MWCC vs Oxted (Limpsfield ground) - 6th September 2015
The Mogs XI, only completed a couple of hours before the game started, with the addition of Jez and The Landlord, brilliantly secured by 1st Under Secretary - Team Selection (Charlie Lee), arrived at the picturesque Limpsfield ground bathed in early autumn sun for a prompt start. This was, in fact, the first time the Club had played at this ground since 16th August 1998, on which occasion when batting first Limpsfield put on 280-3 and the Mogs, in reply, were 171-8. Peter Furner (along with your correspondent the only two survivors of that day) carried his bat on 66 not out and together with Peter Martin who was 4 not out, held out for the final overs of the day in the lengthening shadows.
Some 17 years later the home side (the merged entity now combining Oxted and Limpsfield after the latter folded a few years after our last encounter) also batted first. From a Mogs perspective it was a portentous afternoon from two angles - firstly from a cricketing perspective Joseph "The Off Break" Lewis, he of the lion's roar, started the day on 199 wickets and it was hoped that the hidden "200" sign held on the boundary by the MogWAGs could be deployed at some stage during the afternoon. Secondly from a nuptial perspective the day marked a successful navigation of the first year of matrimony for Mr & Mrs Lee and again we hoped that it would be a good day for the happy couple, with Mrs Lee sipping Chardonnay on the boundary watching her Beau in action.
It is fair to say that following the rain of the previous few days the track was challenging. Lee proved lethal from the Pavilion end bowling almost unplayable inswingers which bounced and then shot along the ground like a snorting short corner at Olympic hockey level or else bounced alarmingly skywards. At 28-3 it is reasonable to suggest that the Mogs felt reasonably confident, Charles Lee had 3 wickets under his belt and a rightfully proud wife on the boundary which augured well for the rest of their anniversary. Meanwhile the Lion of Horley was bowling a tight spell up the hill and duly snared his 200th wicket to much applause from his team mates and the waving spectators. The Captain made some changes to the bowling after Lee (23-5) and Lewis (23-1) had removed the heart of the Oxted batting line up and Cooper and Toombs then took 3 wickets between them for 14. Furner, Borley and Gray also turned their arms over and Oxted were all out for 116 at which point a very pleasant tea was taken in the clement September sunshine.
It would also be fair to say that the Mogs started their reply with a reasonable degree of confidence at being able to achieve the target. Your correspondent was ambling around inside the dressing room as the innings began, still sipping on a cup of tea and enjoying a chocolate bar in the unhurried way of one who knows he is batting very late in the order and most likely to be able to enjoy the evening sun in peace whilst watching the runs being ticked off by his colleagues. To hear that the first wicket had fallen in the first over was merely an inconvenience in this perceived progression of how the rest of the day was going to pan out. Even at 0-2 at the end of the first over there was still a relaxed enough atmosphere amongst the waiting batsmen but frankly after five overs with the score at 2-5 this balmy contentment had evolved into a full scale desperate and bewildered clawing at pad straps and gloves by anyone not already annihilated by the Oxted attack. The Mogs were falling with frightening speed to an on steroids version of Charlie Lee's bowling by Oxted's Brooks who was launching "fast torpedoes" as described by Furner, himself out to one of these deliveries. When Brooks was removed from the attack after 3 overs with remarkable figures of 0-4 the damage had already been done. Toombs came to the crease at this point and put on 12 with Burton before he perished and then a further 11 with Cooper before he too fell. Your correspondent, batting at 9 came in after 10 overs with the Mogs on 25-7 and played a very minor supporting role as Tombs took his score up to 45 and the Mogs to 66 for 8 before he perished. Lee and Lewis, in good company with 4 other Mogs before them, were also unable to trouble the scorers and we were finally put out of our misery for 71.
Chastened, but in the true spirit of Mogador warriors, cheerful and sportsmanlike we retired to consume hop based products with our hosts and spectators in the lengthening shadows.
MWCC Stats