Exiles v Victor Trumper Memorial XI, 21 September 1997
Wayne Holder weighs in with a Ton, Chris Cheshire grabs five wickets!
Another loss for the Victors!
A beautiful day to end the season with, on a straw coloured wicket as dry
as any we've seen all summer. The Exiles won the toss, did the obvious thing
and batted. The Victors new bowling discovery Sheehy soon showed that this
September wicket wasn't as pasty-faced as it seemed. It had plenty of pace
but the bounce was a little variable and he beat the edge of Tony Brook's
bat several times and was too quick for the keeper, the first eight runs
coming from extras to long leg. When he overpitched he was twice driven
sweetly to the fence by Tony but in the same over he dropped one a little
short that didn't bounce as high as expected and knocked back Brook's middle
stump. Dominic Wood also had a few problems with Sheehy, playing and missing
at five consequetive deliveries before popping the sixth to gully off the
shoulder of the bat. Nick Coleman didn't do himself any favours when he
attempted a pull shot to the fourth ball he faced and had his middle stump
knocked back too. Guy Sneesby who had managed to stay at the non-strikers
end throughout most of this eventualy faced Sheehy and lasted three balls
before he was caught at the wicket off his glove. So the Exiles were in
some dissaray at about 40 for 4 after twelve overs. Keith Marchbank and
Wayne Holder managed to see out the remainder of Sheehy's overs without
further loss and started to punish the lesser bowlers, getting full value
for their shots as the outfield was quicker than the outfielders, some of
whom are getting a little long in the tooth. There was a marked deterioration
in the bowling and the early batsmen had plenty of time to rue their "luck"
as Keith and Wayne helped themselves to the runs. Quickly the Exiles were
out of the doldrums and thinking of posting a big score and when Keith was
out Phil James' wild hitting (and missing) increased the rate still further.
There was even the rare sight of Phil turning for the third and being sent
back by Wayne. It was now unrecognisable as the same game that had started
so tentatively for the Exiles as Wayne surged onwards, passing fifty with
a wave of the bat, and Phil passed twenty. Eventually a slog too far saw
Phil fall on 25, his top score of the season. He had enjoyed himself making
late hay in the sunshine. Paul Shorrock unfortunately could't carry on the
joyous charge, lasting only two balls before Prendergast bowled him for
his first duck of the season. Steve Howard, back from the wilderness, also
failed to match Wayne in the run-making but got a few here and there before
falling in the penultimate over. Wayne was now in sniffing distance of three
figures for the first time in his many innings for the Exiles. Effie Gorme
batting down the order because he showed up an hour late was just the man
to steer Holder past the landmark, running like the devil to get to the
danger end and get Wayne back on strike. Wayne made it with one ball to
spare to rapturous acclaim, to finish on 101 not out, the Exiles total a
mighty 205 for 8. Wayne would have been carried shoulder high from the field
but the Exiles decided not to risk putting their backs out and made do with
slapping him on his sweat-soaked back. Having spent most of his career batting
at number 3 it is somewhat ironic that he should make his highest score
batting at number 6. A splendid achievement that saw the Exiles head off
to the Pavillion in confident mood.
Things stared well enough for the Exiles Effie Gorme getting massive swing
with the new ball but Shorrock got the first breakthrough bowling the opener
off his pads with one that seamed back after a series of ones that shaped
away. Effie had a unanimous appeal for a catch at the wicket turned down
to the man who went on to score a fifty.The other Victor batsmen didn't
really get to grips with the early bowling as they needed to to be in with
a chance of catching the Exiles and the required rate mounted rapidly so
that Tony felt confident to bring Steve Howard and Chris Cheshire into the
attack early on. Several key Exiles bowlers had been dropped for this last
fixture and both the slow-armers were going to have to bowl long spells.
The field was dropped back and a few hits brought boundaries and a glimmer
of hope for the Victors as they started to build a partnership, but their
confidence was shaken in one over from Chris Cheshire that precipitated
a suicidal run-out then two balls later a mis-judged sweep shot that gave
Chris the first of his wickets, clean bowled. To their credit the Victors
kept up the pressure but some sharp catching by Nick Coleman and Effie Gorme
and a stumping by Guy, who only occasionaly keeps wicket, gave Chris wickets
2 , 3 and 4. Paul And Effie finished off their remaining overs, Tony bowled
himself for a couple which were good in parts. Keen outfielding inspite
of the seeming inevitability of the outcome kept the Exiles spirits high.
The bearded Prendergast hit a couple of straight sixes to show his teammates
what they had been missing leaving him down the order. Steve Howard grabbed
a wicket with a leg-break that actually turned, and up the hill too! Chris
Cheshire completed his bag of five in the closing overs, his first for the
club, and I think only the second bowler this season to do so (after Naem
against Nuxley) but I may be wrong, and I'm sure "Statto" Middle
will correct me if I am. After that there were only the two youngsters left,
one on as a sub but being allowed to bat, and the excitement got a little
too much for Wayne who threw a very flat return throw to Chris at the bowler's
wicktet that went through his hands and smacked him right between the eyes
with a cartoon violence "thwack!". Whether this was Wayne's way
of getting back at Chris for stealing some of his thunder we may never know,
however Chris was able to complete his over, the boys got a few more runs
and the game ended in youthful innocence as the sun disappeared behind the
oaks for the last time this season. Exiles ran out comfortable winners by
39 runs. A fitting end to our first season at Honor Oak.