The Golden Ducks vs Two Bats, 29/06/2014

The Golden Ducks 139/7
Rodwell 46 (35)
Richards 32 (14)

Two Bats or Not To Bat 141/3
Cooper 1/21
Arblaster 1/26

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!"

In what was labelled the biggest game in the fledgling career of The Golden Ducks, it was only natural that there were some nerves floating around pre-match. Players live for games like this, and it’s not often they come around. Could we write ourselves into the record books? Was today the day?

What started off as a glorious day full of hope and expectation soon descended into an afternoon of worry and uncertainty. And that was just the weather! With pathetic fallacy in full flow, threatening clouds gathered over Clapham Common Oval, forcing the ducklings under cover. Sure enough, with rain around, Cansick chose to have a bat when he called correctly at the toss. Rain and cloud equal good batting conditions, right? In chasing that elusive first victory, the Ducks knew they would have to do so without their stalwart and all-round good guy Jon Yarker, who magnanimously stepped aside in order to allow a stronger bowling lineup.

In another re-jig (the Ducks have yet to keep the same batting lineup, or opening pair, in any two consecutive matches this season) Rodwell and Cooper opened up. With the Ducks targeting around 150/160, the opening pair set off accordingly. Runs were flowing, with Cooper looking in good form and Rodwell content to rotate the strike. Things were going according to plan for the Ducks with the score reaching 30-odd after just 4 overs. What came next wasn't in the script though, as Cooper chased a slightly wide one and had to depart, having been caught, for a breezy 19 (off 14).

Cansick strode purposefully to the crease, determined to keep up the good start. And he and Rodwell did just that - carrying on at a rate of just over 8 an over. The Skipper was taking advantage of some leg-side bowling - stroking some nice boundaries and collecting wides too - to help accelerate the score. The Ducks were getting close to the halfway mark of their innings and looking good for a big score, but nothing is ever quite plain sailing when the Ducks are concerned…

Off the first ball of the 9th over, Rodwell hit an innocuous enough shot behind square on the off-side for what looked like yet another 2, but something wasn’t quite right. The opener felt a sharp pain in his head, and despite getting through for one, Rodwell had to turn down an easy second as he went down clutching his head. There was a short delay as the flagging batman attempted to recover from what was later diagnosed as a pinched nerve. When play did continue, just two balls later, one ball after hitting a glorious four, Cansick (19 off 12) was gone. Despite modestly admitting that, “I might have gone next ball I faced”, Cansick shouldn’t really have been facing at that point. And to literally add insult to injury, the new batsman, Allison, was caught at cover two balls later, gone for 2. An eventful over to say the least.

Following the completion of that over, a lengthier delay ensued as a Two Bats player received treatment from 9th man-cum-physio Yarker on what turned out to be a broken finger. Richards was now at the crease with Rodwell, but wasn’t to face a ball for all of 3 overs as Rodwell unfortunately struggled to regain any kind of fluency after the restart. Rodwell (46 off 35) was put out of misery soon after, falling agonisingly close to another 50.

Despite seeming well set at one stage, the Ducks were floundering somewhat; with 13 overs gone, 86 runs were on the board for the loss of 4 wickets. The stage was set for Richards, who had fallen to some unlucky dismissals in recent weeks, to steal the show. Helped by some useful lower-order contributions from Einsmann (7 off 14), Arblaster (5* off 3) and Proctor (7 off 5), Richards blasted his way to a glorious 32 off of just 14 balls, finding the boundary with ease, and dragging the Ducks to 139 off their 20 overs, a score that the boys fancied their chances of defending.

Whilst it may have been a defendable total, the Ducks knew they would have to be on top of their game to stand a chance of winning, and everything certainly started well enough for the boys in yellow. Abandoning the three-prong attack, Allison and Arblaster were given full responsibility for spearheading the Ducks charge. Sure enough, after a tight opening over from Allison, Arblaster struck, clean bowling one of the openers for a duck. Spirits were high, and continued to rise as Two Bats struggled to score with any sense of fluency.

Despite the Two Bats innings opening in glorious sunshine, the storm clouds were gathering once more and the rain soon arrived. Far from aiding the Ducks in their quest, it posed a few problems. The ball was hard to grip, started to deteriorate rather rapidly, and the outfield was now starting to speed up as well as getting dangerously slippy for the fielders.

Whilst the batsmen were not scoring particularly freely, runs were still being accumulated. One could sense that heads were starting to gradually drop; something special was needed. Sure enough, with the opener back on the sidelines (having been retired at 50), and Coops starting to bowl with a venom that is usually reserved for the nets, Two Bats’ well set no. 3 popped one up to the eager Proctor, who took a decent catch at midwicket. Rather than go into exuberant celebration, Proctor and Rodwell instinctively combined to grab a much need Double Play! As Two Bats grumbled about nothing, the exuberant celebrations then began.

Knowing that a chance was there for the taking, Cansick had little choice but to go for the jugular. Allison and Arblaster were recalled, knowing they needed just one breakthrough to grab control of the match. Allison, sure enough, forced a chance, but the luckless Ducks returned to their old ways in the field, managing to let a catchable chance slip through tiring fingers in the wet weather. Heads were beginning to drop once more and, try as they may, there was no way through Two Bats’ no. 6 (who had only played one game for them so far this season) as he smashed his way to an unbeaten 49 off just 21 balls, and won the match for Two Bats.

Although Cansick pulled no punches when admitting that the result was, “extremely disappointing, particularly after the importance we placed on this game,” he did offer some positive, encouraging words: “I think we'll benefit from the experience of having to defend a target, in particular dealing with nerves and making tactical decisions.”

Despite the disappointment, which lasted beyond just the Sunday – Allison was one of the few to admit that he was “still gutted” the day after the match – now that the dust has settled, we must put everything in perspective and accept that progress is still being made. When The Golden Ducks were formed on the morning of Saturday 19th April by three and a half men who were still drunk from the night before, I don’t think anyone could have imagined how far we would come in a short space of time, even if that has not yet translated into victories. We must take pride too that we’re one of the few teams to rely on a settled squad; only 10 players have turned out for The Golden Ducks this season, a close-knit squad that will continue to grow.

Sure, this felt like a watershed moments for the Ducks, and defeat, especially in that manner, is never an easy pill to swallow. Who knows though, we may yet meet Two Bats again this season; Cansick’s suggestion of an end-of-season ‘friendly’ was met with a noncommittal grunt from the opposition captain.

The skipper had some final words to offer: “We've had other close games in the first half of the season, so we just have to focus on the return fixtures. The season certainly isn't over, so it's vital we stay positive.”

“One last thing before you go though / When you feel better tomorrow you’ll be a hero / But never forget today / You could be here / Things can stray…”