Goodwood CC | Sussex Martlets

Match Report

How do I start this match report? We Won!!! After the ridiculously poor showing the martlets provided last time these two teams met there were a couple of questions that needed answering. The first: how on earth did we lose by ten wickets? ! The 2nd how on earth has Johnny managed to remain as match manager? As much as the 10 wicket loss had affected most that played that day there was one person the match manager who had to put up with being reminded of that game for over a year. That match manager plays for Goodwood and also works with the Goodwood captain who is his boss! Nothing more need be said. Onto the match. Martlets won the toss and decided to have a bowl to perhaps save another repeat of the last outing from happening. Heaven opened the bowling with golden arm George Read and after a tight first over George did what it says on the tin, bowling the Chichester overseas after he had driven him for 4 the previous ball. Then came in Goodwood’s star player (well he thinks so) M Smith who averaged over 100 last season. Anyway he played one of the worst cricket shots you will ever see and was caught at point after facing 2 balls. Heaven proceeded to take himself off and throw the ball to Mr Ashworth to perhaps offer some gentle medium to slow deliveries to help Goodwood along. Ashworth proceeded to bowl 8 overs 5 maidens 1 wicket for 12 runs! A great spell but not quite what the skipper had in mind. George took another wicket and finished on 3 for 16. Goodwood were really struggling so the skipper brought on the chairman to perhaps again feed Goodwood a few runs, the chairman does what the chairman does and burgled a wicket for 29 runs which included 4 maidens off 8 overs. After Ashworths mind boggling stint Omkar came on and lulled the batsmen into a false sense of security with a pie first ball which he despatched, Omkar took a great caught and bowled and finished with figures of 8 overs ,1 wicket for 46 runs. Josh Downey (potential junior martlet sign him up!) came onto bowl and managed to remove the only Goodwood batsmen capable of scoring any runs and hanging around M Bennison (dull individual) 56 runs scored. Josh finished with figures of 4 overs 14 runs and 3 wickets with Chris Pring taking the last wicket. Goodwood finished on 129 off 34.4 overs. Now it was time to reflect. Did we do well or were Goodwood reversing the previous fixture with ineptitude? Anyway Peter ‘jazz hands’ Lamb and Big show Jordan Shaw opened the batting and proceeded to rattle off the score at pace! Shaw was the one doing the rattling as Jazz Hands managed to get out lbw and bowled at the same time ( no idea how you do that ) in came Charlie Edwards (another candidate) gun fielder. Charlie made 3 runs before dancing past one and getting bowled by the Chichester overseas who may have asked him where he was going as he was walking back to the pavilion. Jordan big show the man of the moment (fresh off selection for Sussex 2s) was a man possessed in sudden batting ability! He dispatched Goodwood all around the park and was finally bowled for 75 runs. Leaving Martlets 92/3 after roughly 16 overs. Simon Warrander batted well for 21 runs but decides to add a bit of village to the proceedings and chip one past the bowler then decide to run a single late and managed to get run out! Very village. Chris Pring and George Read surely had to see it home? Well George didn’t fancy it with 2 runs to score after he ran a 2 himself and missed a straight one. Chris and Josh ended up seeing it home. Chris 11 * and Josh 1 * Martlets chased the total 5 down off 24 overs. Thank God for that!!! Thank you all for playing.