Scorecard

Bruton v Mere Cricket Club Mere CC 1st XI on Tue 15 May 2012 at 6.30pm
Mere Cricket Club Lost by 5 wickets

Match report Mere stuck in the mud as the Chinnook takes off at Kings.

In our first "proper" 20/20 of the season we travelled against all meteorogical odds in bright sunshine down to the beautiful setting of the Abbey field in the grounds of Kings school Bruton. Educational home and cricketing birthplace of Duncan Eton "forgot my bat..that'll mean extra prep for me" Weir, the Mere boys could only marvel at just how flat and well cut an outfield could be achieved on a budget of just £8000 per term. Eyes moistened with nostalgia (or his new batting shorts a bit tighter since he gave up work) Weir took to the field with young Matt Wakelin, having been put in by the Bruton outfit.

With the outfieled damp and both wicket and bowling run-ups slightly precarious, runs were scarce for the first few overs as Bruton kept it tight. Wakelin soon went giving an easy catch and was followed soon after by Wood who was comprehensively (the sort of schooling most of us endured..but it was free)bowled. Weir was feeling the pressure now (definitely new jock needed) as the score had limped to only 18 off the first 6 overs. Out strode Tealy who didn't look like he meant to hang around watching the ball go past the bat too readily as we needed to move things on a bit. And indeed he didn't hang around...the man reknowned for his duck baiting of the opposition found himself returning having bagged his first "golden" of the season. Mere now 21 for 4 from 7 and looking like it might be all going downhill on Weir's return to the ground which saw his first century many years ago.

To the crease came Jason "Harvester" Harvey who after letting the bat feel the ball for a few deliveries, then set about his task with purpose. With the rain now falling steadily he played some impressive strokes including a rasping boundary that had us all believing that he may be the man to steady the innings with Weir. Disaster struck almost immediately with the ex Bruton Boy dancing (sort of) down the wicket and almost losing his boater as well as his bails which were removed easily by the keeper. Dangerman gone we looked to debutant Kevin Anthony on his first appearance on a cricket field for 15 years to become a Mere folk hero overnight. He managed what Captain Weir had done on his debut and returned to the hutch, none of us the wiser as to his run scoring ability, but at least it hadn't been a golden and therefore sparing him the extra fine which was coming his way had it been a first baller. The second debutant of the evening then took his place at the crease....a seasoned cricketer with some pedigree, a former member of Buckhorn with medals and personally vetted by DW, a man who we all knew we had seen somewhere before but couldn't quite place him. Mr D Brickell looked like he knew what he was doing and played some elegant strokes, working the ball around and looking comfortable with Harvey at the other end. Harvey was soon out however going for a big shot over mid-wicket, although the popular theory was erring towards too much rain on his sunglasses (Monte Carlo this wasn't)as he marched back, bat under arm as only Jason does.
So who did we have left to complement the silky deftness and delicate strokeplay being displayed by Mr Brickell......nobody... so out went Mr Harkin.
Wielding his bat as he does Mr H doesn't always rely on footwork to get into position, relying more on just giving it a F**%%** good T*#t should the ball find itself at a point in the arc of his mighty swing. On this occasion the ball took some punishment as the Tottingham Turner smashed it to all parts (well in the segment between square and mid-wicket to be precise).Brickell having gone on 17, the equally explosive Williams took to the crease to join Harkin who by now was in his element, swatting anything that came near him. Williams facing a particularly slow bowler who was giving it plenty of air was dancing down the wicket like a young Michael Jackson although the result was more Bad than Thriller as the conditions underfoot were not ideal for William's patent leather tap shoes. Predictably he was stumped and Beat it back to the pavillion making way for the man they call the Don (Yeo not Bradman). Harkin went and Cassidy came out to face the last ball with the Mere score having rallied considerably to 111 for 9. It could certainly have been a lot worse.

So Mere took to the sodding field (it was really wet!)and opened the bowling with Wakelin who found a line in the slippery conditions and bowled tightly. At the other end was "tighter than a ducks a***e" Yeo who bowled a miserly spell of 3 overs for just 8 runs. Weir was brought on and to great effect as he rolled back the years taking 2 wickets in his first over.

With Bruton on just 17 for 2 after 6 overs, Mere could just start to believe. It was at that point that the Chinnook (Bruton's opener) took off, hitting Weir and Brickell all over the shop taking the score to 74 by the end of the 10th over. Joined at the crease by the young left hander Wade he took the game away in a matter of 20 minutes and when he finally went caught and bowled by Mark Williams for 62 it looked like a formality with Bruton only needing only 13 runs from the last 6 overs to win.

Some tight bowling however by the Tottingham Turner and the Tealy Grenade Launcher made for some nervous moments for Bruton who made heavy weather of it, taking until the end of the 17th over to get the required total.

So off we trudged, beaten but not disgraced from this hallowed ground where young gentlemen are shaped....Weir's early season report may have read "the boy shows promise but we at Kings are not entirely sure of the company he keeps"

mc


Mere Cricket Club Mere CC 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 13w 3b 7lb 
for 9 wickets
24
111		        
Matthew Wakelin Caught  1
Duncan Weir Stumped  12 1
Lewis Wood Bowled  1
Kevin Tealey Bowled  0
Jason Harvey Caught  14
Kevin Anthony Caught  0
Dan Brickell Bowled  17
Sean Harkin Caught  28
Mark Williams Stumped  14 1
Bryan Yeo Not Out  0
Mark Cassidy Not Out  0

Bruton Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Bruton Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
6w 2lb 
for 5 wickets
8
114 (18.0 overs)		     
  Caught  62
  Caught  5
  Lbw  0
  Caught  22
  Lbw  2
  Not Out  3
  Not Out  8
   
   
   
   

Mere Cricket Club Mere CC 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Matthew Wakelin2.00800.004.00
Bryan Yeo3.00800.002.67
Duncan Weir3.0026213.008.67
Dan Brickell2.002700.0013.50
Sean Harkin3.001600.005.33
Mark Williams2.001025.005.00
Kevin Anthony1.401300.007.80
Kevin Tealey1.01010.000.00