Templars Winning Run Ends in a Flash
16 May 2016
Ah cricket, you cruel temptress! Just when you give us hope of a rare Templars victory against the Flashmen, you snatch it away in the blink of two balls.
A sterling bowling performance allied to a much improved fielding effort had seen Stowe bowl a powerful-looking Flashmen batting line-up for just 216- a total that looked at least 30 runs light on a decent South Front wicket complete with its narrow and leafy legside boundary. But that total quickly seemed like a mountain to climb when Templars' batting stars, Cossins and Wilson, were both trudging off after being trapped in front to the first two balls of Stowe's reply to the seam of James Ladd-Gibbon. When Scholfield saw his stumps cartwheeling two overs later, the target looked positively Himalayan in aspect.
And yet it could have all been so different. Captain Rowling backed up his decision to bowl first after winning the toss by getting one to nip into Flashmen opener Gabriel French to trim his off-bail. While at the over end, Harry Wolrige-Gordon, bowled an immaculate but luckless spell down the slope to end up with just a badly bruised them to show for his efforts- something that would later to reduced him to having to bat one-handed at number 11.
When first change Charlie Morris plucked a sharp caught and bowled chance to dismiss Ben Ladd-Gibbon and trapped Hylton Henderson in front with a low full-toss, the Templars had the Flashmen struggling at 34 for 3. The middle order pair of Olds and Kennedy rebuilt the away side's innings and looked to have ensured no further losses before lunch as well as upping the run-rate. However a couple of overs before lunch, Tom Young induced the number 4 to top-edge a sweep straight into the hands of Will Anthony at square leg to see the players walk off the field for lunch with the scoreboard showing 149 for 4 off 31 overs.
After lunch the Flashmen lower order lost wickets at regular intervals with Anthony's left-arm seam proving particularly effective as he picked up three wickets as well as seeing a run out occur during his spell up the hill. Their innings was brought to a halt the Flashmen number 11 clipped Freddie Kirchner's low full loss toward the midwicket boundary only to see Angus Blayney stick at an elongated limb to nonchalantly pluck it out the sky. This was the pick of the seven catches held by the Templars with just the one drop, a much improved turnaround from the previous week's showing against the Hampshire Hogs.
The hour to go before tea then proved to be disastrous for the Templars as although Jamie Hirst and Tom Young briefly steadied the ship after the top three had been blown away by Ladd-Gibbon, both mistimed pulls to be caught at square leg and cover respectively. With Blayney getting a decent ball first up to be the third Templar to be dismissed first ball, Rowling and Anthony found themselves in the unfamiliar territory of batting before tea and sloped off to a very sorry looking score of 35 for 6.
Any fightback didn't last for long after tea as Anthony mistimed a pull to mid-off, Kirchner played around one that nipped back into him and Rowling toe-ended an offside swipe to cover. That left the Templars walking wounded of Morris, batting with a runner after injuring a leg muscle whilst bowling, and Wolrige-Gordon, unable to grip the bat properly, at the crease to give the fat lady time to warm her vocal chords. Ben Ladd-Gibbon came on to remind his teammates who is the quicker seamer within the brothers and the match was brought to a close before 6pm when Morris lost his off-stump to see the Templars bowled out for 73.
A fully deserved victory for the Flashmen after an impressive blast up front, tore the Templars hopes of chasing a modest looking total to tatters.
For the home side it has been a bizarrely contrasting two performances in the opening two games so far this season. Here's hoping that after one great batting showing and one excellent fielding and bowling display, the Templars can combine both for their next match on May 28th for the Speech Day match against the School.
Rupert Rowling (Cobham 05)