Coaver Gerries Cricket Club

Gerries versus Nomansland at Coaver on 21 August 2024

Nomansland 197 AO  Gerries 116-8 AO LOST by 81 runs

20/20

A midweek 20/20 game at the end of August is difficult to accommodate with the nights drawing in, and Nomansland are a team composed mainly of young lads who no doubt have work commitments and have a long way to come. The scheduled start time of 5.30 proved to be unrealistic and it was past 6 when the game eventually got under way. Jonah generously allowed Nomansland to bat first to avoid any further delay.

In the event, our opponents only had 9 batters but they certainly took advantage of the good light.  It was a taste of things to come when Deadly was hit for two 6’s in the first over and JP went for three 4’s in the second. By the end of the third over, opening bat Butterfield had retired having reached the compulsory retirement score of 30 and the total was 48 without loss.

Shortly after this, Nomansand lost their first wicket with Jonah taking a good catch in the deep off JP but the opposition continued accumulating runs at a more then healthy rate.  AB bowled a tight spell taking 2 wickets for sixteen runs including a double wicket maiden in three overs but that provided but a temporary relief for the scorer as Nomansland continued to flay the bowling to all part of the ground including two huge sixes to the mid-wicket boundary, one of which hit the scoreboard, narrowly missing Albie, JP’s son, who was helping keep the score….phew!!  

There were wickets for Smudge (2-37), Rob Bethune (1-21) and Lights (1-13), aided by excellent catches for the Landlord and JP both in the deep.  A last ball run out concluded the Nomansland innings on 197, an average of very nearly 10 runs per over!!

With the light staring to fail, this was truly a prodigious total to even get close to let alone exceed.  An early run out did not help the cause and wickets fell steadily. Lights (19) and Padders (13) tried to hit out but both fell in the pursuit of quick runs.  In truth, we never looked likely to threaten the Nomansland score.  There were late order cameos from the Landlord (11 with 2 good leg side fours) Smudge (11 not out) and Ian Clewlow (9 not out) but respectability was all we could reasonably achieve and in near darkness, we completed our innings on 116-8.

We were well beaten but the game was played in good spirit, heads never dropped and we did achieve a  modest yet respectable total in the end.

PM/22/08/24