Coaver Gerries Cricket Club

Gerries versus Exwick Jokers at Coaver on 19 May 2024

Jokers 153 All Out Gerries 141-8 LOST by 12 runs

35/35

No sheep to worry about this time as Captain Jonah strode out to toss on a beautifully sunny afternoon at Coaver. The toss was duly lost and it was not a surprise that the Jokers decided to bat first.

Joker’s opener Ellis set about Ian ‘Deadly’ Clewlow’s bowling with a vengeance as if in haste to resume drinking at the Coaver bar, scoring with a succession of 2’s 4’s and a couple of belligerent sixes in the opening three overs. Worryingly, with the tour only 6 days away AB limped off the field with a calf injury and was replaced by Henry Bethune, Rob’s son, in the process making his Gerries debut. It was certainly not the best of starts.

Meanwhile however, an aggressive spell by JP was keeping Mr Ellis’s partner much quieter. Indeed, he had not scored any runs when JP found a way through his defence in the fourth over and scattered the stumps in all directions. Two overs later he similarly clean bowled a second Jokers batter.  

Ellis continued attacking the bowlers and after 9 overs the score had reached 66 but he retired soon afterwards having reached the compulsory retirement score of 50. With Ellis departed, the scoring rate dropped drastically and wickets started to fall.  JP switched to devilish leg spin – was he just knackered after 4 overs of pace(?) –  but in any case it was effective as he claimed a third scalp once again clean bowled – no trusting the fielders for him!  At the other end, Ian took a well-deserved wicket and finished with two maiden overs.

Replacing JP and Ian, Hamish and Rob Bethune took early wickets and Jokers had subsided to 80-6 at one stage but a stand of 55 then took them to respectability. There were late wickets for Gilo and Ian Turner while Henry bowled an impressive three over cameo without reward and the Jokers were all out for 153 in the 34^th over.  It has to be said that the total was helped a great deal by a  Gerriesque total of 45 extras bolstered by the rule that a no ball or a wide incurred a two run penalty and there were quite a lot of them! There were catches for James Evans and Mike Seal and Mike also completed a stumping to end the innings.

Bowling figures

I Clewlow 7-2-48-1
JP 7-0-19-3;
H Adam 5-0-39-1;
R Bethune 5-2-11-1;
Turner 5-0-9-3;
H Bethune 3-0-13-0  
Giles 1.2-07-1

The Jokers score looked beatable and in response, Gerries reached 28 before Jonah did not quite get hold of a lofted off drive and was well caught by …yes you’ve guessed it ….Ellis!   However, James Evans was going well and despite the Earl perishing to another catch in the deep, he was joined by JP and the score was advancing rapidly until that man Ellis entered the attack and had JP lbw on the back foot for 21 and clean bowled Gilo for nought. By this time, James, who was also nursing an injured leg, had retired for an excellent 54, his last shot an excellent straight six.

The latter part of the innings was a bit of a struggle with the Joker’s attack bowling tightly and it is worth reflecting that no Gerries batter from 5 to 11 manged to score a boundary. The pressure told and both Bethunes perished to runouts in the pursuit of the victory target.  Ian Turner was controversially give out lbw by Gilo for 10 but he was the only later order batsman to reach double figures and our innings ended at 141-8, 12 runs short of the Joker’s total.  The more parsimonious total of 25 extras conceded by the Jokers’ bowlers proved crucial in the end.  A disappointing result in a game which we probably should have won but it was close and he match was played in a very good spirit.

Onwards to the tour!!

PM/21/05/24