Scorecard

Pinner Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI v Hitchin 3 on Sat 28 May 2022 at 1300
Pinner Cricket Club Lost by 48 runs

Match report Match report - Pinner 1st XI vs. Hitch 3rd XI at the MCG
Writing this today felt like being asked to help with a toddler’s diaper with an added condition that I needed to take a full whiff of the diaper’s contents, before chucking it in the bin. Pure torture.
Hitchin 3s won the toss and elected to bat first. Felix Hoh started down the hill to kick off proceedings for Pinner and immediately started asking the batters questions with a searching line and length. He delivered the first breakthrough, trapping the batsman in front. I’m running out of superlatives to describe his bowling this season so far but I can say for certain that it was even better than the spell I bowled to Ro in the nets pre-game, which was also terrific. Nicholas Lawrence, returning after a 2 week long failed attempt to convince the Azores populace to stop dairy farming / fishing, was having a tougher time of it and the batters took advantage of his rustiness to keep the scoreboard moving. They dispatched any loose deliveries and also ran very well between wickets. Jack Tucker was summoned earlier than usual and was so predictable i.e. good, putting the brakes on the scoring. He was joined by Salman Moeeniddin who was brought on after Felix finished his first spell. Jack soon got two wickets in quick succession with identical deliveries that nipped back in off the seam to hit off stump. The batters cast suspicious glances at the pitch. To be fair to them, the bounce was slightly lower than expected, but they had missed the line of those deliveries anyway. We felt Salman was unlucky not to be given a caught behind decision when the 14 year old batter seemed to have edged behind but having got a bit of the ground and the ball put enough doubt in the umpire’s mind. James lectured us on how it was wrong of the young batter not to walk. We reminded him that those of us who started walking when out did so only at around 30 years old.
Post drinks, James and I put down a couple of tough chances and it looked like Hitchin would start building some momentum. Daniel Langan who had started off with some loose bowling, tightened up and got the breakthrough - a stone dead LBW. Kavit was bowling one of his best spells at the opposite end - slightly quicker in the air than usual and getting lots of spin but as is so often the case his first wicket came off his worst ball, a short and wide delivery being slapped to cover where Daniel took a smart catch. Kavit duly apologised to the batsman for ruining his weekend. This actually happened. The floodgates opened from there on and with good support in the field, - Felix and Raj taking superb catches - Kavit claimed 4 wickets to send the visitors hurtling towards a below par total. Nick bullied a colt player as usual, and got the final wicket. Hitchin, 123 all out. Yet again, the Pinner bowlers had set the game up for the team.
CE-Ro and Simon ‘check out the quiche I brought for lunch’ Pilsbury walked in to start the chase but what followed was a disaster that will be summarized as quickly as it unfolded. It’s too painful. Ro was bowled going for an expansive drive. Kavit was given out LBW. No two accounts of this dismissal that I’ve been given have anything in common. Simon smashed a full toss to square leg (good catch). James ‘Diversity Champion’ Baker walked in and asked me to calm the f*** down. I responded by spooning an innocuous delivery to short cover. James then asked Raj to calm the f*** down. Sure, said Raj and charged the bowler first ball, going for a big swipe which only traveled as far as slip. Jack ‘I can’t save you muppets every week’ Tucker provided James with some support but he too was castled for 12. Salman got one that leapt off the pitch to round off what was an unlucky day for him. James kept fighting and started being more expansive as he ran out of partners. His valiant 35 was in vain and his was the 9th wicket to fall. Pinner was soon all out for 75. This was the exact kind of procession after which a captain in a post match interview would go “this is a good wake up call for the boys”.
In every game so far, we’ve left our lower order with too much to do. It’s not for the lack of trying but the top 4 need to find their mojo again. Thanks AK for scoring as always and Marisha Dhawan for the delicious, vegan lemon and blueberry cake.

Dick of the day:
On most days the award would have gone to either
Nicholas for bowling a beamer to a child or
Daniel for unspeakable acts of rage in the change room the reasons behind which are unclear. Was it our defeat or his best pal Virat Kohli being knocked out of the IPL, that was the trigger?
However, joint dicks of the day goes to batters number 1,2,4 and 6 for astonishing levels of ineptitude. Kavit gets a pass for 4 wickets.
Player of the match: Kavit Dixit for a fine performance with the ball. Well played mate!
A rough day but onwards and upwards. We need to keep our chins up, stick together as a group, back each other’s skills and find our way back from this - which we will I’m sure. It is a marathon, gents. I’ll end this report like I started i.e. on a shitty note, by warning that anyone giving us excessive grief will be sent a special delivery from shitexpress.com. I will spend actual money on such pettiness.

Hitchin 3 Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 3w 6b 2lb 
for 10 wickets
12
123 (36.2 overs)		     
Simon Mayes lbw  F Hoh 12
Simon Bayston b  J Tucker 21
Christopher Gadsden ct  D Langan b K Dixit 27
Stuart Gwinnett b  J Tucker 4
Martin Stout lbw  D Langan 12
Chris Gwinnett ct  K Dixit b D Langan 7
Jamie Timms ct  N Lawrence b K Dixit 2
Ian Goddard ct  R Venekar b K Dixit 0
Jay Patadia ct  R Venekar b K Dixit 1
Cameron Carr ct  R Dhawan b N Lawrence 13
James Barker Not Out  12

Pinner Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Felix Hoh5.02818.001.60
Nick Lawrence4.2026126.006.00
Jack Tucker8.021628.002.00
Sal Moeeniddin4.011300.003.25
Daniel Langan8.0134217.004.25
Kavit Dixit7.011844.502.57

Pinner Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 1w 1b 1lb 
for 10 wickets
5
75		        
Rohitesh Dhawan b  J Patadia 6 10 11 1 54.55 1
Simon Pilsbury ct  J Timms b C Carr 4 31 23 1 17.39
Kavit Dixit lbw  J Patadia 2 8 7 28.57 1
Hari Ramachandran ct  S Mayes b J Patadia 4 18 13 1 30.77
James Baker ct  J Patadia b J Barker 35 87 64 7 54.69
Raj Vernekar ct  S Bayston b J Patadia 0 1 1 0 2
Jack Tucker b  S Mayes 12 33 32 1 37.50
Sal Moeeniddin ct  S Bayston b S Mayes 4 10 7 1 57.14
Nick Lawrence ct  C Gadsden b M Stout 2 9 8 25.00 1
Felix Hoh ct  J Timms b J Barker 0 24 19 0
Daniel Langan Not Out  1 2 1 100 1

Hitchin 3 Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Jay Patadia8.021543.751.88
Cameron Carr5.0312112.002.40
Ian Goddard4.001400.003.50
Simon Mayes6.021527.502.50
Martin Stout6.04919.001.50
James Barker2.00824.004.00