Incoming Arrows

There may be no such thing as full employment in the world of economics and job markets, but in the Easton Cowboys Sunday 1st XI's match against Backwell Flax Bourton, everyone bent their back in one direction or another to help pull off a convincing 59 run victory.



After the previous day's deluge there wasn't much doubt as to what to do with a winning toss on a damp, spongy, green wicket and so it was that the opposition inserted the Cowboys when the coin fell on their side. Not only did skipper Bolts lose the toss but before there was a run on the board he'd lost his wicket to a well taken catch too. Wilki steadied the ship against the young guns who were proving difficult to tonk away, a task not aided by the long boundary and damp, lush outfield.

When Justin departed having just reached double figures, it was clear that it was going to be a relatively low scoring game and despite positive intent, Harry struggled to overtake that mark and returned to the pavilion with the score on 48 for 3. Hidayat and Wilki then punched and deftly dabbled a partnership of thirty until the latter went to the fourth catch of the innings.



Meanwhile, across the other side of the country at RAF Scampton, some rather powerful BAE Systems engines were warming up and sat navs being set for our vicinity. Yes, Europe's largest arms exporter was headed our way and things were about to get a bit dicey.

On the pitch, or more accurately, behind the stumps, the gamesmanship had been cranking up since the start. Admittedly your own correspondent was very lucky to survive several balls that gated him and missed the stumps by a whisker and was having trouble pulling off any confident scoring shots. Being constantly reminded of this from behind the stumps didn't help and the intensity of the chatter threatened to drown out the sound of the approaching Red Arrows after surviving a confident appeal for an edge behind that wasn't.

Hidayat on the other hand was now well warmed up and threatening to score the first boundary of the innings with each missile he launched into the outfield. The score was beginning to get some colour in its cheeks and the fielding side were getting increasingly frustrated. And then a misfire went vertical high above the pitch, the keeper advanced a few paces, quite capable of catching the ball in his mouth and Hidayat called his partner for a pointless run.

The non-striker had already done much running of late and what with the large figure of the approaching keeper and the other incoming fielders, the road through was looking congested. Besides, why deprive the new batsman of the opportunity of being on strike? He loudly declined the futile offer, sending Hidayat in search of the crease he'd just left. Unfortunately the keeper now occupied the space directly behind the batsman, who turned hastily and immediately collided with him, breaking his box in the process and staggering injured to the turf within his ground. In the melee, the keeper dropped the ball and the opposition were understandably a bit peeved. It was all rather unfortunate but clearly not intentional.

Hidayat now required a runner (Wilki) to continue and if that didn't make it chaotic enough, the Red Arrows were by now looping the loop and farting coloured smoke above our heads.



The fifth wicket and catch were taken with the score on 144 with a strong tail still to come in support of Hidayat, now well past his fifty and having finally penetrated the boundary, to the audible delight of one of the visiting umpires. Perhaps inevitably with a runner on the field, Hidayat was finally run out for 78 and the Cowboys eventually finished on 169 for 7, whatever the scoreboard might have said.



Given the depth of the bowling attack, the Cowboys took to the field after tea with confidence, Harry and Sayed tying down the openers with fine spells and Martin and Sadat following up with tight inroads into the opposition's early order who, thanks to some snappy and highly commendable keeping from Reg and attention to duty in the field, found themselves behind the run rate at 33 for 3.

There followed a mid order partnership of over fifty which though never threatening proved hard to shift, the ball always somehow being batted just out of reach of the fielders. It was shortly after the batsmen were heard to say that they were cruising it that Hidayat made the breakthrough, Dave L following with a great spot of bowling to reduce BFB to 91 for 5 with a long way to go.

The Cowboys had sniffed blood. Sayed returned for another spell and Hidayat's safe hands at long off made it 95 for 6, then Bolts shrieked and juggled in the deep off Dave L to make it 96 for 7. Sayed dispensed with the need for fielders by spearing in a couple of exocets to hit the base of the stumps, ending with figures of 4 for 11 as the opposition limped to close on nelson for nine with a tad of last wicket resistance.

Hidayat was voted Man Of The Match for his great all-round performance and the cider moment was shared between Bolt's startled, juggled catch and the mid pitch melee.

Scorecard