Two Ton Gerry Slays St Cross as Records Tumble
An incredible 207 not-out from captain and talisman, Gerry Dique, ensured a comfortable victory for the Oaks against a beleaguered St Cross V on a rain affected afternoon at Oakley Park.
The Oaks batted first and when Gerry was dropped in the covers on two, the St Cross fielders probably didn’t realise the consequences that were about to unfold in front of them.
At the other end, Dan Sumner’s steady improvement in form was continued as he patiently built an innings, mixing defence and attack on his way to his first half-century of the summer.
Gerry was now motoring along and the partnership raced into treble figures amongst some great shot making and what looked like a civil war in St Cross ranks, with the captain trying to field whilst pulling knives out of his own back.
Of course, none of us are immune to frustration when everything is going wrong in the field and the ball bouncing off the astroturf and hitting you square in the face doesn’t help matters.
Dan finally departed on 57, with the partnership ending on 199, the second highest since Gordon Scott formed Oakley Cricket Club in 1849.
Brad Compton-Bearne was promoted up the order and hit a typically quick-fire 30 whilst up the end Gerry was playing plunderer in chief, racing to the first league double ton recorded at Oakley Park since the year that composer, Johann Strauss, famously failed to turn up to a banquet in honour of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz.
Gerry finished on 207 not-out, however, it would be churlish to forget Michael Wood, who also looked in great nick as he plundered one run off one ball in an innings that will live long in the memory of this grand old club.
Record Breaker: Gerry Dique
The final total of 336 for 3 set another record at Oakley Park, a venue that has seen many historical events since it was established in 1849 (scrambles through Wikipedia again) the year that Lincoln famously said ,“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
Pick the bones out of that one Deano.
Two wickets for Alex Brundle and one for the excellent Kalum Sapppumanage saw St Cross 3 down before the rain arrived on 33 Overs and never really relented. This meant that the Oaks used up enough overs to gain a 20 point tally to put to bed any lingering fears of a relegation scrap and continue their painful but steady rise up the table.
Well done to all the boys and in particular Gerry, in what the beige bedecked Richie Benaud would have described as an “ab-so-loot-leeee shooooooper effort”.
Six of the Best for Rampant Two’s
The Second’s maintained their 100% start to the season with an impressive win over an eclectic Basingstoke V on a rain affected afternoon at Sherfield yesterday.
Batting first, Steve Savage dropped down the order with an injury leaving it up to Mike Askem and Jack Brundle to fend off arguably the best bowler they have faced this season as Basingstoke’s Gary Watts, found lift, movement and variation.
Jack and Mike were ideal candidates to fend him off and plunder what free runs were available from the other end as they built a steady partnership. Just as it seemed they would survive Watts’s 10 over spell, Mike went on 36, smartly caught by Bill Blake who was celebrating his millionth appearance for Basingstoke.
Ian Bennett, promoted up the order, then went first ball to what has to go down as the most blatant LBW in the history of LBW’s. Bob Lethaby desperately sought for an excuse not to give it out but he couldn’t find one and Basingstoke were suddenly back in the game.
However, the rapidly improving Alex Ogden came to the crease and joined Jack (who was now going along nicely) in a pivotal 96 run partnership. Alex was well on his when onto a maiden 50 when his Dad, Andy, took out a drink to his son and informed him he was on 47.
As a clue to what happened next, Father hastily exited in the direction of the Four Horseshoes, grateful that he wasn’t led on his stomach at Basingstoke A&E undergoing an intricate and unique operation that involved the removal of a cricket bat from his anus.
“How did this happn Mr Ogden?”
“Well, it was like this, my son Alex, was on 47 not-out….”
This partnership put the Oaks in control and when Jack finally departed on 74, it allowed the tail the freedom to bat aggressively with wickets in hand and the score approaching 200. Bob Lethaby, cutting a dash in a cultured innings of hoiks, edges and tennis shots, made an entertaining 16 and Brett King accumulated a well constructed unbeaten 25 as he finished the innings off with another youngster, Fred Booth.
These two under 15’s ran brilliantly between the wickets taking the score up to a formidable looking 236 as the black clouds gathered above.
Two early wickets for Mike Askem put the Oaks in command but this left Basingstoke veterans Derek Dicker and Bill Blake at the crease; with over 500 years of cricket between them, they were never going to budge easily.
At 90-2 the rain arrived and the players left the field. The Basingstoke scorers informed the players that we would cancel drinks and that they would bring out the drinks if anyone required them. Deano James then informed the Basingstoke scorers that it would be a good idea to cancel drinks but the Basingstoke scorers could bring out the drinks if anyone required them.
Somewhat mischievously, the Basingstoke scorers then asked Deano if he could confirm that it was okay to cancel drinks and bring drinks out if anyone required them.
He did not let them down announcing that indeed, we could cancel drinks but the scorers would bring out drinks if anyone required them. If anyone ever wants to feel the thrill of what it would like to be in a ‘Two Ronnies’ sketch, an afternoon playing cricket with Deano is an ideal way to go about it.
After much studying of the rule book, which included Bob Lethaby feigning knowledge but not actually reading anything, it was finally decided that Basingstoke needed 80 runs of 10 Overs to win. After much deliberation, it was decided this worked out at 8 runs over.
Dark Days: The Two’s edged to victory at a stormy Sherfield
Bill and Derek set about the task manfully but struggled against a deep field in what were now awful conditions and game moved towards an Oaks victory. When both went in quick succession the game was up and the Oaks went in search of bonus points as Jeff King (junior) kept things tight.
Freddie Booth and Perry King got in on the action and amongst the wickets and a smart catch by Ian Bennett was followed by Bob Lethaby, who had been fielding like Stevie Wonder on crutches, taking a skier at mid-off off as his trousers looked set to turn from white to brown.
It was an important catch too, as it took the Oaks to another bonus point as they continue their pursuit of St Mary’s at the top of the pile.
So, that’s six on the trot for the Two’s in what is already their most successful season since the club was formed in 1849. Somewhat ironically, 1849 was also the year that surgeon, Sir Bartholomew Humperdink-Ponsonby, pioneered the first anal bat removal operation on Lord Humphrey Ogden.
Unfortunately, Ogden died of acute rectal septicemia 3 days later, with his son at the end of his death bed uttering a sentence that is now entrenched in cricketing folklore.
“Dear Pater, why did one inform thou that thou ’twas on 47?”
Up the Oaks!