(37.4 overs; Macaulay 4-31, Oliver 2-16, Rogers 2-16, Dela Rue 1-42)
Strollers 160-7
(30.2 overs; Pittams 59ret, Oliver 40, Rogers 11no, Boyes 10)
In April 1770 HMS Endeavour became the first European ship to reach the east coast of what would lovingly become known as Australia.
At the helm of the research vessel was a silk-stocking-clad fop named Captain Cook – a renowned chef of the time who was forced to flee his former life as a culinary savant in Portsmouth, due to a misunderstanding involving a soufflé, a goat and a vicar’s daughter…but I digress.
Young Cook escaped to a life at sea and soon ascended the slippery pole of a seaman’s life to the heady heights of captain…stepping ashore in Botany Bay.
The parallels you cannot deny are remarkable – the Strollers’ maiden voyage to our very own Botany Bay gallantly led by our very own Captain ‘Jamie’ Oliver. Possibly with a little less soufflé this time, but the rest uncanny. But again I digress…
A huge ‘thank you’ to our hosts and to our very own Match Referee Alastair Macaulay for arranging such a good game at such short notice.
Botany Bay CC, big parched outfield, balcony views from the pavilion and live YouTube coverage of the game – this was not our hosts’ first rodeo. With the toss dutifully lost, the Strollers took to the field.
Botany Bay’s openers Hemanth Tummala and Manish Solanki were greeted by James Dela Rue and Ben Mangham, with Dela Rue quickly removing Solanki for six, caught behind by Mike Pittams. Tummala was very much keeping the Botany Bay inning on course, batting steadily, a rudder guiding his side through some choppy waters. Pittams (a run-out) and Dela Rue (taking a catch off Steve Rogers) were involved in winkling out two more batsmen by drinks. Botany Bay were riding high in the water 85-3 off 20.
Straight after drinks Rogers struck, Mangham making a very straightforward pop up to gully look like he was standing on a pitching deck in storm force six conditions.
The next 20 would be nip and tuck, a back and forth, the waves of fortune lapping against the hull of success for either side.
Tummala plotted his course, passing 50, while our very own Captain ‘Ahab’ Oliver struck twice in a probing spell, bowling Shah Khan and harpooning Joe Brownnutt lbw.
Paige Copsey and Macaulay took on the role of harbour pilots by bringing the HMS FSSCC back to port. Mermaid Copsey shut down one end with an excellent spell, cramping up a very set Tummala. He reached 73 before falling to the “saucy sea shanty” – caught Dela Rue bowled Macaulay.
Micheal Michalia fought back with a plucky 31 before being stumped by Pittams off Macaulay. Botany Bay were finally dismissed for 159 off 37.4 overs.
Returning to dry land we took on a fine array of provisions (the chip and samosa butties deserve special mention). Time for the stokers to get the boiler up to pressure and the drummers to beat out a heady rhythm – ramming speed as the Strollers went out to bat.
Our armada soon became becalmed, with flagships Blair Travis and Sean Bourke broadsided with some serious gunnery from Michalia – Strollers 17-2.
Brownnutt continued the battery, bowling Andy Boyes on debut for 10, then completed the top order rout by clubbing “baby seal” Brad Treblicock for a duck.
FSSCC found themselves in shark invested seas listing badly, taking on water at 47-4. Would this be another 1912 Titanic disaster, with a quartet playing their instruments bravely one last time before slipping into the black icy waters?
Time for a hero, a tot of rum, and a madman to stare back at the howling storm and laugh as the waves threatened to take us all down to “Davy Jones’s locker”. Could there be an Horatio Nelson and a Thomas Hardy within our ranks?
A partnership of 98 from Captain Oliver and midshipman Pittams brought us close to the finishing line. Then came a slightly surprising retirement by Pittams and the fall of Oliver, trapped plum in front.
Enter the ‘pad rashed’ duo of “Cabin Boy” Steve Rogers and “Long John Silver” Mangham – the latter very much hobbling due to a prolonged stint of sitting and listening to the Bletchley Park trio struggling with the electronic scoreboard/pencilled scorebook/play-cricket i-Pad.
They strode out to knock off the last 20 runs, but it was left to Rogers and Dela Rue to bring it home after Mangham joined Bradders in the Duck Club.
Thank you once again to Botany Bay for what this not so abled bodied seaman would hope to be the first of many matches. Shiver me timbers and hoist the mainsail; the voyage continues…