Lumberjack: Pleasure v Devils, 2 August 2015

Pleasure took on the Devils last Sunday without usual captain Swoop, who was on holiday in Bali, with club captain Shit Shoes taking the reins.

Continuing the recent trend, the team was chock full of Englishmen – 7 Poms lining up alongside two Kiwis, an Indian, and a solitary Aussie. At least we didn’t have to hear about the latest round of AFL on the bus – instead Tucker and new Basher Slag (because he is one, and a show-off) bonded over their possession of the infamous Uniqlo video, which was immediately shown around the bus.

On arrival at a stiflingly hot SCSC, the debut Bashers, Slag and Rolf (for alleged but unspecified past actions) headed for the nets to get their eyes in and show the skipper what they could do. They obviously impressed Captain Shoes, because he placed both in the top five after winning the toss and choosing the sensible 40ish degrees option.

The Bashers’ innings began with some lusty heaves from Truffles, who was then caught in the second over. Tinder and Slag advanced the innings for a while with a mixture of wild flashes and cultured off-side shots, before Tinder was cleaned up by a beauty which disturbed the yellow, plastic stumps. The scoring rate was not as fast as it might have been, because the umpire for the day, resplendent in a “Sun’s Out, Guns Out” wifebeater, had taken it upon himself to allow balls to pass well down leg-side without penalty. Next to the crease was the stand-in skipper, who lasted three scoreless balls before being caught, bringing Rolf out to join his fellow debutant. Both newbies took a liking to the spinner, and each hit a clean six, but soon got themselves out.

Tucker began a fighting knock to try and set a defendable total as the Devils began to tire in the heat. He had brief support from Pope and Korean, but both managed to throw their wickets away for single-figure scores. Hardon tried out the middle of his new rainbow-handled bat but found the fielders, then tried out the edge and found the keeper to depart without scoring. Skid Row joined Tucker in a brief revival as both batsmen hit some stylish shots and ran hard between wickets, but then Skiddie fell victim to a questionable LBW leaving Rash to try and see out the overs. He managed one powerful pull for four, but was soon caught behind to end the innings with six overs unused and a mediocre 119 on the board. Tucker was the only batsman to show any substance, and he remained unbeaten on 25.

The Pleasure took the field in still hot, but cooling temperatures, and Tinder took the new ball. He clearly didn’t like the ball provided, because he contrived to have it hit over his head into the ditch on the last ball of the first over, resulting in a second new ball for Tucker to use. That ball did seem to swing more, and Tucker endeavoured to keep the shine on it by landing  most of his first over on the grass, as the Devils got off to a rapid start. Tucker soon broke the opening partnership, Skid Row taking a sharp catch at short cover, but the runs kept flowing necessitating a double change. Rash started erratically, but soon found his line to comprehensively bowl the first-drop with a great inswinging yorker. Pope, now bowling in a his-and-hers bandanna to protect his pate, started economically and bowled with some fire, hitting one batsman on the shoulder, as some pressure was finally built.

Either side of the first drinks break (at 10 overs due to the heat) Rash and Pope both coaxed LBW decisions from the umpire, and then Pope took a skier at point on the second attempt to give Rash his third wicket. This left the Devils in some trouble at five down with around half of the runs still to get. Shitshoes decided to pull both bowlers off for a well deserved rest at this point, then changed his mind and gave Pope one more over. Pope showed that he wasn’t just dressing like his missus, by bowling a 13 ball over which released some of the pressure. Skid Row and Shitshoes then came on as a double spinner attack, but despite bowling a number of good balls couldn’t stop the flow of runs or take a wicket. Still well short of the second drinks break, Rolf was given a go with only five runs left, and three balls later the game was over.

The aftermatch consisted of Tsingtaos and christenings on the bus, and a Truffles-led fine session at the Camel which was mercifully fast after a day in the heat – only the rampant inattention from the burgeoning bromance of Tucker and Slag slowing it down.

Batting so poorly after winning the toss on a day where fielding first in the heat was a significant disadvantage was disappointing, but the fight shown in the field was much better, and if valiant efforts by Tinder and Slag had stuck, or if one of the edges had been a little closer to Truffles (who didn’t move from first slip all innings) an unlikely victory could have been ours. As it stands, all of the remaining games need to be won if we are to stand a chance of repeating our playoff appearance from last season.