One aim of the Bees team is to help younger players gain experience of senior cricket. With three father/son combinations in the team, we managed this at Irvine. But for most, it was not an experience they’ll want to remember for long! After a delayed start from the miserable rain, Marress batted. With two left arm seamers and three spinners in the team, Bees thought that we had a good bowling attack. But the Marress opener looked confident – all muscle and tight t-shirt he looked more Hollywood than Titwood, and he proceeded to bludgeon us with mighty muscular shots all over and out of the ground. Clearly a batsman who’s played at a much higher level, he was finally out for 196, having lost two balls on the way – one onto the railway which the Sky TV measuring tape would probably have clocked at 80m.
But despite being clubbed over the ground, the Bees bowlers and fielders can take credit at sticking to their task. It’s dispiriting seeing a good length ball on off stump bludgeoned over Long On's head for 6, but everyone stuck to their task and no-one gave up. David Henderson and Raphael Selby fielded at Long On and Deep Mid wicket, knowing that a 90mph skier was going to come their way – or more likely over their head, which is a bit like volunteering to stand in a firing range, but both stuck to their task and demonstrated good throwing arms on many, many occasions! A diving stop by Bilawal Pirzada in the 49th over summed up the committed fielding that the Bees players put in.
Dave Hume bowled 11 tidy overs, wicket to wicket, beating the bat a few times with no luck. David Henderson looked as though his left arm seamers could take a wicket any time and he can be pleased with his bowling whatever the figures say. Similarly Chris McCrossan, who bowled tidily and beat their high scoring opener on a few occasions, while, Raphael Selby bowled as well as can be expected to someone chasing a double century! Pick of the bowlers was probably Bilawal Pirzada who was accurate and relatively fast and finally tempted their opener into giving a catch to the only fielder who wasn’t on the boundary. Highlight of the day was probably John Mccrossan’s running catch in the deep to a ball that was hit with power and height – but he couldn’t drop the catch – it was off Chris’s bowling and he’d never have lived it down! It gave Chris a well deserved wicket.
And then Bees set about chasing over 350 to win, on an Astroturf track with dents and bumps and nowhere to comfortably plant your feet. Hard to believe it was the same strip for both sides, but I guess you have to learn how to play on this wicket. And four wickets fell with nothing more than a wide on the scoreboard. Brian Selby was unlucky to get an inside edge onto the pads and onto the off stump, when he had looked totally comfortable to the previous balls. And Lewis Hume, David Henderson, Steve Taylor and Raphael Selby all looked round in disbelief as they heard their wickets tumble. In each case, the square leg umpire pointed out that they’d taken a good stride down the wicket and from sideways on the shot looked like a textbook forward defensive. But this pitch plays tricks and the wickets tumbled.
David Henderson and Bilawal Pirzada stopped the rot with some sensible and disciplined batting. Both looked comfortable, played straight and used their feet well. Bilawal was unlucky to be caught off a ball that was just about to bounce for a second time (a good running one handed catch taken by their high scoring opener) while David was bowled by one that sneaked under his forward defensive. The best batting partnership of the day was between John McCrossan and Dave Hume. Both were starting to get on top of the bowlers, with Dave driving well and John scampering through for quick singles. But the victory line was too far away for a good ninth wicket partnership to do anything about, and as John succumbed, son Chris came in and showed all others how to play a sound defensive bat. Well done Chris for finishing not out and looking completely solid, but well done to all the younger players who suffered a harsh day in the field, batted on a strip that was less flat than a beach rugby pitch, and for never giving up and battling well to the end.
Perhaps for next week, Bees need a strike bowler to attack the opening batsmen, a bit more luck batting, and a few more batters who will put their heads down and grind out runs.
