Scorecard

Gloucester Gipsies CC v Cryptics Cricket Club on Wed 17 Aug 2022 at 11.30pm
Cryptics Cricket Club Lost by 83 runs

Match report What a difference a week makes! From sweltering 30+ degrees and dry hard tracks to our outing at the Stowell Park Cricket Club to play the Gloucester Gipsies - overcast, cooler and a damp sticky wicket. To be honest we were luck to play at all - the heavens had opened in the previous 24 hours and the ground and square had had a lot of rain so we were grateful to the groundsman for getting a playable wicket for us.

The day started poorly with the skipper losing the toss, and the Gipsies had a bat. But at 87-4 with still some time before lunch it seemed as though it may not have been a bad toss to lose. The wicket was sticky but there was certainly something in it both in the air, and off the pitch for the seamers. Harvey Pynn took the new ball with fellow (ex) Sheepscombe player Ben Cobbett. Both got the ball to move with Ben getting some good away shape in the air. But it was Harvey that struck first with a bit of away nip to castle their opener middle and off. Ben got his rewards with a stone dead LBW to leave the Gipsies 60-2. Two young brothers from Marlborough College courtesy of John Carroll then took up the reins. Young Seb Woodford at 15 years old bowled some lovely leg spin, extracting some good turn, albeit slowly on the damp wicket. His brother Max bowled lively right arm seam, getting some away movement off the seam with a few plays and misses. Both got their due rewards with a wicket apiece - Seb putting together an excellent over pressuring the batsman into a false shot with a top edge, caught by Joe Stevens (another of the Sheepscombe trio) and Max bowling a tight line to bowl the no.3 batsman.

At 87-4 the Cryptics were in good shape, with all the bowlers bowling nicely and a real sense that another 1-2 wickets and we would be in the box seat. Although I dont think any of us really thought it was an easy wicket to bat on - there was variable bounce from the off with movement in the air and off the pitch for seamers and spinners. Indeed Dr Pynn was called into action in successive overs after 2 batsmen got 'hit' (grazed might be a more accurate term) on the helmet - our ED consultant stepped in so sense prevailed and it was probably the easiest 2 head injury assessments he has had to carry out for quite some time! The Gipsies played very astutely to lunch, watchful on the good balls but punishing anything short or wide, with B Ellis looking dangerous and they remained 4 down at lunch with no further chances. Charlie Carroll bowled a few overs of left arm wrist spin and Joe Stevens some off spin before the break.

The excellent lasagne and Eton mess for lunch revived all, but it was the Gipsises who came out after lunch in better shape! The Cryptics rotated the bowlers in shorter spells in the hope of opening the door with another wicket, but one has to sometimes put ones hands up and say a batter has just been too good. B Ellis moved serenely through his 50 and marched onwards to his hundred. B Graham, who was very much the junior partner also cashed in as he got his eye in to hit some very strong shots down the ground, ending up with 58 not out. Ellis however was excellent for his 105 not out. He was watchful but punished anything short, wide or over-pitched with ruthless efficiency. I cannot remember him giving a single chance or mishit all innings. Apart from the odd play and miss it was a flawless performance.

261-4 declared was a daunting total with about 50 odd overs to get them, but the Cryptics made a reasonable start. Jason Doole (who had kept very nicely despite a tricky wicket) was caught early, to a very sharp slip catch by...yes Ellis. Chris Williams came in at 3 and joined his Sheepscombe colleague Joe Stevens, who had opened with Jason, and they set to move things along to tea. Joe played some excellent shots with Chris Williams looking like the class bat we had been told he was. Unfortunately Joe was out caught on the stroke of tea leaving us 54-2. After tea Chris Williams increasingly imposed himself. Sadly the partnership with John Carroll failed to ignite as JC got a very full full toss, bordering on waist high and very difficult to pick up with grey conditions and no sight screen, leading him to sky a top edge and he was well caught behind square. Chis and Mike 'Tiny' Goldsworthy then put on a good 50 partnership, with Tiny hitting hard down the ground and Chris hitting some really classy shots all round, and at 130-3 getting close to the last 20 suggested a really good finish. Sadly it was not to be. Chris was LBW for a very good 66, and was clearly cross not to have gone on, leading to a collapse. 4 wickets for 7 runs meant the Cryptics going from a position of 'this might be on' to 'very unlikely unless Johnny Bairstow is somewhere close' - from 130-3 to 137-7 with Tiny, Max Woodford and Charlie Carroll all getting bowled by.....yes that man Ellis again. One eye catching over from our opening bowler Ben Cobbett gave him a cameo of 18 before being bowled, and Seb Woodford didn't last long either. Skipper was last man out for 18 to a good one handed caught and bowled with about 9 overs to go and well short of our target.

So a disappointing loss but it was great to have got a full game of cricket at all. And although the batting didn't fire, apart from the excellent 66 from Chris Williams, our bowlers stuck to their task really well, and it was great seeing 3 young teenagers bowl so assuredly, especially seeing both left and right wrist spin in action. But the game was very much swung by an imperious display by Ellis. 105 not out in good time on a tricky wicket, followed by a sharp slip catch to get the first wicket then 3 tight overs of off spin with the incredible figures of 3-3-0-3. Man of the Match award not in doubt....My thanks again to Harvey Pynn for getting the Sheepscome lads involved, and for JC for recruiting the Marlborough contingent.

Gloucester Gipsies CC Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 4 wickets
0
261 (0.0 overs)		     
Cole lbw  Corbett 24
R Graham b  Pynn 11
Bouwer b  M Woodford 23
Uthup ct  S Woodford 17
Ellis Not Out  105
B Graham Not Out  58
   
   
   
   
   

Cryptics Cricket Club Cryptics Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Harvey Pynn12.0052152.004.33
Charlie Carroll7.003000.004.29
A.N. Other3.002500.008.33

Cryptics Cricket Club Cryptics Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
178		        
Joe Stevens ct  Holden 34
Jason Doole ct  Brick 3
Chris Williams lbw  Bouwer 66
John Carroll ct  Holden 5
Michael Goldsworthy b  Ellis 15
Max Woodford b  Ellis 0
Charlie Carroll b  Ellis 1
Ben Cobbett b  Bouwer 18
Rob Walker ct  B Graham 18
Seb Woodford ct  Cole 1
Harvey Pynn Not Out  0

Gloucester Gipsies CC Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Holden10.0236218.003.60
Brick6.0122122.003.67
Batts8.013500.004.38
Richardson5.011800.003.60
Bouwer5.0035217.507.00
Ellis3.03030.000.00
B Graham3.5015115.003.91
Cole2.00616.003.00
UA-68987171-1