Sunday 10th July 2022
Sounds like the village fete was an idyllic success but for every Yin there is a Yang as we lost our opening bowler to a beat-the-keeper injury (“he was smashed” was the assessment) and a fete reveller abandoned their vehicle on the hallowed turf leaving the start time in jeopardy. This was compounded when a certain talismanic individual was no-where to be seen when the game finally got going as he was rumoured to be taking his afternoon constitutional. But hey this is village and this is cricket.
Wick were three players short but were thankfully saved by the thriving Vale CC youth factory with Sam, Ioan and Ollie stepping in improving not only the skillset of the team but also the mobility. The weather was scorchio and Westy found a kindred (strawberry blonde) spirit in Iestyn who tried to outdo him with some revolutionary blue sunscreen. Andy had seen all this before and like some sort of reverse Triggers broom had kept the same type of sunscreen bottle in his bag for twelve years. It was so hot that when Rob lost the toss and Cardiff Casuals elected to bat he got booed by the Wick faithful and the Casuals skipper got a cheer from his troops.
Wick started well and Andy and Steve both took early wickets but the Cardiff Casuals put on a strong third wicket partnership with both batsmen reaching a half century and not even Kenny could break the stand. Rob could either turn to the youth Vale bowlers or Dicky…Ioan and Ollie made the breakthrough that was needed with the former getting two scalps and the latter one. Westy capped off a great performance behind the stumps with a catch like a crocodile to hit a hat-trick of catches in the game. Remarkably Dicky, not only bowled, but took a wicket at the death with a catch off his own bowling leaving Cardiff Casuals on 209 off 40 overs.
The Casuals lost a player when his hamstring unstrung when batting. I’m not saying Kenny is a mercenary, a gun for hire, but if there is a sniff of a pint or a wicket he’s your man and he kindly volunteered to field of the opposition. The Wick innings got off to a shocker and Steve, Andy and Westy were gone after 5 overs and the score 12-3. Despite being only 16 Sam is a Vale 1st player and he showed his class with some quality batting with Dicky sticking around long enough to get the scoreboard back on track before being caught in cow corner. Sam continued to worry the Casuals before their skipper pulled his trump card and brought on Kenny. Kenny rarely leaves the pitch without a wicket these days and in an act of grand treachery he got the key wicket of Sam plus Ioan. Sam scored an epic 92, he’s got talent for sure.
Colin came and went in a flurry of expletives and at least seven excuses leaving Iestyn and Rob to get the score within reach before Iestyn was bowled. This left Kenny, like some great puppet master, to enter the stage that he had set for himself to join Rob as the last wicket standing. It was a frantic final few overs with two catches going through the keepers gloves (crocodile catch technique not employed), Kenny hitting an excellent boundary but unfortunately Wick fell agonisingly close on 201.
Great close game and thanks to Cardiff Casuals for travelling down. Next up for Wick; Friday night lights in Colwinston.
-Rob Dixon
