The gloves are off to regain upper hand

By Steve O’Neil Ramsadeo
Even some friendly matches have an uncanny way of raising adrenaline and competitiveness of players up a few notches. That was the case of Morden Corinthians, which was anxious to reclaim its dominance against Chertsey IV’s, having lost in their previous meeting earlier in July.

Morden Corinthians has held an unblemished record of wins against Chertsey IV’s over the past few seasons. The recent encounter was a close affair and a good contest between the teams, but now Corinthians was back and determined to put the record straight.

Batting first, MCCC – with the confidence of having batting and bowling depth in the side – planned to set a strong total and then bowl out the opposition. Corinthians used its time at the crease to build a very respectable total of 196 for 9 at tea. It was a solid team performance, with each batsman, but one, contributing to the runs tally.

Having set a tough runs challenge to the opposition, Corinthians now had to fulfill the second part of its plan; to remove Chertsey’s batting order. Setting an attacking field, match skipper Steve O’Neil Ramsadeo started with three slips, gully and a tight outer ring, and then asked for some aggressive bowling.

The Corinthians bowlers opened furiously, taking three early wickets. All going to plan, but Chertsey then started blocking out for the draw. Five more wickets fell and Chertsey was still well short of the required run rate. The MCCC bowlers tried plenty of variation in an effort to take the remaining the wickets, but the opposition continued to pad out the bowling. A frustrating end to the game as Chertsey held out for the draw, officially. However, off-the-record, Corinthians would claim a winning draw and a moral victory.

ALSO WORTHY OF A MENTION

Batting:
Brian Douglass – a Martini Moment; delightfully shaken and stirred 61

Bowling:
Bowlers sharing the wickets.

Name Ovr Mdn Runs Wkt
Heinrich Keyter 15 3 58 2
Joe Nell 11 2 42 2
Vic Luis 6 0 12 1
Graham Pinkney 5 3 3 2
Tony Hammond 5 0 23 1


Catches:
Heinrich Keyter – the Champagne Moment; edged up and dying, taken low lunging forward at gully
Vic Luis – lofted up, taken at mid-on
Viv Sharma – driven chest-high, taken at mid-off
Steve Vickery (Wkt. Keeper)
Joe Nell – lofted short, taken at silly mid-off
Keith Pilgrim – swept firmly, taken at mid-wicket


FOR THE RECORD

Match: Chertsey IV v Morden Corinthians. Date: 30 August 2003
Toss: Lost, Chertsey elected to field Match format: Timed
Pitch: hard, rough patches, rendering variable bounce Weather: Sunny, warm
Result: Draw MCCC match captain: Steve O’Neil Ramsadeo

Team/batting order:
Brian Douglass; Keith Pilgrim; Viv Sharma, Steve O’Neil Ramsadeo; Heinrich Keyter; Jamal Tarafdar; Joe Nell; Steve Vickery; Vic Luis; Tony Hammond; Graham Pinkney.

MCCC red with embarrassment at Godstone Green
By Steve O’Neil Ramsadeo

This was one of those unforgettable matches for each of the players that turned out at Gosdstone Green. Unfortunately for Morden Corinthians the memory would not be of a scintillating day’s cricket but of a shameful display of complacency, which led to an almighty fiasco.

A harsh indictment on the Corinthians players perhaps, but each one was unanimous in that this was a game the team should have won with consummate ease, particularly as Godstone Green rated itself as a weak side. Losing the match was a body blow itself, but Corinthians having had the luxury of fielding a relatively strong ‘Sunday’ side on this occasion simply added to its misery.

After Godstone Green lost five wickets for only 54 runs, Corinthians decided to cool the pace, limiting its bowling attack to make a game of it. The home team recovered slightly, ending its innings with 93 for 9.

The target was well within Corinthians’ batting capability, as it faced a bowling attack which, ‘on paper’, had little to offer in pace or threat that would trouble the batsmen – or so it seemed. However, the first wicket fell for just three runs, after which the disastrous domino effect started, with wickets toppling throughout to close the innings on a catastrophic 90 all out.

This defeat was not in the script, but Corinthians was the author of its own downfall. Astounded and embarrassed, players were perplexed and could only muster feint cries of ‘how did we lose that one?’ For Corinthians, a very disappointing, lackluster day’s cricket that its players would want to forget but won’t be able to because the memory of this one will linger for a long time.

FOR THE RECORD

With such a feeble team performance, no one expects to claim a Champagne Moment – well perhaps to close on a higher note, a Martini one will suffice, courtesy of Tony Hammond’s economic and diligent bowling, claiming 4 for 17.

Match: Godstone Green v Morden Corinthians. Date: 03 August 2003
Toss: Lost, Godstone Green elected to bat Match format: 40 Overs
Pitch: hard, uneven Weather: Sunny, hot
Result: lost MCCC match captain: Tony Hammond

Team/batting order:Steve O’Neil Ramsadeo; Joe Nell; Steve Herat; Ali Herat; Wade Erasmus; Brian Douglass; Sam Cope; Heinrich Keyter; Tony Hammond; Graham Pinkney; Bradley Herat.
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