Bashers Social Sixes Match Report, 24 November

Bashers Social Sixes 137 vs NCA Academy 81

It was a miserable Shanghai day as four bashers (S.S., Tank, Sick Note, and Post-Op) assembled at the Camel at high noon. Spanner and the Gear were there to provide moral support before we left while watching the boxing. The taxi ride out was relatively calm as Sick Note called “shotgun” and directed the taxi driver admirably, that is, until the driver played chicken with a truck in the lane leading up to the Arena. We managed to arrive in time, and joined Long Dong in surveying our opponents warm up. Paps arrived just in time, after a flurry of messages and phone calls (claiming that he drove this way or that way or wasn’t used to this particular route).

Bashers Social Sixes vs NCA Academy began with a Tank / Post-Op partnership

Our opponents sported no fewer than two bashers (Filthy and Korean), together with some rather short team-mates, and for the first time in recorded history, Filthy actually won the toss and decided to bowl. Enter the MVP, Post-Op (28), who together with Tank (26), entertained the team with a fine opening partnership of 54 runs. Post-Op was kind hearted enough to hit the ball along the ground, but Tank swung away wildly.

Post-Op playing a restrained knock

Tank swinging away wildly

After such a solid start, Long Dong (27) and S.S. (25) were up next, and Long Dong gave S.S. instructions not to play big shots. So S.S. obligingly played a few defensive shots, but then almost immediately L.D. began dispatching the bowling to mid-on with a series of powerful drives. Another good partnership of 52 runs took the Bashers Social Sixes team past the hundred.

Tense moments on the bench as Long Dong twirls his mustache

Sick Note (17) and Paps (13) finished off the batting with a solid rather than spectacular partnership of 31. More wickets fell as Korean worked over Sick Note with his awkward spinners, and Paps decided to miss a straight one entirely. Still the runs continued to flow, and 137 was a remarkable total for a 12 over innings.

Korean takes a stunning return catch to dismiss Sick Note

Korean bowled well to Sick Note

Paps finishing off the Bashers Social Sixes innings

Post-Op (2/14) opened up with a combination of pace to Filthy and spin to the youngster, and was well supported by Sick Note (1/10). Post-Op’s first over picked up consecutive wickets with a stumping and a catch behind to S.S., while Sick Note bowled loopy spinners (he later claimed he wasn’t trying to spin the ball at all), and snuck one through the batsmen’s defenses.

Tank (0/17) and Long Dong (1/16) formed the next bowling partnership, with Korean playing most of the attacking shots for these middle overs. Tank and Long Dong provided a few too many leg side wides and no-balls, and so the NCA Academy score ticked over to 57, but it wasn’t quite enough to stay on top of the required run rate.

Paps (1/12) and S.S. (2/12) closed out the game, with the required run rate soaring over 50 at the end, and S.S. picking up two wickets off the final two deliveries of the match. In the end it was a win by 56 runs for the Bashers Social Sixes in their first match, but the next two weeks have 1pm games against our old rivals the Hot Dogs, and these games promise more of a test for the team.