Stragglers of Asia Tour of North Norfolk – v Thornham CC

Friday 16 September 2022 Thornham CC vs Stragglers of Asia  at Thornham  Cricket Ground

Result: SoA won by 44 runs

Match Report

After three seasons of disruptions caused by Covid, the much-planned and much-anticipated tour of North Norfolk started with a T20 game against retired Club President Billy King-Harman’s ‘other’ club, based in the picturesque village of Thornham on the North Norfolk coast.

The weather Gods certainly were having their fun, having called ‘Time’ on the long hot summer – heavy clouds rolled in, borne by winds coming directly from the Arctic to drive rain horizontally across the ground. Despite this, at the first opportunity the players donned oilskins, sou’westers, galoshes and thermals to brave the elements, draw the covers off the pitch and let battle commence.

The Straggler innings was a tale of two partnerships. Tim Coombe, having clearly shown the noblest commitment in travelling all the way from Cumbria to play,was given scant reward by the cricketing Gods. His second ball was an absolute peach, the missile seaming away brutally to turn him square-on and clip the off bail. A horrified Phil McDuell was then joined by Tom Russell to rebuild. Both were quickly into their stride; Tom, after playing his first six balls watchfully, then clipped the next to the rope, and the charge started. The pair played calmly, never seeming to take chances, and yet the tempo was increasingly brisk. After the 5^th over, the score was 21, by the 10^th it was 70. Phill retired in the 12^th over with the score on 82, and Tom walked off a short while later with 50 to his name as well, clearing the way for Tony Hooper and Willy Boulter to step on the gas as the conditions started to deteriorate. The last five overs yielded a further 43 runs, either side of an interruption when the rain got too much, and the innings closed with a thoroughly defensible 147 on the board. Phil and Tom between them took only 78 balls in total for their 102 runs, while Tony’s 28 took only 18 balls, with Willy going at a “pedestrian” run a ball at the other end!

With the rain falling faster (fly horizontally would be more accurate), Thornham started the chase.  Woodcock, having bowled two tidy overs in the first innings (and taken a wicket – albeit only Ian Perry’s, so no great achievement), now got the home side off to a good start with the bat. After 5 overs the score was already on 39, but the wily Tom Whyte then pinned Hewson (J) in front before finishing his excellent spell. Danny Dawson then tightened the screw and despite Ian’s best efforts at the other end the run rate slowed. Woodcock, trying to force the pace again, skied one to Tom R, while Danny took a smart caught-and-bowled to dispose of Parish. Rose (A) chipped one straight up in the air for the waiting Willy to pouch, but the real damage was done in one brief period of 8 balls from the bottom end, when first Danny castled Rose (P) in his last over, and Vinny O’Neill disposed of Hewson (F) and Gooderson in his first. With Thornham now well behind on the chase and little batting to come, Rose (M) and Baker could make no impression on the bowling and with Phil and the returning Mark Hunt to finish off, Stragglers ran out comfortable winners. Mark in particular had bowled far better than his figures suggested, having been on the receiving end of some thoroughly unwelcome ‘tap’ early on from Woodcock.

Perversely, of course, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared as the last over was bowled, and the players gathered in front of the pavilion in glorious sunshine to drink toasts to the memory of Her Majesty and to the health of His Majesty.

The lads and lasses at Thornham CC deserve a LOT of credit for sticking it out in awful conditions to allow us to play the game, and remained good-humoured throughout. They are of course Billy KH’s ‘other’ club – so to play in such good spirit is perhaps not something to be surprised about.

Team batting first: Stragglers of Asia

No.	Batsman	How out	Bowler	Score
1	Ph McDuell	Retired		50
2	T Coombe	Bowled	A Rose	0
3	T Russell	Retired		52
4	I Perry	Bowled	Woodcock	1
5	T Hooper *	Not Out		28
6	W Boulter +	Not Out		10
7	V O’Neill	Did Not Bat
8	J Melhorn	Did Not Bat (absent)
9	D Dawson	Did Not Bat
10	T Whyte	Did Not Bat
11	M Hunt	Did Not Bat
	Extras			6
	TOTAL			147 for 4 Wickets

 

Bowling

Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
A Rose	4	0	15	1
M Rose	2	0	15	0
G Gooderson	2	0	10	0
Parish	2	0	20	0
Siddle	2	0	15	0
P Rose	2	0	21	0
Woodcock	2	0	5	1
Richardson	2	0	22	0
J Hewson	2	0	18	0

 

Team batting second: Thornham

No	Batsman	How Out	Bowler	Score
1	L Woodcock	Ct Russell	Perry	40
2	J Hewson	LBW	Whyte	9
3	F Hewson	Ct Coombe	O’Neill	15
4	J Parish	Ct & Bowled	Dawson	1
5	A Rose	Ct Boulter	Perry	0
6	P Rose	Bowled	Dawson	0
7	M Rose	Not Out		21
8	G Gooderson	Ct Boulter	O’Neill	1
9	S Baker	Not Out		9
10	C Richardson	Did Not Bat
11	A Siddle	Did Not Bat
				Extras 7
	TOTAL			103 for 7 Wickets

 

Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Hunt	4	0	29	0
Whyte	4	0	23	1
Dawson	4	0	14	2
Perry	4	0	16	2
O’Neill	3	0	12	2
McDuell	1	0	7	0

 

 

The Stragglers re-group as rain stops play