Sunday 15th August 2021
Meteorologists call their forecasts ‘guidance’ and ‘not guaranteed’ and according to Wick’s very own weather-watchers at 11:56am it was “pissing down” in Ogmore whilst “tropical” in Monknash; clearly Derek Brockway doesn’t do the Heritage coasts extreme weather patterns justice. Naturally, Kenny had foreseen all of this and put the covers on (turns out we have them) overnight and the game against a Bridgend select XI was on.
Skipper Rob, who’d seemingly had a working week akin to a pit pony, couldn’t recall who he had selected for the game and therefore who we were missing for the start. Turns out it was Westy who was either late because his customary rain dance overran or he couldn’t decide whether to pack a raincoat or sun cream.
Bridgend won the toss and chose to field. They had brought a good mix of youth and experience (men of a certain vintage) which is good as it is the same player policy as Wick…apart from the youth bit.
Rob opened with Steve Richmond; risky singles, quick singles and, well, any singles were evidently off the cards. Steve chopped one onto his wicket and Rob was joined by Colin. A bullish Rob then started ramping up the run rate and started regularly finding the boundary. He saved his best till last and smashed a ball, like a Bryson DeChambeau 3 wood, destined for a trip up Cwrt-y -felin before a Bridgend fielder took what the kids would call a worldie of a catch on the edge of the village green. There was some negotiation about Rob’s score but 35 was landed on. Colin had started to get his eye in before being bowled, much to his chagrin, leaving Russ and Dicky with Wick at 58 for 3 at the 17 over mark.
The Bridgend bowlers were putting the squeeze on the Wick batsmen and with bowling difficult to read, Russ and Dicky bunkered down to get the Wick innings into triple figures (thanks especially to Russ using his repertoire of hockey-style batting angles to find space in the field). The partnership was broken in the 30th over when Dicky put a ball so high that the fielder had time to decide it wasn’t his ball, realise it was and then dive for a great catch. Steve Collins joined the fray and he and Russ ramped up the scoring, proving his Llantwit Cavaliers doubters wrong. Russ got to fifty in style with a six before being caught for 58. With only a few overs remaining Paul, Amal and Tubsy didn’t have the luxury to hang around and went out swinging leaving Steve to roll out the red carpet for King Kenny for the final two overs. If Steve was thinking of farming the strike then Kenny quickly put him right with an effervescent four and Wick ended on 189-8 off the allotted 40 overs.
Tubsy always opens the bowling but seemed utterly perplexed when Rob asked him to do it once more. Nevertheless he did and he and Paul put together an impressive opening bowling spell limiting Bridgend to 36 for 3 at the 10 over mark with Paul taking one wicket and Tubsy two. The Bridgend middle order came back strongly and a good forth wicket partnership was building. With Amal getting into his bowling stride one end, and at the swings end, Kenny, who then began the process of what he later described as “bamboozling the batsman before trapping him lbw” and the partnership was broken. Bridgend reached 86-4 at the 20 over point – 15 runs ahead of where Wick were at the same point in their innings.
Despite the breakthrough the Bridgend batsmen upped the ante and Steve C and Colin couldn’t find the next wicket- Westy’s reversion to stand up wicket-keeping helped stem the run rate from the batting attack. Cue Skipper Rob making, in his own words “a game changer of a decision” and brought himself on (unusually before the tail end was in) and immediately struck with a double wicket maiden; the change of pace had worked. Rob and Steve R put the pressure back on Bridgend and restricted them to 22 runs and 5 wickets (Rob 3, Steve 2) in an excellent 8 over spell. Worth calling out to young Bridgend player Dewi, who had a great game, that the six foot Mancunian standing at silly-mid-off was genuinely enquiring if it was your first senior game and not sledging you.
At this point Wick were in control and Bridgend were down to their last wicket. Sensing there was an opportunity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory Rob passed the ball to Dicky – who immediately got the yips, then got kindly reminded of the Barry Island yips by Steve R and put another nail in an already nailed-in bowling coffin. The Bridgend boys on the sidelines were starting to believe, as did the final batting pair, and they got closer to the target putting on a 30 run last wicket stand before Russ finally put the game to bed with a caught and bowled. Wick winning by 15 runs.
Back to the Lamb & Flag for beers and more tour pipe dreams; either Ross-on-Wye or Hanoi. So kayaking down the Wye or surfing the Mekong to ease the hangover…
Thanks to Wayne for organising a game and to the Bridgend team for a really good match.
-Rob Dixon
