Business vs Pudong Power – 24th June – Lumberjack

Boy oh boy, did I pull the short straw on Lumberjacking this match.

Apologies in advance for a somewhat short review – I think most involved in the game have spent the week trying to erase the 6 hours from our memory…

 Anyway – here goes.

Squad of 12 was announced, which legitimately became 11, which became 10 (blame parents arriving early / being spotted in the Bamboo at 7am – delete as appropriate). Fortunately Pothole, fresh from the Leisure game responded to the SOS and ensured we were able to put a full team out. Other notable selections included Basher No.1 – Paul ‘Shrek’ Turner aiming to prove to the selection committee that he still has what it takes to be a Business Basher.

Following Filthy altercation with the floor of the Members End the previous weekend, and a week of CT scans, headaches and limited explosions of anger, our skipper
a)       Forgot the team warm-up
b)       Was surprised when Leppa was late for the Team Huddle
c)       Won the toss, and elected to bowl first – aiming to make the most of the muggy conditions, and hoping the outfield would dry in time for our innings.

 If the story ended there, life would be good…

Unfortunately…

Pudong openers Messrs Cool (45 off 69) & McKim (33 off 50) were able to put on a very solid partnership, and when Cool was joined by Hanscombe (32 off 46) the runs continued to flow steadily both off the bat and courtesy of the usual assortment of wides and no-balls.

At drinks, Pudong were very healthily positioned at 120/1 (+/-) and on course for a monster score.

Post drinks, the Bashers did what Bashers do – namely stand up and fight, and the second 20 overs saw us claw our way back into the game. 235/9. Strong bowling performances from Filthy Mildenhall (4/27) and Tubby Hall (3/24) to be applauded.

Set 236 to win, there was a quiet air of confidence. We had successfully chased down larger, and the Pudong attack seemed manageable. With both openers – Pothole and Hog – back in the hatch within the first couple of overs without causing the scorers too many issues, the potential foundations for a fight back were laid by Growler Rowell (14 off 34) and A Tois Zalpuri (23 off 19) before one of the more remarkable bowling performances seen in Division 1.

The Business Boys should have been aware of Mr. Paras Khushalan as he had previously taken the Pleasure team apart with his innocuous looking medium pace swingers.

Lessons had not been learnt as he bowled 7.2 overs on the trot, conceding 8 runs (only 2 off the bat, courtesy of a Tubby off-side punch) and in the meantime picking up the wickets of: Growler, Dazzler, Shrek, Stats, Filthy, Tubby and Leppa.

7.2 – 2 – 8 – 7. Game over.

K2 at SRFC this weekend to get back on the horse and prove it was a one off.

Fair play to Pudong and especially to Paras – batted sensibly, chirped effectively, and bowled devastatingly.