For the first game of the season, due to previous fixtures being cancelled or postponed, the Mogs were met at Leatherhead cricket club by a field full of carrier bags, old wood, used butane gas cylinders and general 'crap'...it was clear the travelling community had been in town!
Anyway, fortunately, despite the Leatherhead scoreboard having been broken into and seemingly not working, the toss was taken a few minutes later, the scoreboard repaired and the game was underway.
Eggson won the first challenge presented and decided, with a strong seam bowling attack, the Mogs would take to the field first.
Andrew Hoad and Barry Mankelow opened up proceedings, both with some excellent tight lines and extracting some useful movement in both air and pitch. Hoady bowled a really good spell picking up a couple of early wickets, one excellent salmon'esque diving ("excessive leaning") catch from the captain at 1st slip, off 7 overs for only 24 runs. Meanwhile at the other end Barry was toiling away with his incredibly accurate, military medium swingers. Barry not having the same kind of response from the field, with Lee dropping what is very quickly and commonly described as a "chuffing easy catch" at point ... the main downfall being a massive hangover and the ball taking, what felt like about 20 minutes to arrive...far too much time to overthink and completely choke a simple catch. Barry continued to bowl a superb spell of 12 overs for only 35 runs from the Leisure centre end, with no luck in the W column.
A welcomed return to bowling for Joseph Lewis who had replaced Hoad at the recently named 'Crap (travelling pikeys) end'. However, the batsmen were now starting to get their eye in and score some runs, the Leatherhead number 3 moved to a very well-played 50 (first time he had put the whites on since 1993 apparently) and his partner, the main benefactor of the aforementioned rubbish fielding, also moved to a half century. Nonetheless the bowlers patiently battled on. It was the introduction of Tombs from Mankelow at the Leisure centre end, that brought about a break-through, some very decent bowling from Tombs managed to scalp the Leatherhead number 4, however it was another milestone of the Leatherhead innings that brought about the end, a rather generous declaration upon the Leatherhead number 3 who reached his very well made 100 in the 40th over. The Mogs would be chasing 189, with an hour and 20 overs to bat.
Tea was energetically consumed.
Mr P Furner and Ashwin 'Mini' Bhat were asked to make their way to the middle. It was a solid start from both batsmen, who started to build a score before Furner was 'unexplainably' caught behind for 14. James Tombs joined Mini Bhat at the crease and proceeded to open his 2018 batting credit with a exquisite back foot square drive for four; to which naturally brought jeers and criticism from his Mogador team mates, that he had been secretly netting during the off season - a tough crowd in the Mogs. Tombsie and Mini Bhat continued to plunder the ever tiring Leatherhead bowlers and move the total much closer to the 189 required, before an equally tired shot from Tombsie brought his unexpected downfall, after an excellent and effortless 51 - it had all the signs of a "50 made, feet up!" However, Mini Bhat was still at the crease and also looking odds on to make his 50 and even more. Mini Bhat was joined by Charlie Lee, to which both players took all the simple singles now on offer from an unaggressive bowling attack. Time was very much on the Mogs side and due to the excellent foundation from Tombsie and a wonderful innings of 76* from Mini Bhat, the Mogs reached their target with no further loss of wickets and several overs to spare. A very professional innings from a young Ashwin, who will be a great asset to the Mogs line-up. Sensible batting from everyone, who benefitted from good running and a very decent declaration from the opposition. It was a nice opening game of the season.
So the season was off and running, the weather much improved, and a win for the first game. Great job Mogs.
MWCC Stats