Askham II vs Pocklington
Askham Bryans 2nds 224/3 beat Pocklington 146 all out by 78 Runs
So this was it, cup quarter-final day. The team arrived at a rather nippy Pocklington and were greeted by a hard and dusty wicket. Bains lost the toss and Askham were asked to bat. Prateek and Scooby took to the middle. It was evident that despite the pitch being rich in bounce it was also highly unpredictable with the first few deliveries rising sharply. Prateek was unfortunate to deflect a rising ball to a close fielder and Askham were one down in the first over.
Bains came to the crease at number 3. The next 15 overs were difficult for the batsmen. The unpredictable bounce was matched with some tight bowling from Pocklington which required a highly cautious approach from the batsmen. However, both soon settled and started scoring runs. Bains was particularly prolific with his favourite “paddle down to third man” stroke.
The 2 continued at a steady pace first bringing up the Askham 50, then Scooby’s 50 and Mike’s 50. The 2 were well settled and were quite comfortable, confidently dealing with the Pockington bowling changes. The 2 continued past 100 and 150 and the run rate climbed to a highly competitive figure. Despite our resilience, Pocklington were not going to give up and were firey in the field, showing plenty of passion. Now that’s Cricket!
The weather was also a problem. The temperature was dropping and we had to call a brief rain break about 25 overs in.
With the score at 181/2 in the 38th over Scooby finally fell, caught behind for the brilliant score of 84. A composed innings that anchored our response to the early wicket and put is in a very good position. Fabio Capello has reportedly been in touch with Scooby to find out his secrets for stamina, concentration and flair.
With 2 overs left Sharpey came to the wicket and was in no mood to mess about, smashing 2 fours off the first 2 balls and giving the strike back to Bains, who brought his century up in style with a boundary. The 2 continued to hit out and Mike was unfortunate to be caught off the last ball of the game for 103. Sharpey finished on 18 not out and Askham closed on 224/3.
Tea
Tea was a solid effort with an array of sandwiches, cakes, crisps and tea, a welcome tonic to the cold weather. A special mention must go the addition of the buttered fruit loaf which was very nice and should be a stable of any cricket tea. Credit must also go to the Pockington staff who catered not only for us but for the 2 senior sides playing on the other pitch. There was never a shortage of food and 44 cricketers were fed with ease.
Hat Watch
Afshin was again without his trademark flat cap. After concocting a story that he had left it in the dwellings of a fellow student at the University it looked like hat watch was dead and buried. However, Steve “Salvatore” Mason came to the rescue with the “baggy hat worn backwards” which bore a striking resemblance to an Italian Pizza Chef, perhaps an apt career change for the man with the safest hands in Malton. Mamma Mia!
Bowling
Despite the cold and sometimes wet weather we took to the field ready to defend our total. Sameer and Afshin opened the bowling. Both bowled a good line and Sameer was the first to be rewarded, taking an excellent caught and bowled. Pocklington, however were up for the game. They dug in and reached an impressive total of 76/1. It was time to call on the veteran. Scooby immediately made an impact with a graceful one-handed caught and bowled. A caught behind followed 2 balls later and Scooby was set, taking 5 wickets for 23 runs in his 10 overs. Afshin continued from the other end and was rewarded with a wicked, his flight tempting the batsman into a big hit which went straight to Sameer.
With our main bowlers approaching their overs limit Bains looked to his part-time bowlers to finish the job. Afshin wasn’t finished just yet though, again tempting the batsman to hit it right back at him and holding the catch, what a day for caught and bowled!. Prateek took over from Afshin at the sports hall end and bowed tightly, going for just 13 off his 3 overs. Brad Wood also bowled well going for a mere 22 off 4 overs. The Pocking tail however was resilient and their middle order anchorman was still in racking up some runs. Bains tossed the ball to Sharpey to take over from Scooby at the “hedge” end. Sharpey removed the Pockington Skipper in his first over and then finished the job, forcing the anchorman to play on.
A good victory that has put us in the semi-finals. A man of the match performance from the veteran, backed up by some excellent batting from Bains and good bowling all round.