Reports & Scorecards 2014
Frogs vs Stowe Templars
Venue: Stowe School
Date: 20 July 2014
Result: Match Won
Frogs’ 207 all out - Sargeant 83, T Marshall 28.
Templars 181 all out
Reporting: Dylan Jones
“This story shall the good man teach his son…..
We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers”
Well, Well, Well! The nectar of victory, so often dashed from our lips, was drunk deep by this noble Frogs’ side after an excellent game of cricket, where none of us allowed a suet pudding track to dim our lustre. St Raymond d’Illingworth always calls it “indifferent bounce” – what he means, bless him, is of course variable bounce (but endless bickering in Headingley committee rooms with Brian Close et al over the great “Boycott Heresy” would no doubt soften most brains) – and we got plenty of it, mostly between knee roll and worm’s eye.
The Frogs’ XI had a fresh young look about it – out with the Saga, even the AGA, and in with the lager of youth, and the Skipper felt the wisdom of the Laureate filtering through the deep recesses of his mind:
“The old order changeth, yielding place to new, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world”
And the new order didn’t half perform! For once we batted – Croomers won the toss, cursed that he didn’t know what to do, so I volunteered that we might, for once, bat. This decision was partly informed by the mounds of empty Fosters tins around the pavilion, and the haggard faces of some of the oppo who had clearly played their part in the creation of this detritus.
We stuttered to 63 for 3, Johnny Rice bowling straight and well for his 18-3-56-4, and only Adam S looking comfortable and composed, but then we put together some partnerships of 20 and 30-odd, with Thomas (28), Elliot (17) and Joe (30) providing most support as Adam continued in elegantly solid mode – his 83 being the bedrock of our total…..the atrociously dodgy and low bounce made anything over 200 look a testing chase.
And so it proved. The skipper trawled his memory once more for cricketing inspiration through the bracken of half-recalled poetry, and struck upon that day in 1981 (?) when Dick Letts had tossed him the ball at Malvern to open the Frogs’ attack against the G of W with his unguided grenades. The adventure was brief, your skipper being asked to “take the sweater” after just 2 overs, but there in the scorebook it lay…..AN Opener - 0, Caught RFB Letts, Bowled DG Jones. This thought impelled skips to ask Joe to take the new cherry with Thomas, and the rest is amphibian history - he proceeded to bowl his very skilful leggies unchanged for 21.1 overs, taking 6 for 77 and celebrating his recently awarded (dark) Blue! Thomas and Owen (showing admirable courage and control in his 9 overs) picked up one each, and Max, in a Krug champagne – “reassuringly expensive” spell nevertheless took 2 threatening batsmen out, and as we entered the last hour, all 4 results looked possible. We tightened our grip, held our catches, and fielded sharply (honourable menches to Adam L and Max), and wrapped it up with 8 overs in hand.
The taste of Joggers’ jug was sweet, and once more the skipper mused on apt verse, and the following drifted into his mind…..
“We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,-
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”
Perhaps more appropriate for him than his XI, but stirring stuff withal! A super win, and roll on next year, when I don’t doubt that Croomers will come back with all the spice and venom of a cornered rattlesnake.
Frogs vs Hurlingham
Venue: Hurlingham Club
Date: 6 July 2014
Result: Frogs win by 5 wickets
Reporting: James Mason
Frogs won the toss and inserted the opposition on what looked a good pitch on a fine day but with the advantage of knowing what total to chase. What followed was a fine bowling display, which started with a run out of one of Hurlingham's most dangerous batsmen from a direct hit from cover point by debutant Freddie Owen. With the door slightly ajar, the bowlers took full advantage with T. Marshall and L. Bowles using whatever movement there was to cause all the batmen trouble and nip out two further batmen from their top order. The skipper then turned to spin with JO'G, fresh and on form from a 4 day match with OU, turning it prodigiously in both directions. No batsmen (or keeper) could cope with his googly and his two wickets does not truly reflect the spell he bowled which took any momentum out of their innings and led to them only positing a modest total on a ground when a par score is usually 280+. Another debutant, Jon Relleen then finished their innings with a very tidy spell of away "nibblers" which culminated in the final wickets falling.
The Frogs innings started with a couple of quick wickets to Brooksbank who was nicely swinging the ball back into the right handers. The match then moved into a crucial phase with Freddie Owen and Steve Walsh nullifying their new ball attack to, in essence, setup the Frogs win. Jon Relleen and Thomas Marshall then scored some fine boundaries as the Frogs completed the victory. In conclusion, a good win for the Frogs against a reasonable Hurlingham side which was setup by some accurate bowling and two steadying innings from F. Owen and J .Relleen.