Murray Bides His Time as 'Zontals Claim Fourth Successive Win *

Match Report by Tom Bloor

En route to the game, Craig Murray, in the first of what was to be a series of telling contributions to the outcome of the game, told Horizontals skipper Chris Wilcock that in recent years success at Eastons seemed to depend on batting second. Chris duly won the toss and elected to bowl, as suggested. It proved a good toss to win.

This charming tree-lined ground contained at its heart a pitch with a steepling bounce, which clearly favoured the ball over the bat. Amit Shanker, bowling from the far end, quickly accounted for the Easton’s openers, the first was caught behind by wicket keeper Ian Porton, the second caught & bowled. His third wicket came shortly after; a fine low catch, again snapped up by the keeper. He ended his five-over spell with the highly impressive figures of 3 for 3. The batting side rallied then, with the fight-back led by T. Carsberg, batting at number 3. He began to claw his way to what would be the highest individual score of the match, with 29 runs. In response, Chris changed the bowling, bringing Simon Warren and himself into the attack. This move soon bore fruit, with the skipper taking a catch off a Simon Warren delivery and then clean bowling the next batsman himself. Chris Mimmack’s arrival at the crease signalled another revival by the batting side. But the introduction of Roger Skipper’s guileful spin led to the capture of the big wicket, Carsberg, well caught by Barry Needham. Roger followed this success with another, a wicket engendered by one of the politest, sotto voce lbw enquiries you’re likely to hear. In fact, few of the fielders heard it at all. Luckily the umpire did, and he raised his finger. Glenn Winteringham bowled a fine spell, unrewarded by wickets, but crushingly parsimonious nonetheless; his 5 overs went for only 4 runs. Despite these setbacks, the Eastons’ tail proved resilient, and they looked to be on course for a potentially winning total of around the 120 mark, in what would clearly be a low-scoring match. However, Craig Murray was brought on and proceeded to bowl out the danger men Mimmack for 16 and Eilbert for 26. He then had a hand – two hands, in fact – in wrapping up the innings when he took a superb diving catch off David Scally’s bowling. The Eastons total stood at 102, all out.

Tea, including a delicious selection of home-baked classics – shortbread, jam tarts, flapjacks and brownies - was taken a little after five o’clock and play resumed at half-past.

The Horizontal’s innings began much like Eastons’ had done, with the openers, in this case Tom Bloor and Amit Shanker, falling quickly and cheaply, both bowled by the fired-up Barnerd, charging in from the far end. Stivin, at 3, brought some stability to proceedings and played an important, watchful innings. Ian rode his luck and made a quick-fire 20 runs before being run out by a sharp-eyed wicket keeper who noticed he’d stepped outside the crease. The innings began to stutter a little, wickets fell, and when Stivin was out for a hard-won 13 runs, the score was 50 for 5 and the game was in the balance. Then Craig Murray strode to the crease. In bullish mood, his bellowed calls shattering the drowsy calm of the Essex countryside, he proceeded to play his speciality pull shot to great effect. Again and again he took on the rising ball, and made any demons in the pitch his own. Supported first by Simon, and then by Chris, Craig led the push to victory, happily sledging the fielding side at full volume from the non-strikers’ end. Eastons were unable to avail themselves of what would, no doubt, have been the great satisfaction of getting him out, and there was a degree of inevitability about the massive boundary – a 4, but inches away from being a 6 - which he struck to bring the curtain down on what was ultimately an exhilarating run chase. Craig made a match-winning 28 not out, with the Horizontals winning by 4 wickets.

Now it was time to join the home team in The Swan for refreshments, more cake, and a chance to sit in the evening sunshine, with beers on the table, house martins swooping overhead, and the peace of the countryside all around them, there to chew over and thoroughly digest a most satisfying fourth win in a row for the Horizontals.