The Oakley Sunday string enjoyed a handsome win over Bounty Social today with a victory built around half-centuries from Clive Welsman and a resurgent veteran Gordon Scott.
Batting first the Oaks opened with Gordy and Brad Compton-Bearne, however, Brad, a death or glory batsmen, chose death, going for a two ball duck, meaning an early visit to the crease for Bob Lethaby.
Bob and Gordon slowly started building a partnership until five minutes of madness saw Bob depart. A six at Oakley is something Bob has longed for, for many a year, but when he eventually hit one straight back over the bowlers head, his celebrations were cut short by a delusional and chaotic sense that he could make lightning strike twice.
Result? Clean bowled attempting a hay-maker to a straight one. At 47, maturity still seems a distant dream for Bob.
Bob’s departure saw his son, George, arrive at the crease to start a decent partnership with Gordy before a short one stopped as it pitched and looped on to the stumps for a bizarre dismissal that was comical and depressing in equal measure. George was visibly choking back the vomit as he trudged back to the pavilion.
This left it to Gordy and Clive to pile on the runs and Gordy, rediscovering his love for playing, made an excellent 50 before gallantly retiring to allow others to bat. Clive passed 50 as well but at the other end wickets were falling with Peter Holcroft, Paul Sumner and Ben Allum struggling on a dead pitch. This left it up to late flurries from Dan Sumner, Alex Brundle and Jack Brundle to make very competitive Oakley total of 215.
The Oaks in action against Bounty Social today
Defending the total, Brad Compton-Bearne picked up two excellent early wickets with some pacey stuff before the duo of Alex Brundle and George Lethaby broke the middle order with George, who has had a frustrating time lately, taking three wickets including one absolute corker that snapped the off stump clean in two.
With the game virtually wrapped up, this allowed captain Dan Sumner to give youth a chance and Peter Holcroft responded with two overs of the most cataclysmic bowling witnessed at the club for sometime; it was like watching Stephen Hawking bowling blindfolded.
However, cricket is a crazy game and Peter, inexplicably, took three wickets as he went through the Bounty tail end, presumably by bamboozling them with his ineptitude. This was much to the amusement (not) of Jack Brundle, who was attempting to plunder his first ever wickets at the other end before having his day cut short by Paul Sumner, who cruelly, some might say viciously, took the ball from him to have a couple of overs of his own.
Ben Allum also had a couple of overs before Bob Lethaby came on for a short spell, in fact a spell so short that his figures read an average enhancing 1 wicket for no runs off one delivery. What a guy!
The victory by 70 runs, completed an excellent weekend for the club where all teams came away with victories. A Sunday that saw two fifties for club stalwarts, a first ever Oakley six for the Chairman, three wickets for the treasurer and a snapped stump, can only be a good one.
Up the Oaks!!!