Buckhorn Weston vs Horningsham

9 May 2010

Consternation if not outright panic spread through the Horningsham team when we discovered that our first TCL outing of 2010 was to be against Buckhorn Weston, away. I missed this fixture in 2009 and there is no write up on our website but the word was of a strong opposition, a tricky slow low pitch which made scoring extraordinarily hard, and desolation when we were well beaten in a low scoring game. We had been looking forward ever since to the return fixture at home on our faster wicket. But fortune dealt us a return to Buckhorn.

It was a cheerless day. Chilly, windy, more February than May. The pitch was very soft; push down with your thumb and it went in.

But we were up for it. We had produced our best possible eleven. Even Sam came along to watch, though we still dare not risk his arm. Having Callum available gave us a lift. And the wise old heads of Bill and Angus had worked out our strategy. We would bat first. Angus lost the toss. We bowled first. No matter, we had a plan of attack.

Plans are worthless, of course, if they are not executed, and the execution today was excellent. Bill sent down 8 overs of accurate drifters; Callum quickly found the right length, rather fuller on this slow track than at home. After 10 overs, at 15 for one (clean bowled by Callum), the Buckhorn innings was stagnating. Then the wickets began to fall. Bill was outstanding for his three. Angus bowled eight overs of huge inswingers, aided by a strong cross wind, for two more. Five overs from James returned only one scoring shot, and one wicket. The 8th wicket, an LBW awarded to Max in his first over, unexpectedly brought the innings to a close, with the opposition revealing they were two men short. 39 runs off 26 overs according to the score book, though the scoreboard had 42, and that was our target.

Ditcheat, who won the TCL in 2008, struggled so much to raise teams in 2009 that they had to leave the league. Now last year’s champions Buckhorn have struggled in their first game. The curse of the TCL trophy?

43 to win against 9 men is not a tough ask, you might think, and behind us in the pavilion, tea beckoned. But the opening bowler was brisk and accurate and had to be negotiated before the cakes. Angus, still in pain after our failure to chase a low target here last year, made an admirably watchful start, stroking some elegant singles and twos, and then was clean bowled by the best ball of the day. Damien took over and was in a hurry, in a different psychological place to the rest of the team. He ran out Tony Reeves at the first opportunity then stood back and slapped a series of straight drives as if he was playing on a different wicket to everyone else. The wicket got revenge when he mistimed one to mid on, but his 20 was the top score of the match.

James joined Olly Moore, who fatally played back to a squirter and lost middle and off. 4 down for 30. We couldn’t mess this up, could we? Colin came in, judged the situation, mishit a swipe to a fielder and was gone. Max came in, looked comfortable, and was run out by James, criminally, abetted by a direct hit from square leg. Actually the umpire gave it in, to general disbelief, until over-ruled from the boundary by various voices including those of the umpire’s son and the batsman’s father. Max honourably walked off, generously applauded by the fielding team. 34 for 6. No, we could not, surely not?

Callum defended a couple then tried to run himself out; yards from safety when the shy from mid on skidded past the stumps. James at the other end was just relieved it had not been his call. But it proved to be our last moment of madness as Callum and James finished the job off without any more fuss.

This was not a heroic victory, in fact after the months of expectation, quite an anticlimax. Revenge served cold, in a vest, long-johns and two thick jerseys. But at least we got through it and can look forward to the rest of the season with confidence.