Match Report: Leisure vs Pudong

The first match of the 2014 season saw Leisure up against defending champion Pudong. Looking to exact some revenge for the 2013 final, and choosing from a inordinately large collection of players all vying for a spot in the first game of the season, Dags was not afraid to throw two debutants, Richie’s Raging and Truffles, into the fire.

With March Madness (being played in April) in full effect at the Camel, Leisure plus some additional supporters/nets sessioners boarded the bus for the first trip out to the SRFC in 2014.

Leisure Team for the first game of the 2014 Season

The weather was sunny, and having won the toss, Dags chose to field, electing to hold Pudong to a low total and chase in the newly modified 25-over league.

Tank about to claim a wicket in the first over!

Tank opened the bowling, having last played cricket in July of 2013, and quickly proceeded to bowl half an over of wides. The lack of playable deliveries paid off however, when the Pudong opener popped an easy catch back to Sharapova having faced just two legitimate deliveries.

Dags opening up…

Dags followed Tank, but was unable to prize a wicket from Pudong as he also struggled with his line and length in his two-over spell.

Woodstock brought his patented three-step run up to bare and following some wicked bouncers and full tosses, sent the other Pudong opener packing, caught behind by Parrot.

With two newish batsmen at the crease, Dags brought on debutant Richie’s Raging, who quickly rewarded his captain with a wicket is his first over. Two more wickets followed in his third, and Richie’s Raging found himself on a hat trick of sorts, with only three wides coming between each wicket ball. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and the Leisure bowlers would not extract another Pudong scalp for the rest of the innings.

Birdshit and Cranky both had a spell at the crease, bowling better line and length and managing to keep the extras, which were now creeping up into highest score territory, under control (h/t to Cranky for being the only bowler to not bowl a wide all day). Missed fielding chances and determined batting kept the score ticking over however, and by the time Sharapova had completed her three overs and Pudong had reached their 25 overs, the score was 190-5.

Hollywood and debutant Truffles opened the batting, with Hollywood connecting quickly and often to race the score into double digits in the first over. Two Fours and a Six came quickly as Hollywood hogged the strike, facing all but three deliveries from the first three overs. He was displaying his 2013 MVP form and looked in control when sneaky delivery skipped through to knock over his castle. Truffles quickly followed, leaving two new batsmen, Scoobie and Parrot, at the crease.

Scooby began dispatching the ball to all corners, raising the run rate to just over a run a ball, and looked in fine form hitting boundaries to punctuate the ones and twos. But unfortunately, Parrot was in and out after two overs, spooning a badly timed shot for an easy catch. Cranky followed but was also caught out having just reached double digits.

Sharapova managed a boundary but was caught out LBW by the quick trigger of umpire Shit Shoes.

With the run rate climbing, Tank set about trying to bludgeon every ball to the boundary, connecting on several, including one nicely lofted Six, but often mistiming his swings leading to several ones and twos.

Richie’s Raging got off the mark quickly with a one, but then struggled to get bat to ball, and following several overs of near hits, was controversy run out by Tank who pushed for a second run where there likely was not one.

With the run rate now well over 10 an over, Birdshit was able to get bat to ball early on, before being utterly bamboozled by K.P., who was able to restrict the tail to just two runs before trapping BS LBW on the final ball of the innings (another victim of umpire Shit Shoes).

Unfortunately, the lack of batting partnerships for the Bashers had done them in as Leisure came up a mere 64 runs short of Pudong total.

Bashers induction of Truffles and Richie’s Raging.

Leisure with the supporting crew of Bashers from training!

Bowling
Richie’s Raging: 5-0-26-3
Tank: 5-0-30-1
Woody: 3-0-32-1

Batting
Tank: 26*
Scooby: 26
Hollywood: 21