BHCC v Free Foresters - 4th July 2010 - Match Report

Our three previous matches against the Free Foresters have been both keenly fought and immaculately conducted social affairs and this season’s fixture was no different. The provenance and traditions of the Free Foresters, formed in 1856 no less, demand that we field a side capable of challenging their vast strength in depth and we invited three guests to make up the numbers as virtually half our club membership were unavailable; Mark Coxon-Tenty (Warminster & Wiltshire), Andy Trollope (Sutton Veny) and Grant Chandler (Heytesbury) all made their debuts.

A blustery mid-morning kept the clouds at bay as George Bretten, as ever resplendent in Foresters blazer, and I ambled out to a mottled wicket for the most important toss of the season. The nightmare prospect of fielding after lunch dictates that whoever calls correctly will choose to bat and as the coin came down tails I actually felt sorry for George as I condemned his delightful team to three hours plus in the field!

Mark Coxon-Tenty, (Cocko) and Mark Meadows opened up and with their contrasting styles rattled up a record stand of 235 no less. Cocko was sublime in scoring 185 of the purest runs you are ever likely to see at club level and had us all purring with a repertoire of shot and God-given timing that oozed pure class. Scoring predominantly through the ‘V’, Cocko’s rapier-like drives peppered the boundary from cover to mid-off, whilst anything shot was absolutely ‘creamed’ through mid-wicket. Playing exclusively off the front foot, even his forward defensive shots were text-book and he slowly broke the collective hearts of Sweatman and Davies who both bowled with gusto despite the onslaught.

As the field retreated ever further, Cocko retorted with a barrage of straight sixes that at least slowed the over rate as players rummaged in the bean field. Rising to my offer of £50 to anyone that scored a ton before lunch, Cocko accelerated like a runaway freight train and duly brought up his century after little more than 75 minutes at the crease. The rich applause from the Foresters fielders perhaps gave the strongest indication that we had all just witnessed something wonderful and Babington lunched at 143 for 0 after just 23 overs.

Lunch was a joy. Taken in the Log Room we started with an anti-pasti board that frankly, would have been sufficient, but the main course of cold meats and assorted beans with creamed potatoes was absolutely delicious. If this were not enough, a mountainous desert of Eton mess almost certainly finished off the Foresters who had the prospect of another long stint in the field to look forward too.

With Cocko on a mission and Meadows preserving his wicket as if his life depended on it, Bretten turned to the spin off Jaques and de Winton to try and stem the flow, but both disappeared in an absolute blur of fury from Cocko’s blade. The next ten overs went for almost a hundred runs as Cocko ran amok quickly passing 150. The Foresters, surprisingly, lost heart and seemed resigned to their fate as we screamed past 200 in the thirtieth over.

Cocko was finally stumped for 185, but let’s be honest about it, gave his wicket away when at least a double century was there for the taking. Meadows nurdled his way to fifty-odd and Nick Sinfield flicked one delightful six off his pads before holing out for 18. Jonathon Boulton at least got to the wicket, but I declared on 284 for two in an attempt to keep the game open offering the Foresters a minimum of 50 overs to get the runs.

Chris Player bowled an exemplary spell down the hill and soon had Johnson bowled off an inside edge which was due reward for his disciplined line and length. Lord Jolliffe floated up his usual dolly mixtures and after Richard Moffatt smacked him for a consecutive six and four, bowled him with a long hop that just about had the momentum to reach the stumps; Moff, disgusted, trudged off scratching his head.

Boulton’s floaters kept the game alive, but he quickly succeeded in dismissing Sweatman who mis-timed a half-tracker straight into Cocko’s buckets at mid-wicket. De Winton batted powerfully for a half century and formed a solid partnership with Simpson which took the Foresters past the 100 mark. Andy Trollope (Trolly) had taken over from at the Jolliffe-end and his skiddy medium-pacers kept the scoreboard in check; bowling with nagging accuracy and low trajectory, Trolly is always a handful even if his action is unworthy of the Dennis Lillee comparison of which he later boasted after a few pints of ale! His debut wicket was that of Simpson elegantly pouched by Jolliffe at mid-off for a hard grafted 52.

Mann made a workmanlike 30 before finally succumbing to another of Boulton’s ‘lollipops’ pulling straight to Harry Cadbury who, for the all the world looked as he had not even seen the ball hurtling towards his young head, proceeded to stick out his right hand to take the most nonchalant of catches. For one terrible moment, the world stood still and I had visions of Harry’s face being obliterated by red leather, but his reactions proved true and the nightmare vision of explaining all to his mother did not materialise!

Boulton picked up a third wicket bowling Jaques for ten before catching de Winton off Trolly and pivotal phase of the match arrived as Bretten came to the crease. With eight an over required the game remained in the balance particularly when one remembered Bretten’s century against us a few years back. Despite Mark Cadbury’s best endeavours, I needn’t have worried especially when Player knocked over Bretten during a masterful over of line and length.

The game was ours for the taking, but the fine rain soon turned into a downpour and common sense demanded that the game was aborted. We needed just one more wicket for victory although an honourable (winning) draw was perhaps a fitting result.

The game will be forever remembered for Cocko’s blistering knock, but there were other highlights too; Harry’s catch, Boulton’s relentless piss-taking of his captain, Ellis’ swallow-like fielding, Chandler’s solitary over which defies description, Babington’s five star hospitality and the lovely company of the Foresters throughout. It was a thrill to invite our three guests with whom I have played for and against over many years and their very presence meant a great deal to me personally.

A shame that the weather intervened, but a smashing day none the less where the very essence of cricket itself was the ultimate victor....

Babington House CC - 274 for 2 declared.
Free Foresters - 209 for 8.
Match Drawn.

Man of the Match - Mark Coxon-Tenty - 185.
Champagne Moment - Harry Cadbury's instinctive 'face-saving' catch.