On a bright and breezy day, with the shadows of clouds
chasing across the green fields of rural Enfield, Walthamstow Horizontals
played Hadley Wood Green C.C. for the first time in twenty-five
years. Hadley Wood Green (originally simply Wood Green) were fielding
three players from the previous fixture, though sadly no quarter-century
Horizontals were available.
The game was played at Botany Bay cricket ground where
the tree-lined main pitch looked lovely. There was even a picturesque
wishing well situated in the outfield. The pitch the Horizontals
were playing on, however, could only offer the rather more sinister
presence of what looked like a death-camp machinegun tower situated
a little way past the boundary rope. Horizontal’s skipper
Chris Willcock won the toss. The pitch looked very green so he put
the opposition in to bat. The game was time, not overs. Up in the
sky, hawks hovered and swifts swooped. Down on the ground, the match
got underway. Hadley Wood Green made a slow start. Wickets fell
and runs were hard to come by. Opening bowler Matt Webster was particularly
destructive and Stivin Borden had a good game behind the stumps.
At one stage Hadley Wood Green were 66 for 6. But they managed to
rebuild the innings and their lower order went onto the attack,
thrashing the ball to all corners, while the obdurate number 4,
no doubt one of the 25-year fixture veterans, slowly amassed an
unbeaten 66 playing the anchor role for his team. This experienced
cricketer missed no chance to score, at one point uttering the unusual
call “There’s two there – the fielder’s
off having a piss!” In fact, the Horizontals fielded well.
Chris took a difficult swirling skier, Stivin pouched three catches,
while Glenn took a caught and bowled. John Willcock, the skipper’s
dad, bowled some spin and took his first wicket for the Horizontals
(he also refused a sitter, match fixing probe possible – skip.).
David Scally also took one, while Chris bagged a brace. Matt was
pick of the bowlers with 4 for 30-odd runs. But when the players
took tea after 45 overs, the home side had made 175 for 9.
When play resumed the Horizontals had about an hour,
plus 20 overs, to score the runs. It was never going to be easy.
Their innings started well, however, with opening batsmen Ian Porton
and Richard Burgess scoring at a brisk rate. But when wickets began
to fall the scoring rate dipped. With Mike Herlihy and Glenn Winteringham
at the crease a win was still possible. Sadly, neither had time
to settle. Stiven played himself in with some fine strokes and when
he was joined by Chris it looked as if they could rebuild the innings.
But when Stiven was out caught behind prospects began to look bleak.
Tom Bloor came in with 16 overs still to play and the Horizontals
total only around the 80 mark. At the other end, the skipper tried
to push the score along. But when he charged the Hadley Wood Green
spin bowler and was stumped, it proved to be the last hurrah. That
wicket signalled the end of any realistic chance the Horizontals
had of winning the game. The draw was still on, however. Simon Bowett
defended stoutly and also hit some quick runs off the spinners.
But when the home side brought their quick bowlers back into the
fray he was induced to play on, undone by pace and bounce. Tom chose
passive resistance from the start. He was joined by David for the
final 6 overs. For the most part both batsmen refused to let their
heads be turned by the earthly delights of mere run-scoring, although
David did allow himself the indulgence of calling Tom to run for
a couple of 2s. Tom managed to block his way through the remaining
overs without sullying the score sheet at all. He was still on nought
not out, this after nearly an hour at the crease, when David fended
away the final delivery. And so the game ended as a draw –
a winning draw for the Hadley Wood Green side, of course –
but a draw nonetheless.
