After a day off on Thursday, it was an early start for the SBCC as they prepared for their final match of the Spoon round robin against the Bangkok Postels, which was scheduled for an 11.10 start. Discretion had, for the most part, been the better part of valour the previous evening and it was only Phil who caused some consternation by arriving alarmingly close to the start time; and even this was down to his tuk-tuk driver taking him to the wrong golf club.
Events of the previous day meant that there was no way the SBCC could finish the tournament anything other than bottom of the pile – we woke up with our solitary point from the run chase against the Cavaliers, whereas the teams immediately above us were the Wombats and today’s opponents the Postels who already boasted 7 points each. Safe in the knowledge that our final standing in the tournament was already secure, we were able to set about our task with a new sense of freedom.
The names went into the hat. History cannot record the order they came out, but after a number of negotiations the most experienced trader in the team had moved position in the batting order a number of times and found himself back where he started. On such slim margins can games be won or lost…. Final batting order was settled with Chris taking first strike accompanied by Nige. Millers drew 3 and the acceleration was to be provided by Phil, Dicky and Chas.
Nige and Dicky wandered over to the Postels tent to flip the coin with their enigmatic captain, Cyrus the Virus. Up went the silver piece, somersaulting several times as it climbed towards the roof of our opponents’ tent before reaching its apex and heading back to the grass-trodden floor in an atmosphere of hushed silence. At last the King of Thailand stared back up at the two captains and it was Cyrus who broke the trance-like silence. “We’ll field first”, he said, thereby completing the first call-less toss of our campaign.
Back to the SBCC tent and the distribution of pads and gloves, ready for the innings ahead. Time was called on the preceding game and the openers strode to the crease, with smiting their only objective. Chris took guard and took a careful look at the opening delivery as it passed through to the keeper. Satisfied with what he saw, he opened his shoulders to the second ball, ready to despatch it to the long-on boundary. Sadly intent and execution were not happy bedfellows in this instance and the only dispatching that took place was that of the middle stump. A disappointment in the final innings from the big man from Belfast who had been integral in making the SBCC competitive in earlier games, and the knowledge that a visit from Jenny the duck lady was imminent.
But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Millers arrived at the crease having looked sharp in the nets and took to his task with relish and considerable effect. The boundary always proved hard to reach, but some determined running, egged on by the team and supporters in the tent, kept the board ticking over and a couple of cases of the yips from the Postels meant that extras had another good day for the Beavers. Eventually, at the start of the final over, Nige (or “Boycs” as the SBCC tent called him) drove over a straight one and departed for 7 but with the score having moved on to 65 thanks to the aforementioned yips from the Postels, and some lusty hitting from Matt “Farmer” Millers who found himself unbeaten on 26, with runs having been harvested all around the park. Phil came in for a couple of trademark big hits before being caught on the last ball of the innings, and the Beavers walked back to prepare to defend a highly creditable 79.
The mantra was “No wides – no wides – no wides!”. Chas prepared to get proceedings underway, flexing a particularly uncomfortable left shoulder. A couple of deliveries right on the money were followed by the Jaffa, which flattened middle stump and sparked SBCC celebrations around the ground. The Dickster had bequeathed the gloves to Millers so it was down to him to keep the pressure on after Chas’s over had restricted the Postels to just 7. It took a handful of deliveries for him to find his range and the extras total got on the move to keep the Postels in the game. Phil bowled the third over and was a model of line and length, beating the bat on a couple of occasions and putting the pressure back on. Nige finally managed to locate the middle of the pitch and on the last ball of the 4th over was rewarded by some sharp glove-work from Millers to record the first SBCC stumping of the week and probably, let’s be honest, in the history of the club. Chris put his hangover-induced waywardness of the previous day behind him and bowled an immaculately tight final over to bring the SBCC home with a 20 run margin of victory! Special mention must go to the Dickster for living up to his billing as a gazelle in the field with an outstanding diving stop at deep mid-wicket, which inspired a sharper all-round performance in the fieldA first triumph for the Stuffed Beavers in the Chiang Mai Sixes!!
As is a key part of the tournament it was trebles all round in the SBCC tent, followed by a leisurely day keeping an eye on proceedings in the rest of the tournament, with a particular highlight being Dicky’s stint at the microphone. The evening’s agenda was all about the bar and the band. The Dickster and Millers took to the stage in Tuskers and wowed the crowd with a cracking set of Stones and assorted guest appearances, notably from Bill of the Gipsies and Clive from Romany, a team we hadn’t met but who were very welcome into Tuskers Bar. Performance of the night has to be the duet by the Belfast lads, who marked their new acquaintances of the week with a roof-raising rendition of “I’ve got friends in low places”. A huge thanks to Chris and Mark, and also to big Phil, for joining in entering right onto the spirit of the slightly unorthodox SBCC approach to cricketA great final touch from Terry of the Malakas who presented the SBCC with a bottle of vodka to mark our maiden victory, which in itself was a fitting end to an absolutely outstanding week. It goes without saying but here goes anyway: roll on Sixes 2008…..
