Sunday 14th May 2023
After two rain aborted attempts the curtain raiser of the 2023 season was versus Penarth at Wick Village Green brought to you by Wick Village Shop
Wick CC – 124 all out (32.5): Russ Milne 53, Rob Dixon 34 Penarth CC – 164 for 8 (40.0): D.Dwyer 57*, G.Dixon 1-26, K.Thomas 1-8
The grounds crew (officially trained!) of Kenny and Guv have battled eternally wet weather, faulty equipment and being padlocked out of the village green (VoG charlatans) and still managed to produce a wicket for us to play on. Amazing effort, huge gratitude also to Rob Ball and Tony Jenkins who came to the rescue to get the outfield cut and cleared.
Russ, installed as the new skipper, asked the team to assemble by 1.30 so Gutsy was there at… 1.50, you know the drill! Penarth had the audacity to recruit, via the Bridgend pub darts circuit, former Wick (and now former!) legends; Gary (Smurf) and Darren (Raggedy) Williams. Smurf kindly, and may be symbolically, returned some unused 2014 vintage Wick whites for team usage.
To the toss – Russ evoked the old South African proverb; you’ve got to shoot through the bathroom door to find who’s behind it. Wick were bowling first.
Paul and Gutsy opened the bowling and the Police House Express was back to his chundering best picking up a wicket and Wick limited Penarth to 40-1 after 10 overs. Iestyn, hungover and harshly judged an untrustworthy debtor, waited most of last season to get a wicket but struck with his second ball of the new season.
Russ used all of his bowlers, including remarkably Dicky, who remarkably got a wicket. Kenny was extremely proud of this new dawn of Dicky’s bowling; Sweet like a chicken was complemented by sweet like a peach and the less flavoursome sweet like my nuts. Good thing is, he can back it up, King Kenny finishing with a wonderfully economical 1 wicket for just 8 runs in 5 overs that included a maiden over and a run out he wanted to claim as a wicket. Penarth were 80-1 at the 20 over mark.
As for the Williams bros; Raggedy came in swinging and hit an epic six onto the tree on the corner of Church road before being seen off by Steve for a useful 23. Smurf, as anticipated, wheeled out the reverse sweep second ball – despite being a pioneer of this now common T20 shot, his version it’s still one for the crowd and not the scorebook. He came down the wicket to Russ leaving Colin, who was kept busy behind the stumps, to whip off the bails. Owen also picked up a wicket in the melee.
Unfortunately, as tradition, Wick dropped more balls than puberty and allowed D Dwyer to reach 50 unbeaten. Highlight was Paul dropping one catch using two hands and then to double his chances for the next one, he used a one hand out in front technique, like a baseball catcher without the mitt…and the ball.
Penarth ended on 164 which was a good total considering the speed of the pitch and outfield.
Another Wick legend was at the village green – Wingers: he even offered to umpire but after assurances his trigger finger was nowhere near under control it was respectfully declined. He fondly described Wick’s fielding akin to watching Canadian Redwoods being felled.
Dicky opened the batting with Steve, Steve was out in the 5th over and Russ entered the fray and dispelled the captaincy impacts your batting myth. They were moving along nicely until Dicky fell down a shame well he hasn’t climbed out of yet; Smurf tossed up one of those high a loopin’ low a bouncin’ bamboozlers and Dicky (34 runs) heard the death rattle behind him. Colin joined the skipper and Wick got to the 20 over mark on 87-2. This included Raggedy borrowing at first one and then both of Kenny’s boots as his vintage pair fell apart.
Russ ramped up the pressure hitting two sixes; to stay on trend, one hit timber (telephone pole on the edge of the green) and the next trumped the aforementioned reverse sweep with one that cleared the boundary, spectacular stuff. Unfortunately for Wick, Russ got trapped lbw for another half century (53) and with the team on 100. The game was still on but when Gutsy and Iestyn came and went it was one spectacular over from Penarth skipper Andy Prickett that did the terminal damage. Colin, Neal, Carlos and Kenny skittled in six balls. The tail had not, and did not, wag and Paul was caught two overs later with Owen left not out on 2 and Wick fell short on 124 all out.
Congratulations to Penarth on the win, thanks for the game and great to see some of our old comrades. Next up the Wednesday night nemesis ; F-Troop, 24th May.
-Rob Dixon
