Wellington CC vs Golden Ball CC - 3 June 2007

Standing: Geoff Arnott(wk), Gary Millward, Tim Wills, Tom Fremlin, Whitty Whittingham, Kev Scully.
Kneeling: Tim Tatlioglu, Michael Charno, Pete Mitchell(c) Jack Gabbatiss(wk), John Patrick(wk)

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Match Report by Whitty Whittingham

The Retreat was an idyllic setting for the game of cricket between Wellington CC and Golden Ball CC on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon. Golden Ball CC batted first with Pete Mitchell (C) and John Patrick, playing his first game of the season, opening. Mitchell hit a single off his first delivery from AlsnBaldock at the Stray End and Patrick held his end up for the remainder of the over. JohnBullock came on from the Sanatorium End and made an immediate impact getting Mitchell triggered leg before wicket by umpire Gary Millward for one run. Michael Charno replaced Mitchell and hit a quick-fire 26 before being caught at wide long off by Howard Leadley - a superb take over his shoulder as Charno searched out the boundary yet again.

Tim Tatlioglu came on and steadied the ship at one end whilst the impressive youngster, Patrick, started to settle and hit some sublime shots. Tatlioglu unfortunately didn’t hit more than a single run as he was caught by John Galloway off the bowling of Simon Brereton after 14 balls. The ever-reliable Kev Scully replaced Tatlioglu whilst Patrick, at the other end intimidated the bowlers with his supreme confidence and good running between the wickets.

The bowling change that saw Graham Roberts come on from the Stray End brought the wicket of Scully for five runs with a soft shot straight into the hands of Luke Mitchell. Golden Ball sent in part-time wicketkeeper/part-time ‘Sicknote’ Geoff Arnott to bat at number six. After a run of disappointing innings Arnott looked composed and hit two nice boundaries which sandwiched the shot of the day – a beautiful six which cleared the long-on boundary by several metres and landed in the middle of a family picnic. However, this elegant batting performance was brought to an abrupt end as Arnott, yet again, misjudged a ball which saw him being bowled by Roberts for a decent score of 16.

Meanwhile, Patrick was firmly established at the other end, playing textbook shots and finding the sweet spot with increasing frequency. This wicket brought together the best partnership of the innings between the two youngsters of the team as Jack ‘Rooney’ Gabbatiss entered the field. Rooney made an immediate impact, hitting a sweetly-timed four off his first delivery. This young partnership lasted for a solid half an hour until on 49, Patrick was caught by Tim Munday off the bowling of Luke Mitchell. His outstanding innings was greeted by applause from batting and fielding team alike as the promising youngster walked slowly back to the pavilion.

Whitty Whittingham came on and faced new bowler Wheatley from the Sanatorium End. He played very defensively trying to get his eye in and managed to edge a fortunate single down to backward square leg. In the next over, after a number of defensive shots he tried to hit out but managed to get a thick edge which spooned back up into the bowler’s hands for one run. Tom Fremlin replaced Whittingham and intended to steal a few runs with quick running, however, a comical mix up occurred, where both players seemed to agree not to run, and then Fremlin ran. He was run out by yards for a duck. Gabbatiss, clearly shaken by this, saw his wicket fall as he was adjudged to be leg before wicket for a respectable 35 to Wheatley’s bowling. Gary Millward and Tim Wills completed the tail and whilst Millward was looking confident, Wills was caught and bowled by Mitchell for a three-ball duck.

A superb tea, complete with samosas and Mr Kipling cakes was very well received by the visiting team who felt confident that they could defend their biggest score of the season.

Danny Sampson and Tim Munday opened the batting attack for Wellington CC facing Millward from the Stray End and Wills from the Sanatorium End. Both bowlers bowled superbly; Wills getting a maiden with his first over and Millward with his second. Wills bowled efficiently with his trademark grunt, conceding only 7 runs from his first 4 over spell. Millward, after a wayward first over, produced a spell of splice-rattling pace, making the occasional ball leap at the batsmen from a gook length. He was rewarded with Munday’s wicket fell thanks also to a superb one-handed catch from Gabbatiss at mid-off that Jonty Rhodes would have been proud of.

Sampson by this stage had settled into his rhythm and was selecting the balls that he could guide, often forcefully to the boundary.

Fremlin replaced Wills from the Sanatorium End and after a few looseners found his line and length and frustrated the batsmen with some direct bowling. Charno, replacing Millward, powerhoused his way into the batsmen with his unconventional arm from the Stray End. This infuriated the batsmen, especially Galloway, who didn’t know whether to charge down the wicket towards the powerful American or to stay in his crease and fish for the balls as they flew past him.

Whittingham replaced Fremlin as third change bowler from the Sanatorium End as Gabbatiss replaced Charno from the opposite end. Initially Whittingham struggled with his line but managed to get good purchase off the pitch, bowling a bouncer over Howard Leadley's head. Whittingham was quickly rewarded with the wicket of the wicketkeeper Galloway, who edged a shot to slip where it was caught under the chin of Arnott. Arnott had been replaced behind the stumps by the all-rounder Patrick, after Arnott grazed his finger nail through the keeper’s gloves.

Gabbatiss was unfortunate to be hit for three fours off his first over as Sampson started to hit out, however Whittingham was having more success at the other end beating the bat on a number of occasions and almost trapping Sampson lbw. Whittingham was rewarded with the prized wicket of Leadley who was bowled by a ball which pitched outside off stump but cut back in viciously to remove the bails. Alan Baldock joined his captain at the crease and soon set about building a match-winning partnership.

Tatlioglu got some turn and bounce but couldn’t make the breakthrough. Mitchell and Patrick bowled well in partnership but still the wicket wouldn't come. With only14 runs needed from the last four overs Mitchell reverted to his opening bowlers in a final quest for a wicket. Both Wills and Millward bowled well, but Sampson was now utilizing massive strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unachievable by ordinary men: wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with nothing more than a donkey's jawbone, and tearing down an entire building, not to mention flicking a leg stump half-volley past fine leg for a one-bounce four.

Millward was rewarded, with Baldock's wicket as Gabbatiss (the second replacement keeper) took another great one-handed catch. However, the breakthrough was too little too late and Wellington CC won with seven balls to spare thanks to the mighty Sampson’s 67*.

At this early stage in the season the top three leading run-scorers for Golden Ball CC are M. Charno 53, J. Patrick 49, J. Gabbatiss 35. The top three leading wicket takers are A. Whittingham 5-38, J. Gabbatiss 3-39, T. Wills 2-24.