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Match Report
Date	12-08-07
Home Team	Knotty Green
Home Runs	151	Home Wickets	9
Away Team	Penn Street
Away Runs	147	Away Wickets	8
Result	Lost
Batting of Note		Bowling of Note
Player	Runs	Players	Wickets
Rob Sutherland	31	Matt Bannister	4-28
Chris Fletcher	27	Chris Fletcher	3-27
Matt Bannister	18	Cliff Culbert	2-56
Comments
In a break to the normal format, Knotty Green welcomed the 9 men of Penn Street to theirs with the offer of a rare time game. Batting first, we were dealt a sucker punch in the very first over when Punter Jupp edged the type of ball they name cakes after, through to the wicketkeeper. In came Rob Sutherland to join Matt Reavey with the look in his eye of a man hungry for sunday runs and a point to prove. He duly began to launch the ball to all corners with some style. One stroke in particular played backfoot, on the up, over cover would not have been out of place in the Caribbean!! Matt progressed cautiously, reminding himself ball by ball how to hold a bat after a heavy night on the sauce! His struggle ended shortly after it began, following Juppy, caught behind! With the pressure now massively on the middle order, Rob Sutherland and Matt Bannister both played important innings to give the innings some momentum. Rob eventually succumbed for 31 when a fifty looked on the cards after an almighty six over cow corner! Fletch then arrived at the crease and played like a man with a bus to catch to a fist fight. He treated almost every available scoring opportunity with absolute rage en route to a hugely entertaining quickfire 27 that featured possibly one of the biggest sixes every seen at Knotty Green! He was only undone by an outrageous one-handed "pluck" by mid off who looked more like he was waving to his bird on the boundary than attempting a catch!! We eventually ended on 147 all out. Credit must also go to Dave Hewes for a big supporting contribution to the total. He occupied the crease for somewhere near an hour while others blazed, playing a fine anchor for an unbeaten 12. At tea we knew defending the total would be tough with only 9 men. Given a sub fielder by Knotty Green, we took to the field with real belief, which increased when Fletch bagged 3 early wickets to put Knotty on the ropes. Wickets continued to fall, but one Knotty opener refused to budge as his team went 5 down with less than 100 on the board. The sixth wicket partnership for Knotty, probably proved decisive in the long run as it brought them to the edge of victory by the time it was broken. A change to bring Matt Bannister on proved, perhaps belatedly, that the Knotty opener, now beyond 50, was no fan of turning leg breaks!! He struggled to get it off the square until a decisive moment occurred - the ball looped up to point where our sub-fielder dropped a horrendous sitter with the game in the balance to loud cheers from the Knotty supporters!! The poor bloke then dropped a second in the following over, this time right in front of his enthusiastic fanbase! If anyone on the pitch then felt the game was a lost cause, no-one told Matty Bannesar! He followed the disappointment of the drop with 3 wickets in quick succession to leave Knotty needing 1 to win as the last man walked in! They had been well set 6 down and with only 3 needed just minutes before. The next thing they knew, they'd been undone by a Barnacle the size of Nelson's Column!! As the number 11 took his guard for the decisive moment, the whole of Knotty Green held its breath. By now, news had spread to The Red Lion of Penn Street's heroics and hordes of drunken revellers raced to the boundary's edge for a glimpse of the finale. On the main through road to Beaconsfield, people abandoned cars in scenes reminiscent of an REM video, just to say they were there! Could the 9 of Penn Street sneak an unlikely share of the spoils? Could Knotty possibly snatch a draw from the jaws of victory?! As Bannesar approached the popping crease and the ball released from his fingers for the decisive ball, the crowd were hushed as one in anticipation. A dormouse shuffling through the undergrowth at deep cover was the only sound as the ball pitched and was then met with the crack of willow! As a thousand eyes tried desperately to follow the ball's flight, the most concerned pair were that of the aforementioned dormouse as the ball clattered, two bounces into the hedge just North of his home on the boundary edge!! DEFEAT. Despair.... Deflation .... "Did you know they've got Rebellion on tap in the clubhouse?!"