The Mogador Wanderers arrived at East Horsley full of late summer cheer, marvelling at the mid 20s temperature and deep blue skies which were more redolent of June than mid September. The Mogs were soon in the field and opened with a pacy attack of Tombs and Spring who both bowled a tidy spell of 6 overs which went for 40 odd each and delivered 1 wicket each in a pleasingly symmetrical way. Their dismissal brought the powerful heart of the Horsley batting machine to the wicket in the form of Lavender and Perkins who took the home side from an uncomfortable 5-2 into far more clement batting territory. Perhaps for the first time in the Club's long history, the Mogs deployed a double medical spin attack with Dr's Bason and Bhatt beguiling the batsmen and, indeed, it was Bason, playing only his first game for the season who broke East Horsley's stand, bowling Perkins with one that nipped away. He was also responsible, a few overs later for the peach ball of the day, pitched on a good length on leg stump which Lavender, then on 85, played forward to in a perfectly orthodox fashion, only to find that it zipped away sharply off the track and found the outside edge to be taken behind. Following his dismissal Robinson provided some further late middle order impetus to the home side's batting until he was caught by Cooper off Ash for 20. Beyond him Garlick attempted to shepherd the tail enders, consisting of his own son and Garlick's son, but he actually managed to run out them both out with calls that, in the famous words of the late Mog Dick Millar "not even Ballyregan Bob could have made that" - leaving him on 21 not out and East Horsley all out for 202.
After consuming a really very commendable tea - both in sheer volumetric terms and variety of savoury and sweet comestibles the Mogs looked to chase down the required runs. Bhatt the Younger and The Little Master, the youngest and oldest Mogs respectively, with fully 50 years spanning between them, opened the batting. Progress was steady and 59 had been reached before Robinson, the pick of the East Horsley bowlers, accounted for Bhatt, who had been cutting and driving effectively up to that point for 35. This brought Fisher to the wicket who did not allow the fall of a wicket to slow down the Mogs' progress and continued the run chase with his trademark drives off the front foot. Furner fell 4 overs later for 14 at which point Ash strode to the middle. To most of the assembled Mogs this innings was intended to be just one more step on his serene progress to the highest total score in a season, which was already looking like falling to him after a highly successful summer. However, cricket is the most unpredictable of sports and Ash, almost inexplicably, was caught at slip off Launder for a Duck and trudged off to general incomprehension. If there was any uncertainty in the Mogs' innings it was at this point with our top batsman out without scoring that a mild outbreak of buttock tensing occurred amongst the remaining batsmen - were there late afternoon demons in the pitch, had the home bowlers finally found a way through the Mogs? Fortunately, James Honeyfield who had joined Fisher in the middle was not succumbing to any of these doubts and launched into a boundary smeared run fest of 6 Fours and 2 Sixes (included a massive blow to end the game) which left him and Fisher unbeaten on 56 and 57 respectively and the Mogs home by 7 wickets. As the shadows lengthened on a balmy September evening we retired to the bar with our hosts for the consumption of hop based products before the scenic drive home across Ranmore Common.
MWCC Stats