(Credit: Pete Langman)
It’s a funny old world. Last week a 7 run loss; this week a 7 wicket victory. If Parham Park wasn’t quite the savanna of 2018, it was still a hot, hot, day, though we did miss the herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the outfield. We also missed El Presidente, sadly still detained by ill-health. The Cricketers felt that glorious victory would send him the best message we could, and so that, as the saying goes, was that. Ben won the toss and, like all the best captains these days, put the opposition into bat. Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, the Indian innings began as Eoin Morgan had done the opposite earlier in the morning. The display of two scores on the scoreboard confused everyone, mind, and was soon replaced by that great English tradition, shouting a lot.
Debutant this week was James Williams, who did ok, I suppose. If 73*, 2 wickets and one direct hit run out are the sorts of things that influence games, then he did very well. But the bowling was opened by Brodrick down the hill, the slope and breeze aiding his natural inswing. Sadly too often to the joy of the leg side boundary. It’s not been James’s season so far, and today a decent caught and bowled didn’t prevent his first and only spell shipping 30 runs from 4 overs. Dan Friend, bowling up the hill, however, had a far better day, taking 1 for 20 off 9, skittling Andy Wales with a beauty. It would be harsh to say that he was denied a catch off H Carter, seeing as the ball in question beat the hands of Jonathon Wynniatt-Husey at first slip, leaving him with a seam mark on his left cheek and a close encounter with a bag of ice.
James Williams came on with some accurate off-spin and first claimed the wicket of M Williams C&B (M. Williams 26, Ct Williams B. Williams) and also ranout J Balchin with filthy throw to the stumps that Pete Langman was complaining about being impossible to gather when it clipped the base of the stumps. Eventually he claimed the wicket of H Carter, who had been carting it to all points until he was squared up and plumb as a domiciliar erection specialist’s vertical plane discovery equipment.
Parham’s 171 looked like a decent total, all the more so when Jonathon Wynniatt-Husey’s dies horribilis was crowned with a first ball that pitched six feet in front of him only to cannon directly into the base of the stumps. Then Parham’s opener left the field. Bobby Lowe and James Brodrick kept the score ticking over, if you count 44 off 12 ticking over until the former was bowled by Carter T having just upped the pace with a brace of boundaries.
With James Williams joining James Brodrick at the crease, however, what was rather a slow accumulation began to gather pace, just as England were pegging back the Indian reply with timely wickets. The pavilion was caught between two thrilling run chases, and by the time Brodrick was bowled for 55, his first Cricketers fifty which included 8 fours, at 97 for three, the writing was on the wall. Dan Friend hit his first ball for four with a delightful cover drive, and before you could say boo to a well-cooked duck, Williams and Friend took the Cricketers to the finish line with overs to spare, finishing on an excellent 73* (including 12 fours and 2 straight sixes) and 17* respectively. Tied on 171, Williams sealed the victory with an imperious four.
The cup of victory is always sweet. Sweeter still when the England team follow your example.