NCC pip CBC at the last... Jez James the hero!

Over the last few years this fixture has become a very closely fought encounter. None more so than this year as the above headline implies.

Bob, as the elected skipper of both sides obviously couldn't be so for one of them in this encounter, so Jez took up the mantle for the Nutters against Bob's CBC side.

Bob, having won the toss, elected to bat and CBC were soon in trouble as both openers Aido and Marc Robinson failed to trouble the scorers. Aido adjudged LBW on the 4th ball of the 1st over and Marc slapped one straight at Jez off the first ball he faced. The score became 9 for 3 when Joey was bowled an over or two later. However Bob and Naveed rebuilt the innings putting on a 50+ partnership before Jonty bowled Naveed just before he reached 30, (the agreed point of retirement).

Mal and Bradley both fell to Jez off sharply turning off-breaks before they could get going and after a few more wickets the CBC scorecard was looking at little behind the rate with around 90 off 16 overs. But James Simpson (apologies if I've got that wrong) and Kalpesh combined good running with some brutal hitting to take the score to a very respectable 134 - 7 at 20 overs. Will Rossiter the pick of the bowlers (2-1-2-1)

In response Will Rossiter and Adam Williams kept the run-rate just ahead of the 7 an over required until Will retired on 32. David Butcher looked in good form for his 21 before he was out just after Adam retired having scored a well deserved 30. Guy Ekins found Bradley difficult to read and was bowled for 5. The run-rate had slipped just a little but Gwillam Jones and Jonty showed surprising alacrity between the wickets as their combined "biffagge" was not quite reaching the fairly large boundary as Bob had moved his fielders out to patrol it. Many 2's were run but a lot of "NO" shouts from both batsmen prevented the elusive 3 from being achieved.

So the last two overs went as follows. Every ball is etched in my memory for the reason that will shortly become clear:

15 runs required 12 balls to face. Jonty: 2, 2, 2, 1; Gwillam dot, Wicket!! Gwillam out for 13, bowled Naveed. Joe Wildman to bowl the last over, 8 runs required off 6 balls, Jonty facing. 1, Charlie facing. Dot, Wicket!! Jonty stranded at the wrong end, Jez (some say Nuthurst's natural number 11) purposefully striding out to take his guard (the same "some" as mentioned in the last parentheses are now scratching their beards asking "why does he bother to take one").

7 runs required 3 balls to face. Wild sweep towards mid-wicket, the longest boundary, that goes miles into the air but lands safely near to a fielder and stops dead. Only 2 runs. Dot ball as an inside edge cannons onto the pads and spins like a top a few feet from the popping crease. Jonty half way down the wicket, determined to face the last ball but Jez sends him scrambling back, running and teapotting at the same time (if that's possible), as Jez is still unbalanced and on the back foot. 5 runs required off the last ball, what is the shortest boundary? Between long on and long off. Bradley at long off and Bob patrolling long on.

The ball is bowled, gentle but accurate off-spin. Jez thinks to himself "belt this or die trying" so he takes two or three strides down the pitch and turns a good ball into a half volley which hits the middle of the bat. Bob does well to get his fingertips to it but he is already falling over the rope.

The defeat that the Nutters suffered last year is avenged. An enjoyable curry at the RAM was a curious affair due to the fact that nearly all the diners had torn their napkins in half, screwed them up and stuffed them in their ears. - Strange.

N.B. I have been asked to write this report as the definitive description of the end of this enjoyable match so that I don't have to keep repeating myself to anyone that I don't think has heard about it - Heh-heh.