Stragglers of Asia vs Sunday Barbarians at Sulhamstead and Ufton CC, Reading
Result: Match drawn
Match report
26 years ago, the newly-created Sunday Barbarians CC played one of its first games against Stragglers of Asia. The first three years yielded one victory for each and one draw. The fixture then sadly fell into abeyance, and in recent years the Barbarians had played only a single fixture in each year, In 2022, however, its Secretary, Fixture Secretary and ‘heart-and-soul’ Ian Chandler pulled out the defibrillator and pumped life back into the club with a 25th anniversary tour and the promise of better times to come. One of those ‘better times’ came to pass on 2nd July 2023 at Sulhamstead and Ufton CC.
On a blustery day, sun and cloud casting the sky in equal measure, Stragglers claimed first occupation of the verdant sward. The wind, driving inexorably across the ground, cannot but have aided the ball’s deviation from the straight and true, and the emotion of the moment in turn assisted the Straggler batting line-up to adopt its customary semblance of a structurally unsound tower. Gladiator after gladiator fell upon his blade, and by the first pause for drinks the score had limped bravely to a painful 67, at the cost of three scalps. A perfectly-pitched yorker had removed James Melhorn, his replacement Guest Conor Michaels being undone by an offering that refused to achieve the accustomed altitude. The hapless match manager (having casually flicked his first ball one-handed into the embrace of the boundary tree), then fell in the first over after these libations, heralding a further unhappy progression. Guest Vaibhav Shintre, and Mevon Surendran, both fell bewitched by the tantalising flight of Barbarian skipper Martin. The nadir was reached in the 23rd over with the unfortunate departure of Phil McDuell, patriarch of that great cricketing dynasty.
The arrival of the wily Willy Boulter halted the slide. Flinty of eye and doughty of heart, the veteran keeper joined forces with his captain to repair the damage. The pair were aided by generous Barbarian bowling changes, easing pressure and allowing them to manage the strike and reestablish some degree of respectability in the score. Paddy McDuell batted with increasing authority, forcing imperious drives through the covers and whipping the ball into the on-side with shattering force. The pair added 70 in 18 overs, before Willy fell, bringing the stalwart No.11 Rob Pollock-Hill to the crease. It has been long suspected that young Rob, when armed with willow and accoutred for the fray, develops a vituperative hatred of the ball. Thus it was proved when he struck it thrice to the fence (once entirely above the emerald grass) on his way to a stirring quarter-century. Paddy meanwhile was laying similar waste to his share of the Barbarians’ offerings, accelerating towards what would prove a memorable and thoroughly restorative century. 84 runs were the prize of that final unbroken stand, the rescue completed and the total now an imposing and hitherto-unexpected 233 declared.
The Barbarians set off steadily. Openers Owton and Faris Haider treated the offerings of both George Humphreys and Jonny McDuell with due respect; neither bowler, however, was able to effect a breakthrough and the batsmen’s confidence grew until Haider, having already bowled 8 overs in the first episode of the unfolding drama, retired with painful cramp. The wily Pollock-Hill, well into yet another legendary marathon spell, now ensnared fellow opener Owton to begin the demolition of the Barbarians’ stronghold. Two further scalps came in quick succession – Williams, essaying the most stratospheric of assaults on Mevon Surendran’s 5th over, fell to a fine capture by the irrepressible Paddy McDuell. Conor Michaels, prowling the square boundary like a hungry panther, struck with a rocket-like throw to remove the veteran Fenn and bring Zimbabwean paterfamilias Vaughan-Davies to the crease.
With Skipper Martin an enthusiastic partner, the two started to eat into the target with alacrity. Boundary after boundary accrued, the trusty scribe notching off the rising score with delight. With the target diminishing rapidly, captain McDuell turned to guest Vaibhav Shintre to stem the flow. The latter’s initial interrogation of the batsman’s technique bore immediate fruit, as Martin chipped the ball to Jonny McDuell at the square boundary, the fielder makingthe steepling catch look as easy as his brother’s preceding capture. Two brief overs later, Sarrall failed to satisfy the same interlocutor and was despatched ignominously to the pavilion, his castle a ruin of disordered woodwork.
Into the final hour of the match, the target now – following those two dismissals – a seemingly remote 134 runs distant. Cometh the hour, though, cometh the man. Faris Heider, now restored, rejoined the fray and the pair began to pursue the quarry. Shintre’s subsequent overs took the brunt of the assault as Six followed Four followed Six. Paddy McDuell, replacing his somewhat contused guest, offered some control and the scoring rate wavered… then his cunningly-disguised quicker ball disrupted Vaughan-Davies rhythm and the bails fell. The Haider brothers’ brief sojourn together was terminated abruptly by another superb piece of outfielding, this time by George Humphreys; a moment of filial confusion and miscommunication leaving the younger brother, the Barbarians’ diminutive wicketkeeper, crucially short of his ground. Paddy McDuell, clearly dissatisfied with the level of his contribution to the game, now disposed rapidly of both the younger Vaughan-Davieses, the latter falling to a superb caught-and-bowled despite a comedic collision between bowler and mid-on Humphreys.
Alas, this latter wicket brought the redoutable Jones to the crease. Stragglers had three overs remaining to take the final prize and win the game. Yet, having seen it all and done it all, his bat crafted from the frustrated tears of innumerable bowlers past, Jones now knew what was required. An extended front leg, a firm bat and a resolute heart saw the Barbarians safely through to the close and a thoroughly honourable draw.
What a day, what a match. The rekindling of this fixture could not have had a better outcome, honours even and the spoils, beers and delighted conversation, shared in the glories of the evening sun.
Team batting first: Stragglers of Asia
| No. | Batsman
|
How out | Bowler | Score |
| 1 | J Melhorn | Bowled | F Haider | 19 |
| 2 | J McDuell | Ct C Williams | Sarrall | 9 |
| 3 | I Perry | LBW | Vaughan-Davies | 15 |
| 4 | C Michaels (g) | LBW | F Haider | 1 |
| 5 | V Shintre (g) | Ct and Bowled | Martin | 3 |
| 6 | G Humphreys | Ct Sarrall | Vaughan-Davies | 0 |
| 7 | M Surendran | Bowled | Martin | 0 |
| 8 | Pa McDuell * | Not Out | 103 | |
| 9 | Ph McDuell | Bowled | Jones | 0 |
| 10 | W Boulter + | Bowled | Sarrall | 22 |
| 11 | R Pollock-Hill | Not Out | 25 | |
| Extras | 36 | |||
| TOTAL | 233 for 9 Wickets
Declared |
Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Sarrall | 10 | 1 | 39 | 2 |
| F Haider | 8 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| Martin | 5 | 1 | 13 | 2 |
| J Vaughan-Davies | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Jones | 11 | 0 | 44 | 1 |
| Owton | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Williams | 10.1 | 0 | 57 | 0 |
Team batting second: Sunday Barbarians
| No | Batsman | How Out | Bowler | Score
|
| 1 | F Haider | Not Out | 55 | |
| 2 | G Owton | LBW | Pollock-Hill | 26 |
| 3 | M Fenn | Run Out (Michaels) | 1 | |
| 4 | C Williams | Ct Pa McDuell | Surendran | 5 |
| 5 | J Vaughan-Davies | Bowled | Pa McDuell | 63 |
| 6 | R Martin* | Ct J McDuell | Shintre | 13 |
| 7 | T Sarrall | Bowled | Shintre | 4 |
| 8 | K Haider + | Run Out (Humphreys) | 7 | |
| 9 | M Vaughan-Davies | Bowled | Pa McDuell | 0 |
| 10 | R Vaughan-Davies | Ct and Bowled | Pa McDuell | 0 |
| 11 | R Jones | Not Out | 1 | |
| Extras | 8 | |||
| TOTAL | 183 for 9 Wickets |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Humphreys | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Ph McDuell | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Pollock-Hill | 19 | 5 | 59 | 1 |
| Surendran | 7 | 1 | 36 | 1 |
| Shintre | 6 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| Pa McDuell | 6 | 1 | 19 | 3 |