Stoke Smash I – Match Report

Friday 14th June 2019
Stoke Smash I
Vinall’s Vampires v Cheeseman’s Cheetahs
Umpires : Drew Patrick and Tim Handel

A separate report on Friday as a whole will appear but here in due course, but here is an account of how the match played out from the scorers’ table courtesy of the Big Bird and Ralphie.

Vinall’s Vampires Batted first…

Over 1
Not a great start as Geoff Vinall departs before the Barmy Army could break into their rendition of “…and Number One is Geoffrey V…” but Tom Frost hit the first maximum of the evening with Justin Jones knocking it around at the other end.

10-1 (1/8)

Over 2
Frost plants two more maximums into the crowd, and with a couple of singles also nudged becomes the first enforced retirement of the evening at 20 not out. Next man Shawn Dyson ends the over with a four and a two.

29-1 (2/8)

Over 3
Klimcke concedes ‘only’ 15 as Jones and Dyson trade boundaries.

44-1 (3/8)

Over 4
Dyson plants Will Frost into the crowd, and then into the car park in successive deliveries. A single then means an enforced retirement.

58-1 (4/8)

Over 5
The first of two, (by rule), from captain Cheeseman starts with a wicket as Harry Nawaz cuts to Oli Slipper. Jones retires after a couple of boundaries meaning two new bats in the form of Fraser Slater and Club Captain James Trower.

71-2 (5/8)

Over 6
Ian Hopton bowls the only over of the match not to contain a boundary as the batsmen garner six from six.

77-2 (6/8)

Over 7
The only runs off the bat to Trower as Slipper concedes just four; Slater unlucky to face one of the better bowlers on the night.

81-2 (7/8)

Over 8
Cheeseman again. A mixed bag, including the wicket of Slater, but not as successful as his previous set as Trower moves to 20, (retired, but leans on his bat at the other end to keep the game moving), leaving Kevin Morgan the last few deliveries – caught off a no-ball off one of them, bowled off the free hit, thus helping to register a nice red-inker.

97-3 (8/8)
INNINGS CLOSED

Vinall 0
T.Frost 20 (ret)
Jones 21 (ret)
Dyson 20 (ret)
Nawaz 1
Slater 2
Trower 20 (ret)
Morgan 1 not out
Extras 12

Cheeseman’s Cheetahs reply…

Over 1
Some redemption for Vinall as just four conceded; singles to Cheeseman and Gudgeon plus a bye.

4-0 (1/8) – 94 needed off 46

Over 2
Nawaz given the treatment by Gudgeon who hits him for two maximums.

20-0 (2/8) – 78 needed off 42

Over 3
The most eventful over of the match. Jones collects the wicket of Cheeseman with his first ball, a great diving effort by Tom Frost in the covers. The batsmen cross and Gudgeon hits the next one over the tallest tree…on the way up(!) to reach an enforced retirement at 20. New man Hopton hits a four but then falls to an incredible diving catch by Vinall at point. This leaves one left and Andrew Klimcke hits it into the houses for 6.

31-2 (3/8) – 67 needed off 36

Over 4
Tom Frost gives the sizeable crowd a glimpse of his bent arm straight breaks; Mark Christie hands Oli Slipper the strike and he puts one into the houses; but later in the over Jones makes a good catch on the line to account for Klimcke.

48-3 (4/8) – 50 needed off 24

Over 5
Slater’s over contains just one four to Christie and four singles.

56-3 (5/8) – 42 needed off 18

Over 6
A big over needed and the Cheetah’s get one as Slipper hits Trower for back to back maximums in an over that yields 16.

72-3 (6/8) – 27 needed off 12

Over 7
Vinall gambles and gives himself the penultimate over hoping there are enough runs for Dyson to play with going into the last. Slipper had to retire with his second six off Trower, so David Cook had the difficult job of teeing off from the off. A single, and then when back on strike umpire Handel adjudges him leg before.

When back on strike Christie gets three courtesy of buzzers; setting Will Frost up for back to back fours to take the game to the final over.

84-4 (7/8) – 14 needed off the last

Over 8
Dyson needs to use all his skill to get the job done; restricting Christie, (18 not out), and Frost Jnr, (11 not out), to a handful of singles and a two; so the innings closes with the Vampires victorious by 7.

90-4 (8/8)
INNINGS CLOSED

Cheeseman 5
Gudgeon 21 (ret)
Hopton 4
Christie 18 not out
Klimcke 6
Slipper 21 (ret)
Cook 1
W.Frost 11 not out
Extras 3

So the Vampires win the inaugural Stoke Smash!

Stay tuned for details of the re-match!!!