South London Ashes-winning King’s Road were denied an ‘orangewash’ clean sweep over the Battersea Badgers after a dramatic fight-back saw the olde enemy win this year’s Super Test.
Richard Dollimore’s side snatched victory in the final session with some supreme hitting as The Road, who have already beat the Badgers twice this summer, wilted in the sun following two days of intense cricket.
Inflicting the most pain was Badgers newboy Charlie Walker who clubbed a brutal 92 not out as the Badgers chased down their second innings target of 229 before close of play.
Charlie had served notice of his threat in the first innings, hitting James Couldrey for an enormous 6 off his first ball before being dismissed by Road skip Mark Isham for 24 off 16 balls.
But as the match drew to its nail-biting climax the mustachioed master-blaster went berzerk carting The Road’s tiring attack for 19 energy-sapping fours.
Charlie did ride his luck though and offered up several chances – it’s just The Road’s tired fielders couldn’t take them.
At least five potential catches went down off him at Dundonald Park in Wimbledon, although none of them were easy.
In the end though there was no denying the big man’s clean-hitting was the difference that dragged the Badgers over the line with three overs and three wickets to spare.
The match had been finely poised just after tea when The Road were bowled out for 158 leaving the Badgers a minimum 46 overs to knock off the runs.
All three results were still possible, but at the start of the day The Road had seemed firmly in control.
With 6 down overnight the Badgers faced an uphill task to get back into the match at the start of the first session.
And when a fired up Matt Glover had Rory Thomas, another Badgers newboy, caught by the skip for 9 it only looked harder.
Then Glover rapped Foord’s pads and launched into a huge – and eventually successful – appeal.
From the sidelines, the Badgers described what happened on their Twitter feed.
They crowed: “Glover roars an appeal. And continues to roar. And continues. And now it’s getting funny. And he’s still appealing. And it’s not out.”
Then the very next ball: “Oh no! Next ball he appeals again and the umpire’s given it. Foord out LBW. Big wicket.”
Before they asked: “Has Glover bought that with his previous antics?”
The Badgers were now 8 down for 111, still 142 behind.
By this time the black and white brigade had found the King’s Road bugle and with the karate-chopping Robin Mackrell and another Badger newboy Jim Hamblin at the crease were saluting their own fours with the instrument.
But blowing the bugle proved bad luck as 14 runs later Glover got his third of the morning and sixth wicket of the innings as the dangerous Mackrell was also trapped lbw.
Again, as the Badgers’ Twitter feed revealed, they weren’t best pleased: “Disaster! Mackrell given out LBW. Hit him above the pad. Walker’s finger goes up. That may be a bit of a shocker.”
At the other end Hamblin was still bashing fours and after Mark bowled number 11 Allan Blake for 11, the debutant was left not out on 36.
The Badgers had been bowled out before lunch 70 runs short of King’s Road with Glover posting career best figures of 6 for 56 and Mark finishing with 3 for 31.
In came The Road’s openers and immediately set about the Badger bowlers with both Lomas Persad and Sham De Silva picking up where they left off in the first innings.
The pair smashed 34 off the first three overs, with 12, 12, and 10 runs accumulated off the normally tight Mackrell and Hamblin.
Then with the score on 44 Lomas, after hitting four emphatic 4s, was out caught by Foord off Mackrell. He had added 21 to his 96 the previous day.
The second wicket, Jon Malsingh, fell on 65 after he was bowled by a Dollimore out-swinger for 5.
Then it was time for the classic King’s Road wobble which destabilised the match and sowed the seeds of disaster.
Jack Caesar, having scored 4, blasted one off the Badgers’ skip straight to Chris Shone who took a sharp catch at short extra cover.
Dan Sherman, on a pair, went fourth ball for his second duck of the match, caught by Cloke off the spinner Thomas.
At 6 down for 77, it looked ropey from The Road and someone needed to steady the ship and use up the overs.
In came Leon Watson, followed by James Couldrey after Sherman’s dismissal, to do just that.
Leon lasted 1 hour 20 minutes before he was caught slashing in the off-side by Shone off Jinks for 16.
Meanwhile, the perennial number 11 James, only batting at 8 because he complained so much, was playing the innings of his life.
Having hit five fours he continued after Leon was out smashing a couple more and a first recorded 6 before holing out to Shone – the third Road batsman to do so – off Foord for a career-best and crucial 42.
The order had gone out to throw the bat and James’s crucial innings pushed The Road past tea and the score back into respectability. When he left, after having stayed in for 25 overs and lost Mark for a three-ball duck five overs earlier, the score was on 149.
Michael Rossi and Smally then put on another 9 runs to take the total to 158 and leave the Badgers 46 overs to score 229.
And – after Walker’s brutal innings – they did, to win the Super Test by three wickets.
The Badgers’ second innings had started terribly with Martin Cloke, having reacted to some banter in the field, was caught by James off Smally for duck.
Foord and Jinks then put on 40 before a stunning reaction catch snaffled by Smally at silly mid on off Sham saw the end of Jinks.
Then with the score on 51 the Badgers fell three down when Rossi bowled Foord.
Rossi was involved against when, despite having dislocated a finger on the first ball of the match, he took a steepling catch off Lomas to remove Badger stalwart Warman who had been looking threatening with a speedy 34.
Then in came Shone and Walker to start his match-winning innings. Shone hung in to hit 29 before being caught behind off Glover.
By this time The Road’s chances were hanging by a thread but quick wickets – and the removal of Walker – could still win it.
However Mackrell, who got 9, Hamblin, with 2, and then Dollimore, who finished not out on 4, did just enough to support Walker as the big bruiser blasted away at the other end.
Smally finished the innings with two and all the other bowlers except Isham picked up a wicket including Jack who sent down 3 over for 5 and bowled Hamblin at the end.
But it was not enough to stop the Badger charge.
However, after the first day that had looked an unlikely scenario because at stumps The Road had put themselves in pole position to win.
After being bowled out for 253 just after tea, The Road took 6 crucial wickets in the evening session to leave the olde enemy reeling at stumps still 143 behind.
Glover took 3 for 25 off 10, Small bagged one and captain Mark Isham took two as King’s Road dominated.
Earlier on Saturday, Lomas was clapped off the pitch after being dismissed four short of a second Super Test century.
Yessssss!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/4bASlCgCy5
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) August 3, 2014
Victorious captain and victorious Bob! pic.twitter.com/JKat9reOBV
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) August 3, 2014
This is what a man looks like who has just hit 92 not out! #badgerwin pic.twitter.com/222EkYqGyF
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) August 3, 2014
His 96 off 59 balls was dazzling but it came to an end when he was caught going for a six at deep square leg off Thomas.
Sham also hit 39 and there was 18 from Jack and 25 from Mally before a late flurry from James, with 19 not out, pushed the total to 253.
The match could have started terribly for The Road after Mark lost the toss – again – and they were put into bat.
First ball, a mix-up in the middle after a sharp call from Mark almost saw the skip or Lomas run out.
That, somehow, didn’t happen but Mark fell for 2 in the fifth over.
But some fabulous hitting from Lomas, who with Sham pit on 81 for the second wicket, and solid runs down the order saw The Road past tea after which the Badgers – having fielded for past 60 overs – were left 29 more to survive.
The first ball of the Badgers’ innings, like The Road’s, was bizarre and dramatic.
Glover, opening from the Kevin Pietersen end, got a nick and ball flew to the slips.
Sham, at first slip, and Rossi, at second, both dived and somehow the ball and their hands all clashed.
The ball went down and Rossi emerged with a dislocated finger on his left hand.
It looked horrific – but keeper Sherman popped up to pop it back in, and Rossi continued.
Following that, Rossi’s finger swelled up but it didn’t stop him taking a catch and bowling two overs at the end.
The position set up a thrilling second day with The Road needing to finish the job early and knock some quick runs before bowling out the Badgers again to force a win.
Sadly for King’s Road it did not go to plan.
Well played @KRCSC !! Amazing couple of days! Congrats on winning the series. No orangewash today though!! #todayilovecricket
— Battersea Badgers (@BadgersCricket) August 3, 2014
@KRCSC @BadgersCricket Well done, Badgers, on winning the battle. But the orange army won the war. So nerr nerr nerr
— Dean Aldridge (@DeanAldridge2) August 4, 2014
https://twitter.com/minty83/status/496051310064861185