And so it was in an evening 20/20 league game against HCC1 which had already been rescheduled due to rain calling off the original fixture. The outlook didn’t look good, depending on which of the many unreliable weather apps you use, but the call was made to risk it and play anyway.
We decided that fielding first would work in our favour while it remained relatively dry, with rain due in the second innings, and it didn’t take long for the first scalp. A delivery from Prem on the fifth ball was confidently caught by Dave near the boundary, while Prem clean bowled the second guy in the third over.
We have a new word!
Two more fell in the fifth. Nick’s call for LBW was so long and loud it was heard as far away as the outer rings of Neptune, and ushered in a new word in the cricketing lexicon: ‘orgasmappeal’. Our special thanks to Dave for coining that one. And the 200-decibel orgasmappeal worked, as the HCC umpire had no hesitation in raising the finger to the poor deafened batsmen.
A mix-up by the next batsman led to an easy run-out a few balls later. Wicket-keeper Graham then displayed the lightning reactions of a Dutchman who suddenly spots a five euro note on the ground to swiftly catch the incomer’s slight nick of the ball.
Out in the field, John was moved from his usual berth at silky square leg to mid-wicket, which made him ideally placed to stop three boundaries with his right foot, making the team wonder why Gareth Southgate hadn’t called him up to replace Foden in the England line-up.
But with a painfully slow run-rate, it was time for HCC to turn it on. They achieved their first six in the 11th over, followed immediately by their first four, leading to an expensive over that reinvigorated our hosts. Smart bowling from Martin, Floris and captain Sander eventually dispatched the later order, and HCC1 finished on 107/9, their last man falling to a clean bowl from Prem on the final ball.
Rain does not stop play
After a quick turnaround, Jatin and Dave opened the batting, just as the rain started to come down. And we got off to a good start, as Jatin got into his stride and knocked several boundaries, generating a run rate that was briefly twice that of HCC at that stage. Jatin fell to an LBW on 22, introducing Graham, who enjoyed a seven-over partnership with Dave before being caught on 19.
John was rewarded for some decent fielding by batting fourth, though it was not to last long of course. As the rain continued to come down, he couldn’t even see the third ball which clattered against the sodden stumps. This did though mean that the rather more gifted could now take charge to win the game, as in came Harold, starting his innings with an immediate four.
No chance of a century this time of course, but the partnership with Dave did get us comfortably over the line with 108 runs for just three losses in the 16th over. Dave lasted the whole innings, ending not out on 31. We had won again, and remain top of the pool four table.
Our thanks to HCC for their flexibility, hospitality and equal determination to complete a game, and no thanks at all to the infamous Dutch weather and continuously miserable summer. As they say, there are two seasons in Holland: winter, and June.
