Scorecard

Galleywood v Burnham Sports CC 1st XI on Sat 22 Aug 2009 at 1.30
Burnham Sports CC Won By 1 Wicket

Match report Burnham Sports have their most important fixture for years on Saturday when they play promotion rivals Old Chelmsfordians at Millfield (start 1pm).
Victory in their final league fixture of the campaign will secure Sports a place in the T.Rippon Mid-Essex Premier League next season - provided that Chignal do not secure two points more than them from their tough fixture away to Little Waltham.
Jamie Hamilton, skipper of Sports, told the Standard: “It looks like going to the final ball of the season, with three clubs in with a chance of going up with Great Totham. Old Chelmsfordians are second in the table and will be guaranteed promotion if they win.
“It’s not that straightforward for us because, even if we win, Chignal could spoil our party. If we are both successful, it will come down to whether we can pick up enough bonus points to get back past them.”
Hamilton added: “We’ve got to put the different equations and possible scenarios to the back of our minds and concentrate on getting the better of Old Chelmsfordians. They are a strong team who beat us heavily at their place. We were not at our best that day, though, and will be looking to put the record straight.”
Sports are relieved to still be in the promotion race after a nerve-jangling one-wicket win away to Galleywod last Saturday.
Galleywood have already been relegated but they gave Burnham a huge scare - rattling up 240 for five from their allotted 45 overs after winning the toss and batting.
The home side hit 105 from the final ten overs, with Danny McIntyre, so often a thorn in Burnham’s side, thumping 86 not out.
Sports would have been in a bigger mess but for the accuracy of Karl Barnes (9-3-20-1) and Robin Whittaker (9-5-29-1). David Bridge also chipped in with one for 23.
In reply, Grant Smith (39) and Paul Green (50) helped Burnham reach 100 without loss in the 15th over but then McIntyre (five for 44) dismissed the prolific pair in successive balls.
Hamilton (37) and Ali Allchin (39) continued to score at a brisk rate but a flurry of wickets left the visiting team teetering on the brink at 191 for eight.
Andy Stephens (23) and Dominic Whittaker teamed up to add 27 for the ninth wicket, though, before Whittaker and last man Karl Barnes held their nerve - putting on 24 to see their side home with nine balls to spare.
got home with eight balls left.


ALTERNATIVE MATCH REPORT
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the Gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream
of what I need

[Chorus]

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero (1984)

I’m not sure if Bonnie Tyler ever got her hero (I doubt it, the Welsh crooner had big ginger hair and a voice that would make you recoil while eating your cornflakes in the morning) but, if she’s still holding out for one, then Karl Barnes is surely made to measure.
We still needed 24 to win when he walked out to bat on Saturday and, given his batting exploits in the past decade or so, it’s fair to assume most of us thought the game was up. “What’s it doing?” he asked me as our paths crossed on the outfield. “Nothing” I replied curtly, seething from my own mode of dismissal seconds earlier. Then, and I don’t know if he was still within earshot, I added “We can still do it”.
It was one of those hollow statements that you don’t truly mean or believe. Like when you are at a dinner party and eat something that you are not comfortable with, only to tell the host what you have just been munching was absolutely delicious and that you really must get the recipe.
One straight ball is usually enough to finish off Chugger, whose less-used second nickname of Mr Magoo is thoroughly deserved because only vanity prevents him from wearing spectacles with very thick lenses.
His previous innings this year had gone to type. Out for 0 at High Roding (played across the line of a straight one - his signature shot), 1 versus Writtle (same again); 1 versus Chignal (run out by half the pitch because he could not see the ball had gone straight to the fielder at short mid-wicket), 0 not out, 2 versus Ocs away (he says getting to 2 is like a top-order batsmen getting into the nervous 90s) and a streaky 1 not out at Totham. Average 1.25.
His most notable achievement in 2008 had been getting off the mark at home to Tillingham on June 14. It was the first time that he had made a run at home since June 5, 2005. Three barren years. I kid ye not. Remarkable.
Indeed, between mid-summer 2005 and mid-summer 2007, he didn’t score a run at home or away. Then a guy at Broomfield misfielded a ball at mid on (rumours that Barnes paid him a bung were never proven) and the two-year drought was over.
So, put in this context, 24 runs might as well have been 224. It just wasn’t going to happen.
But every dog has his day and Chugger, with the invaluable help of an ice cool Lomez at the other end and Galleywood‘s inablity to bowl straight, was about to have his.
He got off the mark with a glorious cover drive for four (had Smudger gone out for a second knock?) and followed it with a calm single.
Soon after he missed a straightish one. Must have been a good ball because the wicket-keeper also missed it. Four byes. All of a sudden despair was turning to hope.
Then, with Robin Whittaker turning to me and admitting ‘I’ve never been more nervous’, Magoo helped a short ball on its way to third man. It looked a certain four (which would have tied the scores) but instead he had to settle for two.
No matter. Two balls later our hero gets a ball on his legs and he flicks it nonchalantly to the square leg boundary. The spoils are ours.
Promotion remains ours to grasp. We’ve had a great season and played some terrific stuff. Let’s finish off in style on Saturday. Let’s give it our all. Let’s savour the day. But let’s not leave it to Chugger and his flashing blade this time. It’s just not healthy.
Click on he link for vintage Mr Magoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uz3I77MB-c



15.
SPORTS SUFFER PROMOTION SETBACK
Dejected Burnham Sports face a battle to win promotion from the T.Rippon Mid-Essex League first division after a seven-wicket loss to title rivals Great Totham.
Burnham went into the match knowing a success would leave them favourites to go up as champions but, after picking up only two points from a possible 26, will almost certainly have to win their last three fixtures to have any chance of reaching the Premier League.
Sports were not at their best with either bat or bowl and were made to pay the price - Totham dismissing them for an inadequate 179 before passing that tally with four overs and plenty of wickets to spare.
“We were not on our A-game and Totham took full advantage,” Jamie Hamilton, skipper of Sports said. “We knew plenty was riding on the game but things just didn’t happen for us. Their captain said afterwards that his team had the best of the wicket but, on the day, they were simply the better team.
“I’m sure we will bounce back and the equation is pretty simple for us now - win our last three and hope other results go our way.”
Hamilton opted to bat after winning the toss and had few early regrets as his team reached 37 without loss in brisk fashion.
However, the dismissal of in-form Paul Green (26) triggered a seven-over spell in which three wickets fell for nine runs and the visiting team never truly recovered.
Hamilton

Galleywood Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
240 (0.0 overs)		     
Reeve b  Barnes 19
Bennett ct  D Whittaker B R Whittaker 23
Pinkerton ct  Stephens B Bridge 38
McIntyre Not Out  86
Rowlands b  Allchin 34
Taylor b  Stephens 11
Moss Not Out  3
Williams  
Rayner  
Taylor  
Hills  

Burnham Sports CC 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Alastair Allchin12.0172172.006.00
Robin Whittaker9.0529129.003.22
Andy Stephens10.0352152.005.20
. .9.0320120.002.22
David Bridge4.0023123.005.75
Jamie Hamilton2.002600.0013.00

Burnham Sports CC 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
242		        
Paul Green ct  McIntyre 50
Grant Smith ct  McIntyre 39
Jamie Hamilton ct  Moss 37
Joel Whittaker lbw  McIntyre 0
Alastair Allchin b  Moss 39
Neil Saunders b  McIntyre 4
David Bridge b  Moss 2
Robin Whittaker b  McIntyre 0
Dominic Whittaker Not Out  8 1
Andy Stephens ct  taylor 23 1
. . Not Out  11

Galleywood Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.