The Buccaneers arrived at Chertsey’s wonderful Grove Road ground in keen spirits, fresh off of the back of an historic win at Hurlingham the prior Sunday and, in the more recent past, some invigorating refreshment at the Crown hotel and pub on the high street. A 40-over format and a 2pm start allowed ample time for some pre-match ‘carb loading’, with Metcalfe Snr taking the opportunity to sample half a pint of Chertsey’s famous shell-on prawns. He had also brought with him a kitless Our Kid “Ollie” Metcalfe. Despite clear documentary evidence to the contrary, O.K.M. claimed not to know that he was down to play in the match until the big day itself. Mercifully, he had woken up on his brother’s sofa just a few hours before the good news registered and was therefore well placed to make the short journey down the M3 to take his spot in a Buccs side bristling with confidence, if slightly apprehensive at the prospect of a new fixture against a club boasting four Saturday league sides.
Our (sole) umpire for the day was being formally assessed as part of his ECB accreditation process. Prior to the start of the match, he had many questions for your correspondent and the opposition captain. Having provided assurances that it would not be possible in the time available to alter the land boundaries of the cricket ground and nearby properties so as to put the sightscreen out of the field of play, we were permitted to proceed to the toss. Buccs called correctly and elected to bat on a dry track with a thick covering of grass.
Having managed to borrow some ill-fitting kit, O.K.M. opened up with Buccs stalwart Simon Leefe, but the partnership proved not to be particularly fruitful when Simon played next to a straight one and was bowled for six. Enter Buccs debutant Jon Harvey, who made a stylish and fluent 35 before mis-timing a flick to leg. Ollie followed soon after for 23 when he dragged a filthy half tracker to mid-wicket. Messrs Hobbs and Moules came and went – the former to a disastrous and inevitable attempt to hit Chertsey’s youngest bowler into nearby Thorpe Park – and, after a promising start, the Buccs found themselves in a spot of bother at 107-5.
In typical swashbuckling fashion, Charlie Leefe decided that the situation called for an all-out assault on the straight and cow-corner boundaries. He was ably supported in that endeavour by Metcalfe Snr, who used his pre-match protein to good effect in making a very handy 31. The pair had added 59 when Charlie was caught for an excellent 60 (7x4s; 3x6s), attempting to hit a fourth boundary in as many balls, much to the entertainment of the small crowd that had gathered around the amply-stocked pavilion bar. Chertsey then fell victim to the well-rehearsed Buccaneers trick of sending Rob Rydon (27) in at eight and, after a quick flourish from the remaining tail-enders, we were bowled out in the 39th over for 225 – a decent total, but one that we thought might be 20-30 runs light on a pitch that had played well with relatively short boundaries all around the ground.
We need not have feared. Rob took the new ball with his son Tom and together they reduced Chertsey to 6-3 and then 53-5, Rob’s third wicket – a self-declared “Jaffa Cake” which nipped back sharply to bowl the free-scoring number three – a particular highlight. Steve Moules bowled with good pace and bounce and was unfortunate not to be rewarded with a wicket. Warwick Okines beguiled the batsman with some delightful leg spin – his first scalp of the season duly followed when some rapid glovework from the highly impressive Jon Harvey put paid to Chertsey’s number six, who had overbalanced to a flighted leg break. Buccs took their time in taking the seventh wicket but, when Bailey, J. was bowled by Leefe, S. for 38, the remaining home batsmen fell in a heap rather quickly (Simon and Richard Hobbs both finishing with two wickets apiece): Chertsey all out for 154 in the 38th over and the Buccs victorious by 71 runs.
The Buccaneers savoured their second straight win with some further refreshment at the ground and were later delighted to hear the news that our umpire’s inquisitiveness and sound judgment had been rewarded with ECB stage U2A and U3A accreditation. We thoroughly look forward to returning to Chertsey next year and have already been put on notice that some additional Saturday quick bowlers may await us next time around..
Chertsey CC vs Buccaneers, Sunday 23 June 2019
Buccaneers won the toss and elected to bat
Innings of Buccaneers
O. Metcalfe ct
Patel b Bailey 23
S. Leefe b
J. Lloyd 6
J. Harvey+ ct
Patel b Bailey 35
C. Leefe ct
Allison b Sloan 60
S. Moules ct Clarke
b Patel 6
R. Hobbs ct
Aish-Lyons b Barnes 2
W. Metcalfe b
J.Lloyd 31
R. Rydon b
Aish-Lyons 27
T. Rydon ct
Clarke b J.Lloyd 6
T. Fletcher* c&b
J. Lloyd 13
W. Okines Not
out 1
Extras 15
(all
out) 225
J. Lloyd 7.1-2-27-4
H. Aish Lyons 8-0-53-1
J. Bailey 4-0-21-2
J. Clarke 5-0-21-0
R. Patel 5-0-26-1
J. Barnes 4-0-31-1
D. Sloan 2-0-23-1
Allison 2-0-10-0
F. Lloyd 1-0-6-0
Innings of Chertsey
D. Sloan ct
Fletcher b R. Rydon 0
L. Fisher+ ct
S. Leefe b T. Rydon 4
L. Robertson b R.
Rydon 24
K. Allison b
R. Rydon 0
F. Lloyd ct
Okines b T. Rydon 21
H. Aish-Lyons st
Harvey b Okines 8
J. Bailey b
S. Leefe 39
R. Patel ct
R. Rydon b Hobbs 31
J. Barnes b
Hobbs 1
J. Clarke c&b
S. Leefe 13
J. Lloyd* Not
out 1
Extras 12
(all
out) 154
R. Rydon 6-2-14-3
T. Rydon 6-0-42-2
S. Moules 7-1-14-0
W. Okines 7-0-35-1
R. Hobbs 6-0-24-2
S. Leefe 5.5-2-25-2
Buccaneers win by 71 runs