Rickmansworth & Isambard Cricket Club

Many years ago, the late, great Mike Reid used to host a children’s TV programme called Runaround.  The basis of the show involved exuberant young ‘uns answering multiple-choice questions by choosing which circle to stand on, then perhaps deciding to change their minds at the last minute by following’s Reid’s exhortations to “Runarahnd”. 

Such televisual tradition is alive and well in the fledgling Rickmansworth and Isambard set-up, with frequent last-minute changes in team line-ups as people go down with flu, decide to visit B&Q instead, or just spend the day in bed with Pamela Anderson’s better-looking sister.  Indeed, last time Isambard were in this part of the world, we took to the field with (from memory) eight players.  These days, at least we seem to be able to find late replacements for the drop-outs.  Thus it was that R&I arrived at Headstone Lane with eleven players, albeit not the eleven listed on Thursday’s teamsheet.

R&I fielded first, and the new ball was taken by Callum Cusack and new boy Viher Buch.  After a quiet-ish start (the home side were 27-0 from nine overs), the next five overs went for 41.  Harrow St.Mary’s batsmen took a markedly differing approach to their task, with Kenworthy attacking with all the aggression of a cuckolded husband awaking from slumber to discover his wife shagging the milkman.  Prevost, on the other hand, exuded Zen-like calm in accumulating four runs from 59 balls.  He hit his sixtieth delivery for four; distressed, he holed out from the next ball to give Callum a wicket.  HSM were 79-1.

Alas, Prevost’s dismissal brought a number of players ton the crease who were more than happy to eschew calm for the proverbial long handle.  Skipper Ronesh Nathwani put the brakes on well, dismissing Kenworthy and Patel in the process, but the remainder of the attack had little answer to the home team’s aggression.  Kenworthy and Coady both posted fifties at around a run a ball, as HSM racked up an impressive total from their 45 overs.  With R&I having failed to pass the 200 mark all season, the hosts held the advantage at tea.

Following Mark Wembridge’s late pull-out from the team (so late, it was rather like Vatican roulette, betting on red coming up), the man known as “Big” Stuart Squires was promoted to open the batting with Andy Marsh.  Squires, whose record in R&I matches thus far has at least been consistent, put form behind him to play an excellent innings.  He and Swampy put on 106 for the first wicket before Stu was stumped in the twentieth over: R&I 106-1, and the match looking evenly poised.  Alas, Marsh and Callum “skipper-elect” Cusack perished shortly afterwards, leaving Rickmansworth and Isambard 120-3.

After a relatively quiet start, Raz Khan and Saheed Mahroof soon began to hit out, putting on 52 for the fourth wicket.  Mahroof was on fire (thanks, Kim-Meg), hitting consecutive sixes off Susatk as things swung back towards the visitors.  However, the unpronounceable change bowler had his revenge, trapping Mahroof on his way to 4-47.  Khan and Buch followed soon afterwards; Rickmansworth and Isambard 182-6 and running out of overs.

Nathwani and Sathish Baskar put on a rapid 40 for the seventh wicket, but time was against the visitors.  A desperate attempt to get over the line saw a final flurry of wickets, with R&I ending up a dozen runs short of parity with four balls remaining.  Damn.

The fact that five batsmen passed twenty suggests there is stability in the top and middle-order; had R&I managed to convert one of those good starts into another fifty, then the game might have been won.  On the bowling side, the team are crying out for quality openers to tie down opponents and allow the rest of the attack to support a good start – where are you, guys?  (On a boat in Croatia, perhaps – Ed).