Far From The MCC

~ Est. in 1998 ~

“Records Tumble

As Jude Thrash Somebody”

Sunday 17^th June 2001
Result: Won by 47 Runs
Venue: Headington
35 overs
Jude The Obscure	213 - 4
L. Davie 65*, H. Jones 61, T. Mander 29
Marlborough House	166 - 3
A. Mann 2 - 17

If the virtue of patience is its own reward then Jude the Obscure C.C. had this victory, the season’s first, coming to them in spades, or bats, as the case may be. The long-awaited result finally brings home to roost the chickens of ambition, who, in the henhouse of one-day games have at last hatched out the eggs of success, just right for the omelette of satisfaction and pride.

This was no easy game, at least before it began, but today things went right for The Jude from the moment captain L. Phillips lost the toss. Ordered in to bat on a pitch with unpredictable bounce, it seemed early that the mighty Jude could struggle, but T. Mander (29) and A. Mann (18) crafted an impressive opening stand of 41, and lo! the attack had been blunted. The Marlborough captain made the forgivable mistake of hunting for wickets, but his first-line bowlers could make no dent in the strong Jude lineup, and by the time the assorted twirlers and plinkers were introduced late in the innings, the horse had bolted. The resurgent and consistent H. Jones (61) held the innings together before being caught behind, then stalwart captain L. Phillips (5) went cheaply looking for quick runs, but the best was yet to come. A crowd of seven watched agog as L. Davie (65 n.o.) took the erratic bowling apart with contemptuous ease, striking a boundary from his first delivery and continuing unabated in the same vein. Ably supported by the in-form M. Bullock (9. n.o.), Davie thrashed his 65 from just 26 balls, with the half century coming up in a mere 21. A new 5th wicket record stand of 73 was posted, and no doubt it would have been far greater if the end of the innings had not been signalled. At 213-4, the Jude had recorded their highest ever total.

L. Davie and A. Mann discuss a rare Jude win.

Marlborough battled well in reply, but at 6 runs an over, the target was always beyond them, and although wickets were hard to come by, the game petered out into a foregone conclusion well before the final ball was bowled. A. Mann (2-17) toiled frugally if without venom, and L. Davie (0-14) was likewise parsimonious, and unlucky to go wicketless. M. Bullock impressed with a faultless display behind the stumps, and L. Davie and T. Mander took fine catches. And it was good to see a return to the side for S. Pollard, who, on his first day back after a sustained absence, impressed with yet another new idea to add to the expanding catalogue of Jude fielding innovations. Rather than catching a ball, which came straight to him off the bat, Pollard instead shouldered the ball effectively to the ground, soccer-style, thus saving a crucial single when runs were important and wickets meaningless.

Jude victorious? Jude victorious! Doubters and nay-sayers, fuck off.

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Statistician’s Note: This was a historic game for the Jude, with a huge number of records falling:

• Highest ever Jude Total of 213-4
• Two 50s in one innings for only the second time – L. Davie 65* / H. Jones 61
• Record 5th wicket stand - 73 (L. Davie / M. Bullock)
• L. Davie reached his 50 in 21 balls
• L. Davie scored 65 not out in just 26 balls
• L. Davie scored 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-6 in 8 consecutive deliveries
• A. Morley bowled 13 no balls in 1 over

‘Blocker’

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Statto's Scorecard

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