The Oakley 20/20 side resisted a late Simon Pennington onslaught to edge to victory at a sunny but breezy Oakley Park last night.
Batting first, Oakley got off to a shaky start with Steve Savage departing in the second over and Alex Brundle soon following after a trademark hay-maker at thin air resulting in the all too familiar sound of leather clattering into the stumps.
This left Clive Welsman and George Lethaby to steady the ship and then accelerate with some lusty blows, before George departed for a quick-fire 18.
Clive carried on the good work, smashing the ball all over the park, but Julian Worthington holed out for just 5 leaving it to Darrel Dimond to accelerate the score rate, quickly moving up towards 30.
Clive, after a marvellous effort that tested every sinew of his his impeccable physique, eventually departed on 67 for a plumb LBW that had him appealing himself, such was his desperation to get tucked in to a bottle of Golden Goose.
Steve “Bownie” Bown then came in, clumping a towering six before departing a couple of balls later. Dan Sumner joined the fray but quickly departed when run-out, leaving it to Chairman Courageous, Bob Lethaby, to take up the challenge.
After the the recent 36 not out he doesn’t like to talk about, Bob’s team-mates watched in dread at the prospect of yet more lyrical torture from this dashing, flamboyant and destructive cricketer amongst cricketers.
What followed was a devastating example of how to play 20/20 cricket; a plethora of devastating blows in an unbeaten 24 off 14 deliveries striking daggers into the hearts of the awestruck Dummer players as the Bob’s team- mates turned the club-house upside down in a desperate search for a gagging device.
What a player, what a Chairman…What a prick.
With a more than healthy target of 176 to defend, Oakley rotated the bowling to limit it to 2 overs each. George Lethaby removed the opener in his second over and wickets looked like they were going to tumble until Simon Pennington arrived at the crease, aided by Andrew Ferguson, who would be an Oakley man through and through if he didn’t come from and play for, Dummer.
After a quiet start, Simon went on the rampage, hitting sixes all over the park as Andrew played the part of admiring spectator at the other end though Bob Lethaby was unlucky not to snare him, going for just 30 off two overs, with Simon only clearing the boundary by about fifteen feet on each of his countless sixes.
Bob did remove Andrew Ferguson with a cunning doosra/wrongun/reverse slower ball that did everything but turn, but the real prize was Pennington and Oakley knew who to turn to in a crisis…Club photographer, Paul Sumner, a master craftsman who has spent decades spinning webs to snare his beleaguered victims.
In a tension filled battle of psychological strength, Simon battled valiantly to keep Sumner out, hitting just three sixes and two fours off one over as the spectators watched on in anticipation to see who would win this vital segment of the game.
It was riveting stuff but in the end Oakley edged home despite a late towering six by Dummer’s Mr Quiet, Mark Barden, a man who’s introverted nature often has you forgetting he is there.
All in all it was a fantastic evening for the club and all the members of Oakley are extremely grateful to the Dummer lads who, as always, did some healthy damage to the stock of beer in the bar!
Up the Oaks!