticians that the real catastrophe of Dicky not playing had dawned on everyone …. who was going to write the match report?!
Steve fell soon after drinks for an accomplished 32 and Russ joined a scratchy Math. The pace of scoring, thanks to some typically accurate bowling from Tenko, had dropped significantly. So much so in fact that the vast majority of Wick supporters, like an Arsenal FC crowd, had seen enough and, en masse, headed to the beach/pleasure park to be entertained.
On trying to combat the West End stranglehold, Russ articulated to Math a cunning plan .. stop trying hit boundaries and nudge the ball into gaps and take the singles. Two balls later, Russ forgot his own memo, danced down the wicket and tried to smash Tenko into the arcades … alas, he missed and was stumped for 3.
The in-form Amal joined Math and eventually the pair managed to get the board moving in the right direction. Math, despite constant heckling from Philemon, reached his fifty before feathering an edge to keeper Glan for 59. Amal made a composed 28* and, ably supported by a breezy late cameo of 18* by Steve Collins, steered the Wick total to a more than respectable 232-5 after 40 overs.
Wick knew the task was only half done, on a good wicket against a good side. The task looked harder when Henry, centurion for the West End against Wick earlier in the season, turned up for a bat when the fielding was done!
During the tea-break the skipper considered his opening bowler options. Andy was nailed on at one end and Kenny, who didn’t need to be asked twice, given the nod at the other. In stark contrast to pretty much every other match, Wick made a fantastic start with the ball! Barry native Andy Ellis, who had spent the entire tea break shining the pink ball, made great use of it and bowled S Oram for 5 in the fifth over.
So confident was Kenny that he would take his obligatory wicket this week, he had bet all of the boys he would go on the huge, scary-ass funfair ride that towers over the cricket ground if he didn’t. Of course, the Barry economy was never getting its hands on that two quid, as, sure as day turns into night, Kenny snaffled R Hatton for 8 thanks to a sharp catch by Russ in the covers.
In the very next over Wick were sent into delirium when Wales over-60 star Steve Richmond took an unbelievable acrobatic catch at slip. That most of the acrobatics occured after he caught it (for the cameras?!) was irrelevant. Andy, one horrendous knuckle-ball that shall never be mentioned or attempted again aside, finished with a superb 2-11 and Kenny 1-10 as West End slipped to 25-3.
The words Dixon, Yips and Barry are a combination enough to bring us all out in cold sweats and, as Tubsy came on to bowl first change after an ‘interesting’ spell last week, the ground collectively held its breath. Form is temporary though and Tubsy’s class shone brightly again as he and Leo kept a lid on the score, despite West End skipper Daf Frost starting to hit his straps. Tubsy smartly ran out a sold-down-the-river Tenko for 8, bringing WG Henry Grace to join Daf … a crucial partnership that would surely define the outcome of the match.
The pair soon started playing their shots and finding the boundary regularly. Wick, having been faultless to this point, seemed to feel the magnitude of the moment and the catches started to be shelled. Steve Richmond had the misfortune to see a hatrick of drops off three consecutive balls from his bowling. Amal managed a hattrick of drops to himself, following which he announced he didn’t like the pink ball anymore!
With the partnership passing 50 and the score rattling along to 125-4, Wick needed something to happen. Skipper Rob turned to the self-proclaimed best bowler in the club … himself. He lived up to his own billing by teasing Henry down the wicket to be expertly stumped by wicket keeper Colin for 33, a huge wicket. They say the attributes of any great wicket keeper is to have good chat and good energy. Thankfully Colin is a resident DJ who drinks two litres of full-fat coke before a match, so has both in abundance.
Having reached a stylish half-century, the pressure was on skipper Daf and in the next over, Russ induced his edge which was unbelievably plucked, one handed, left handed, Stokes esq again by Steve Richmond. He almost couldn’t believe it himself as he embarked on an Imran Tahir style lap around the ground, doubling his steps count for the season. The danger man gone for 57 and West End 133-6.
Despite a few further dropped chances – one particularly simple one by the skipper who must have been put off by Russ’s cry of ‘you’ve got loads of time’ whilst the ball was mid-air – Wick turned the screw from this point and were treated to an exhibition of ground fielding, catching and throwing by the whippet Leo Kelly.
Amal decided that the only path to redemption for his teflon hands was to bowl full pace snorters at the youthful Barry lower order, castling the last two wickets leaving Barry all out for 159, Wick winning by 63 runs.
Back to the west end pub for beers and sandwiches and, as a sign of what great company the West End lads are, all 11 Wick boys went back. Reflections were that today, a bit like the end of a Mighty Ducks film, we had actually looked like a tidy little team! Perfect timing of course as no doubt all will be lost and forgotten by next spring!
Thanks to everyone that has helped the club throughout the season, particularly Kenny for his amazing work on the pitch, the Skipper for his tireless efforts, Dicky the intrepid match reporter, the Lamb & Flag, Vale CC and everyone that came and supported/heckled the team. We will see you all again next year!
-Rob Dixon
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.