CtCCCC gathered for Pemberton’s marquee game in Regents Park on a Friday evening against a burgeoning ATL. Call it what you want but this Pemberton v Dean game had big bragging rights at stake – And That’s Lunch vs. Cambridge to Casablanca Cycling Cricket Club, Cowboy Admin v Relentless Admin, North London v South London, Pembo’s Ringers v Daveaux’s Weird Mates (even featuring the long awaited debut of doble). A huge day for the two clubs.
It must be noted though that Rhys Brennan perhaps due to his journeyman status as a member of both clubs, decided it was unsuitable for him to play. He declared himself unavailable and left Pemberton to dig around north London rustling up spurious ringers with no connections to the side. Before the game I believe Davidson even remarked that he was bringing the fixture into disrepute. Once the cowboy eventually arrived (with a plentiful supply of food & beer), a toss was conducted, whereby he decided to have a bowl first. CtCCCC would stick them on. Gimson (in his newly found Narine pinch hitting role) and Rudkin decided to swing the bat. CtCCCC would get off to a flyer with a 107 run partnership between the two before Rudkin fell in the 10th over for 48. Narine carried on launching spin out the park, until he perished in the 13th over for 44. The engine room of Carew, Dillon (a number 5 by trade who was in the unfamiliar position of 4) and Shaw failed to fire and they all came and went rather quickly as Pemberton martialled his field and bowling attack with aplomb via the notes section of his phone. A minor collapse after the start. This left it to the all-rounders. A jet lagged and weary looking Davidson (undoubtedly in mild disarray) was straight off a plane from Mexico which landed just a couple of hours earlier. Sherwin was on the other hand 7 beers deep having finished term at lunchtime that day. Sherwin at 6. Davidson at 7. But, a tipsy Sherwin, offered the drained Davidson the 6 spot. Rory sensed the chance to assume the finisher role and stepped up. He added vital impetus into the innings before being gloriously run out from a direct hit by sometime cousin and full time adversary Pemberton. Together with Sherwin he got CtCCCC to 191 off 20 overs, with the help of 48 extras (wides counting double and not being re-bowled). In reply ATL came up against the strong opening bowling partnership of Fairbank & Sherwin, who both bowled very economically and would have been far tighter had it not been for some atrocious fielding from Dillon and Rudkin. After Cassels departed (loaned to ATL by Chairman Dean) for not many, Fraser (Pemberton’s Recruitment ringer) began to build an innings with Saunders. These two began to put ATL in an ominous position in the middle overs, despite a very tidy spell from Dorgan who bowled 4 overs for 21. There was one moment which must be recalled on the boundary which was when a hapless jet lagged Davidson dropped one on the boundary in front of his girlfriend Maddie. What followed I am not sure has ever happened in a CtCCCC club fixture before (Ed. Though there was a not to dissimilar incident after a dropped catch vs. The Moose in 2016). Having shelled the catch they embraced in a long sympathetic hug for what seemed like minutes rather than seconds. The Chairman who was umpiring did not approve. Rumours developed that Davidson may be suspended by Dean. CtCCCC appeared to be coasting and have the game under control until the 16th over bowled by Gimmers went for 16. Fairbank then bowled an extremely tight over to make the game look all but won. However the famously big 19th over went for 20 as Davidson toiled bowling back of a length. Just 11 were needed off the last. Sherwin the man. Big LBW appeal and Sherwin gets Pembo’s long-time mate Fraser out just a few short of a ton. Looked very out. Dean the umpire who it must be said raised his finger whilst looking at the scoreboard receives a spraying from the batsman, who was excited about his “first ton of the season”. Now 3 wickets down and still no sign of Pemberton who didn’t look to fancy it. Sherwin finished a tidy over to leave ATL just 3 short. Special mention must go to Shaw for a fine leg side take in this over, when Sherwin had opted for a short fine leg. It saved a certain 4 and won CtCCCC the game. Fairbanks figures were 4 overs one for 13 and Sherwin’s were 4 overs one for 18. A highly competitive and hugely enjoyable game was followed by an enjoyable session at The Volunteer and the talk of many renewals of this fixture to come. Henry Rudkin
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Destructive innings at the top of the order, nerveless knocks to see the team home, leading wicket-taker on tour, (sometime) best fielder in the club... and now CtC pub quiz champion - is there no end to the talents of Nat Gimson? Of course the real reason to celebrate was not Gimson (and his team's) intellectual prowess, but the £900 raised for The Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation in the first of CtC's fundraisers ahead of their Rwanda Tour. Thanks to everyone who came, Hugh Pemberton for organising and especially Guy Davidson for being quiz master. After a poor start to the 2017 LMS season, CTCCCC found themselves bleary-eyed and slightly chilly at the LMS champions league knockout stages Barnes at 9am on a Sunday morning. Even the most hyperbolic and over-optimistic members of the club (sit down Jamie Rutt) could hardly have seen this coming. The reason? Aside from Will Hammond’s 100 in the league final, very few star performers could be picked out. This was a true squad season.
Game 1 of the Champions League saw us pitted against “Book Boys”. CtCCCC had assembled a very decent side at short notice (special thanks to Ish and Hesk for their early morning travels), sending the Homecoming King Hammond and Ben Cassels out to open. Cassels predictably hit a few lusty blows before being caught, but Hammond along with subsequent partner Hesketh (37) scored a quick 46, with Ed Pearson next to the crease. On a pitch set up perfectly for the blond alien’s high left elbow and hatred of the leg side, he plundered the short off-side boundary while Pemberton at the other end did the heavy lifting. A big partnership of the physically mismatched pair took CtCCCC towards an eminently defendable total. Ed retired on 51 and Hugh had scored an invaluable 31 In reply, Book Boys needed to score at 8 an over but tight bowling from Ish (4 overs for 29), Hammond (4 overs, 2 wickets for 23), in addition to a sharp stumping from Hammond off Pearson’s bouncy off-breaks meant that the opposition needed to properly hit out. And hit out they did, with some sloppy fielding from Cassels, Davidson and Ish allowing their big guns to fire for a while. However the early miserly spell from Ish and later from Hammond ensured that CtCCCC got over the line. Nevertheless, sticking to a winning formula, CtCCCC won the toss and batted. This time, however, the going was a bit harder. Gun fielding and tight seam bowling kept Hammond’s strike rate at the top of the order to 107, although he contributed a valuable 43. Cassels hit a few more lusty blows but was predictably caught at long on for the umpteenth time. Hesk went for 6, caught again on the point boundary going for a maximum, leaving Ed and Ish to structure a decent partnership. Ed scored briskly this time, amassing 45 from 26, the standout performance with the bat, taking CtCCCC to a potentially under par 145-7 from their 20. The Budgies bowling was the most disciplined we had faced potentially in the club’s LMS career – next to no extras, all catches held. 7 an over required for The Budgies – could CtCCCC’s reply in kind? The Budgies played a risk free innings, scoring in 1s and 2s and rarely hitting the ball in the air. CtCCCC became increasingly desperate for wickets – the only way to get back in to the game – employing some unconventional fielding positions, to no avail. Jamie Rutt was the pick of the bowlers with 4 overs for 30, but the target was never in doubt. The Budgies chased down the total for the loss of 3 wickets and with 9 balls to spare. In short, CtCCCC were beaten by a better side that eventually went on almost to the National Finals. On a different pitch, on a different day, perhaps batting second, maybe the result might swing the other way. But that sort of second-guessing and what-if dissection of CtCCCC’s final game of the season will surely provide excellent fodder over the winter for the appropriate WhatsApp threads and darkened corners of Chairman Dean’s mind. 2017 was a highly successful LMS season by any measure, and thanks must go to George for organising and agonisingly not playing – an unenviable combination of circumstances, executed with no signs of jealousy or complaint, and Will Hammond, for arguably being the standout player of the season. CtCCCC qualified for the Champions League after puling off a shock victory against league leaders Chasing Tails. Put in to bat CtC batted knew they needed to post a big total and came out the blocks hard. 13 came from the first over, but a quiet first four balls of the second over forced Rudkin into a big shot - a firmly hit pull caught on the mid-wicket boundary. Gimson, increasingly taking to the Sunil Narine role at the top of the order, carried on regardless and hit one huge six over midwicket before departing for 26 from 13 - a job well done. Hammond at three joined the fun and kept the score going, despite Dillon struggling to time it before departing for 18. Hammond reached his 50 from 22 balls, giving the tail licence to swing. Sherwin went big hitting two consecutive sixes and then well caught at third man going for a third for a score of 23 off just 8 balls. With Hammo in the hutch Davo and Rutty shed their reputation as nurdlers / finishers and pressed hard too, albeit Davidson a little too hard attempting a suicidal two to depart without scoring. Rutty hit a huge straight six in a score of 26 from 11 before he too was caught to allow Hammond back in, with just last man Conway for company for the last three overs. Now the fun really started as Chasing Tails repeatedly dropped short to Hammond and he repeatedly pulled them for six. Conway did a great job of giving his flying partner the strike, and allow Hammond to bring up his second 50 in just 12 balls. Hammond 100* from 36 balls, CtC an imposing 204 from 18 overs. Chasing Tails chased hard, but ultimately a tight spell early from Davidson, a model of reliability of late, and late from Hammond won the game.
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AuthorGeorge Dean. Archives
October 2023
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Cambridge to Casablanca Cycling Cricket Club
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