Match Report – Steve Dixon Cup Final 21st August 2011

I can’t decide on the most appropriate summary for this match report. There are so many suitable options, so I’ll go with all three.

1. Wolvercote loot the Steve Dixon Memorial Trophy from under the noses of West Witney,
2. West Witney let the Steve Dixon Cup slip through their fingers (makes a change from us dropping stuff), or
3. To quote Churchill (not the nodding dog), “Never was so much owed by so many to so few our bowlers”.

The weekend before last was a big one for the first team, having a top of the table clash on Saturday and the first chance of some silverware in recent memory on Sunday. It was strange that the Saturday game appeared to be (on paper at least) the harder of the two, playing away to a team riding high rather than a final against a team that had only won a handful of games all season, albeit it in the league above. So after achieving the much-needed win on Saturday, we turned up at Westbury on Sunday full of confidence.

 

Early signs were positive:  according to Tim the pitch looked full of runs (when don’t they Tim?!), the weather looked good , all the players made it (despite Ben and Quinny’s best efforts to have the game played on the Westbury chairman’s front lawn by supplying yet another dodgy postcode) and, in the least shocking event of the day, Burnsy not leaving until after he was supposed to arrive.

There were only two concerns at this point. First was that Ben had failed in the simple task of winning the toss (I blame Campo’s presence) and we were put in, although funnily, having a batsman for a captain we wanted to bat first anyway. The second was Brian, inexplicably, having topped off his usual giant headphone and sunglasses ensemble with what can only be described as a giant space invader crafted out of Lego dangling round his neck. Maybe after hearing about Stuart’s new day-glow cricket green shoes he felt it was the only way to “out bling him”. At this point we really should have realised the day was going to turn out to be memorable!

 

As with most games this season, we resorted to the tried and tested opening partnership of Tim and Tofts. We started well; after one ball we had five (thanks to a wide and a meaty four from Tim) and then Ben confidently informed me that we were on for a respectable 1,350. Things looked even better a ball later, with Tim having snicked one behind only for it to drop short. I think it would be fair to say there were some nerves as both openers played and missed more often than usual.

 

It’s fairly accepted that there are no two more contrasting players in the team than Tim & Tofts:  one tall, free scoring and all about flashing drives, cuts and flicks off the legs, and the other Stuart being watchful, patient and happy to bat through. But continuing the odd occurrences of the day, they had decided to reverse roles. Tofts, playing with abandon, seemed to be intent on throwing the bat and by the time the score hit 25, he had raced to 18. One wonders what his score would have been if he had decided to use the face of the bat rather than just its edges! But with one shot too many, his luck ran out and he was caught, bringing to the crease the second of our Saffers, Gus 2.

 

The usual array of attacking shots followed, including a particularly brutal pull to cow for four, and the score progressed to a respectable 52 before the man with the longest name in village cricket became the first of five to fall to Walker for 11.

 

With the score at 52-2, out strode Jamie, a man who averaged 30-odd for the club last season, but who apparently had never scored a run at Westbury in two previous innings. It was all aboutthird time lucky, which is exactly how it turned out. Sadly it was for the bowler and not Jamie, as he was bowled third ball for naught. To compound his batting horrors, upon leaving the pitch he went to take his frustration out on a stationary ball, and promptly missed that too!

 

What followed was a precession of 90s England proportions, with a number of batsmen making it into double figures but not much further as Walker completed his five for. Ben (bowled – 11), Tim getting one that popped (caught & bowled – 24), me (LBW – 10), Brian (caught – 13) and Rich (caught – 0) all contrived to get ourselves out each time we looked like we may be steadying the heavily listing ship which was our innings. The only light relief provided was more comical than cricketing, but ultimately costly for West Witney.

 

Having pushed a quick single to midwicket, relying mainly on Brian’s fleet of foot, the wicket keeper was not able to take the sharp return and the ball quickly raced down towards the boundary, fielder in pursuit. For the second time this season, I had assumed “Bellesq” that the ball had gone and was engaged in idle chat in the middle of the pitch, only to realise belatedly that it hadn’t, and that the ball was on its way back to the waiting keeper. Luckily, I realised just in time and was able to scamper to my ground. What followed was ultimately game changing, as some of the boundary spectators (possibly Gilly Snr) signalled it had gone and, much the fielder’s  annoyance, the boundary was given.

 

With the team teetering on 90 for 8, a partnership rarely seen outside the pubs and clubs of Oxford came together:  Messers Gillham and Burns. They promptly set about a masterclass in attacking stroke play and kamikaze running as they put on a quick-fire 32 and in the process took us past the hundred (twice if you believed Brian’s maths/misinformation). With the score a marginally more respectable 122, Gilly seemingly hit “the wall” halfway through a second run, which was probably never there, and was run out for 7 (although it felt like he scored more). All that remained was for Burns to clear the front leg and club another mighty 6 before being bowled for 31 trying to repeat the trick. All of which left us 128 all out, a score half as much as we wanted at the beginning of the day, but one we definitely would have taken at 90-8.

 

So after a great tea and some dubious-looking stretching, we took to the pitch looking to achieve what Stanton Harcourt had failed to do the day before, and defend a meagre 128 runs. Strangely, there was an air of confidence from all the Wolvercote fielders.

 

West Witney made a solid start, progressing to 30 for 0 after 7 despite the best efforts and great bowling of Burns & Chystal. However, what followed blew the game wide open. In the eighth over Wolvercote upped the hostility of the bowling and got the breakthrough, with Burnsy first bowling the opener for 13, and then two balls later getting another when the WW number three was out for a duck, again bowled. Burnsy’s figures went from 0-17 off three, to 2-17 off seven.

 

In the 11^th over, the B-man also entered the fray and almost immediately got amongst the wickets, trapping WW number four LBW for zero in his second over. It really was a bad day for number fours! West Witney had gone from 30-0 to 41-3 in 19 minutes.

 

The game was still firmly West Witney to lose, but Wolvercote fielders were swarming all over the batsmen, building the pressure with some fine ground fielding, including some full length superman dives (some more successful than others, Richie!).

 

Burnsy, obviously trying to impress the lovely young lady who accompanied him, then a cranked the pressure right up, with a three over spell of some note. First he had the WW opener, who was playing a solid innings, caught behind for 34. He then followed that up four minutes later with the WW number six (caught behind again) and then demolished the stumps for a third time in the innings to remove number five for 13. After completing his final over, he finished with figures of 5-29 and WW were 75-6, requiring another 54 to win.

 

So with one bowler bowled out, the weight of expectation switched to the rest of the Wolvercote bowling attack. And needless to say they stepped up.

 

After his unfortunate display with the bat, Jamie obviously wanted to set the record straight with the ball and immediately looked dangerous (despite carrying an ankle injury), which was a good job as WW had progressed to 98. With things seemingly swinging back in WW favour, Jamie proved that anything Burns can do he can do too, picking up two wickets in three balls. Having worked out the perfect length, Jamie bowled both. Game on!

 

After being supported by some tight bowling from Richie, Jamie was joined in the attack by Chrystal. The captain was looking for some experience and the kind of aggression that only John can provide. The change provided nearly immediate results, with JC picking up a wicket in his second over, Gus proving 100% reliable behind the stumps and pouching his third catch of the match. This all left the match on a knife edge, WW needing 10 runs with one wicket in hand.

 

It would be fair to say what followed was a bit of a rollercoaster… Firstly the umpire gave a mystery no ball for too many outside the ring (although he couldn’t tell us who), then the WW number 11 pulling outa heave to cow for four apparently out of nowhere, all before Wolvercote believing they had won when the WW 11 seemingly edged to the safe hands of Gus, only for the umpire to disappoint the celebrating players by not giving it. Was this the last chance?!

 

Entering into what would either way be the final over of the match, it would be fair to say that hopes of a Wolvercote victory looked slim. After failing to dislodge the WW number 11 in the previous over and requiring only 2, it brought the in form WW wicketkeeper on strike, who by this point was top scoring on 36. The only time he looked as though he was going to get out was with some suicidal running earlier in the innings, and he was only saved by Ben missing the stumps by inches (50p for that skip).

 

And there it was JVS vs. Elliot for the cup…

 

What followed was Roy of the Rovers stuff or the cricket equivalent at least. Fourth ball of the over and Elliot’s eyes lit up and he tried to smash it out of the ground… only to see the ball beat the swishing blade that up to that point had looked so resolute, and destroy the stumps for the sixth time in the innings. Jamie, following the ball down, almost cleared Gus with his celebratory leap into the safe hands of the Saffer stumper.

 

Cue scenes of wild celebrations from the Wolvercote team and amassed onlookers, in stark contrast to the dejected WW team. With the game having been played in a great spirit, and as a testament to the character of the team, a number of the Wolvercote players consoled the unfortunate and understandably upset WW batsman before joining in the celebration.

 

All that was left to do was for Captain Ben to collect the long overdue silverware from the confused OCA presenter who decided WW had won, for Burnsy to pick up his MOTM trophy and for the ever generous Tofts to supply the celebratory champers.

 

While the 11 men on the field in the final will understandably get the plaudits, it’s important to remember that a number of other players made huge contributions to get us there. There were particularly fine bowling performances in the quarter final away to Dorchester from Quinny, Pog, Kurt and Campo (who could have ended up with a bucket load of wickets if we could catch). It was also good to see such a good turnout from Wolvercote at the final, with our fans vastly outnumbering WW. So all in all it was a real club effort.

 

Full(ish) Score Card

 

Bowling

About The Author