3rd XI WINNING STREAK CONTINUES

15th of Aug 2021 - Report by Satyajit Velaskar.
Important match between TCC 3rd XI and Oxton CC 3rd XI. TCC 3's desperate for a game after the abandoned match at Barrow last weekend. Start time was 12:15. Players trickled in by 12:45 pm. Vipul, seething with anger about the blatant disregard for punctuality, lost the toss and TCC 3's were sent in to bat first. In a bizzare move, the batting line up was in order of the people who turned up at the ground. Raghu claims to have reached the ground first it seems, but there was no one there to check and this is hence debatable. Miracles do happen, I am told.

Vipul and Sanchit kicked off proceedings and opened the batting before Sanchit was out, with the score on 22. Raghu then joined Vipul and was next to depart having scored 5. The scoreboard ticked on slowly as Oxton bowled and fielded well squeezing the run rate (which generally stayed at circa 3 runs per over). Proceedings were calm until there was a disagreement about 4 byes signalled in the 19th over. The game was held up and a break was taken after an exchange of colourful, uncomplimentary language and empty threats. Sanity prevailed and play resumed thereafter. Ashmit top scored with a calm 24, followed by Swaraj-23, Piyush -19 and Vipul -18 followed by someone called Extras at 17. The first innings ended at 131. Jonathan Fairclough and David Turner took 3 wickets each with Gamage and Filer accounting for 2 and 1 respectively. Lunch was interesting when Vipul justified the logic behind the batting order, which could potentially have lost us the game. After a debate and justifications from people who rocked up late for the game, the team took to the field, having stuffed their faces with lunch.

Field setting was quick, strangely. Raghu struck first, trapping opener David Burrows lbw for 7 and then bowling out Ollie Jones 6 and Bruce Mc Williams 7 . Buddika (33 runs) steadied the innings with some fluent batting. Oxton were on top of the run rate generally and seemed set to achieve the target for sometime. Vijay (4 wickets) and Sanchit (3 wickets) came in to bowl next and took the remaining 7 wickets. Raghu stole the show with 3 catches and 3 wickets, in addition to sorting the boundary ropes, removing the covers and setting the sight screens all by himself ( atleast that’s what he told us and went in to bat in at no.3, but who knows). Fielding standards were high - Raghu grabbing 3 catches and dropping 1 skier, Girish, Kris and Sanchit taking 1 each. Oxton were eventually all out for 80 in the 26th over. Strong win for TCC 3's in the end by 51 runs. Six wins in row for Vipul and his motley crew.
Didn’t wait for post match drinks, but I am sure alcohol must have been consumed along with tobacco smoke and the usual discussions around tactics for the next 5 matches, jibes at each at high decibel levels. We’ll do this again next week…..