Picture the scene if you will. A bright, sunny afternoon with the
village green in the centre of a sleepy, leafy village. The local
pub backs onto one side of the boundary, a stream flows alongside
part of the ground (albeit with no water in it, so I guess it's
not flowing at all). The pavilion sits right next to one side of
the ground, and the sound of leather on willow punctuates the
afternoon. A healthy crowd of locals turn out to enjoy the weather
and the cricket. That was the scene that greeted the Goodwill as
we made the long trip to Hartley Whitney on what was to become an
historic afternoon.
The boys went into the game on the back of four successive wins,
knowing that 5-in-a-row had never been achieved in the 20 seasons
the club has been alive. Chris and Darren Westwood alongside
Andrew Callanan were not available, Paul Hiscock (no that's really
his name) returned as did captain Ollie Sayers. Having won the
toss the Goodwill decided to bat in a rare time-and-overs village
game. This meant the draw was a realistic match result, meaning
the Wanderers would have to play well to win.
After a steady start from openers Sayers and Cashman, the Goodwill
were unfortunate to lose wickets, and were on 46-3 when Marcus
Wilson offered a sharp, and difficult chance which was shelled at
first slip. And how costly that was to prove. Marcus went on to
make history himself. His 150 not out was a sensational innings,
annihilating club records along the way. His 11 sixes, to go with
11 fours, was another record. There were some big hits, some
effortless hits, some superb hits and some brutal hits. With
Priyesh Patel playing a fine, and in some cases, unlucky innings
alongside, they put on a partnership of 127 for the sixth wicket.
Marcus hit a boundary four to bring up his 150 which allowed
captain Ollie Sayers to declare a few minutes early, closing the
innings on 238-6.
Faced with a big chase, Hartley Whitney went about it with intent
and some big shots early doors. The Goodwill, for the first time
this season, dropped chances throughout the innings. Then again,
if the boys had held them all, the game would have been quite
boring! One of the openers made 50 before being out and Das
immediately made it two down by producing one to clip the top of
the bails. It was then that Louis came in for Hartley Whitney and
was to go on to make 99. He too was dropped at least three times.
Hartley Whitney were getting partnerships going, but the Goodwill
stuck to their task, chipping away with the odd wicket every so
often. As the 20-overs countdown was on, Hartley Whitney were
finding the boundary regularly to add to their singles and twos
and all four results were possible. Still the Wanderers chipped
away with wickets and going into the last 2 overs, 14 were needed.
A smeared four and a big six off Correa had almost seen Hartley
Whitney over the line, but next ball, Louis was bowled by Correa
for 99, and suddenly it was game on. A dot ball followed meaning 2
runs were needed off the final 6 balls, captain Ollie Sayers to
bowl the final over.
The first two balls were blocked, the third turned towards square
leg and the fourth pushed towards short cover. The fifth was a
full length delivery which was flicked towards mid-wicket……... in
the air……… silence fell…….. Trigger pushed off to his right……..
And his two hands engulfed the ball for an excellent catch to cue
pandemonium, delight, and the biggest Goodwill bundle in 20
seasons!
Dropped chances, on both sides, made for some game, arguably the
best game for many, many years and certainly one of the best games
the Goodwill have ever been involved in. The odd wicket, dropped
catch, extra run, or slight mis-field, and the final result of a
1-run victory with 1 ball remaining, shows the very fine line
between success and failure in sport. Maintaining belief in
yourself, your team-mates and what you are trying to achieve, as
well as a calmness under pressure and a clear mind can make all
the difference. Not for the first time this season, the boys were
involved in a match that swung one way and then the other several
times, yet came out on top.
It was a delirious dressing room afterwards. But it was so close
to being the complete other end of the spectrum. However, it's
about enjoyment, it always has been, so it's on that note that we
toast the record-breakers. 5 straight wins marks the 20th season
out as special, to go with all the individual achievements this
year. It would have been gutting had Marcus' brilliant innings
counted for nothing. If anyone ever beats his mark of 150 not out,
I for one want to be there to see it, as it will be some knock.
Our Kiwi-friend has been a massive plus for the club and has
settled into the dressing room effortlessly, as have all the new
players this year. Das has given us a new string to our bow with
his all-round talents, Disco Doshi has provided runs and some fine
catches, and Paul has come in and given us a new bowling option,
and a crucial run on Sunday!
So, a deep breathe, a smile, and then onto the unknown next week
as we face new opponents in Old Camdenians. And we have to do it
all over again starting at 0-0. We should obviously try to win,
but a little bit of a wider margin would probably make things far
more comfortable for everyone.
