Rottingdean Over 40s | Sussex Martlets

Match Report

Rottingdean CC, folded into the Downs, presented a lovely, if windy, spectacle as the Vets assembled to do battle against an oppo with the usual flexible approach to this fixture – a couple of Brighton College 15 year olds (a lively wrist spinner and ‘keeper) and two first team players amongst them. But we don’t worry about details, given the joy of playing on this ground.

We added our own touch of class with the (properly eligible) James Dahl, Head of Wellington College, debuting for us, and Bush bringing 3 dogs rather than the usual 2 – a lively black spaniel adding some youth and zest, to the gallery anyway.

With the home side winning the toss and batting, we found wickets a bit hard to come by: retiring at 40 was the rule and skipper H Ledden duly did, as well as his opening partner at 28 (more pressing matters apparently). Mushtaq Islam came in and retired at 43, and Phil Savage was heard speculating whether we could actually win a match without taking a wicket !

Guy Keeling had bowled an excellent opening spell without luck, 7 overs for 22 runs, before Chris Pring (1-36 off 7) winkled out an LBW from the same end, and James Dahl clean bowled the threatening Wilcox from the sea end, with some lively medium pace (for us Vets anyway!).

Deepak (in the scorebook as “Dpak” !) had bowled 5 overs for 31 and Lackie 7 overs for 33 – again no luck. It was left to the evergreen Jeremy to get taken for 32 in his first 3 overs, but end with 2-39 off 5, both bowled ! Jeremy the wicket machine !

Curiously, at 175 we did not feel the score was beyond us, especially since the wicket was playing well, but there was something in the excellent tea which Rottingdean provided, as none of the batsmen fired at all: Boulter crazily ran himself out, Michael Loveday hit a couple of good shots but was too adventurous perhaps, having scored an 80 the day before, then James batted very fluently and aggressively only to be caught at long-on by a spectacular effort running down the hill. Savage was bowled for not many, as were Keeling, Pring, McGahan, Horsham and Newman. For variation, at the end Deepak was given out LBW: he successfully appealed to a notional Ultra Edge, and was welcomed back to the crease by the oppo, who could see it wasn’t really going to make much difference, as we subsided for the paltry total of 83.

However, we did really enjoy the hospitable atmosphere and drinks in the pavilion afterwards, followed by a marvellous fish and chips for most of the team in the White Horse Hotel on the seafront – many thanks to Bush for the idea and grabbing the table. A disappointing result did not spoil a wonderful afternoon and evening, and we look forward optimistically to next year !