Bedouins v Chancers at Envile – Wednesday, June 1^st

Bedouins lost by 48 runs

The ball kept disappearing to the boundary, and occasionally over it, with alarming regularity as the Bedouins took on the Chancers on a typically freezing cold early June (!) day. The Beds received a pointed lesson in the less-than-subtle ways of 20-over cricket as the Chancers produced a production line of one after another capable batsmen, who bludgeoned and scampered their way to a total of 160 for 4 in 15 eight-ball overs. And all that after managing only one run in the first over, bowled by Josh Lemm.

With no fewer than three batsmen reaching the 30-run retirement point, and three others recording double-figure scores, all the Bedouins bowlers suffered a bit of a mauling. Spratters managed a couple of wickets., before having to leave the field with recurring illness problems. On the plus side, only one catch was put down (wasn’t it, Jon?), and there was a smooth-as-silk stumping by the almost legendary John Howells.

Having finished the previous match with wickets from the last two balls of the game, Neill Smith came on to bowl at the end, needing just one wicket with his first ball to complete a memorable hat-trick. The danger was the immediate impact on the pocket of possibly beers all round. However, it’s no good getting older if you don’t get wiser, and Neill made sure that his first ball was just wide enough not to be called “wide” but not reachable by the batsman.

The Bedouins made a determined effort to get the scoreboard moving quickly in reply. Paul Lippitt was in belligerent mood, hitting 30 and retiring in great style. Ian Woodhouse hit three consecutive boundaries and followed them with a six before being dismissed for 28. Skipper Lee Bywater reached double figures, and Neill Smith was 15 not out at the end, but overall the task was a bit too much, and the Beds finished 49 runs short of their target on 112 for 5.

After the disappointment of a cancelled fixture against Oldswinford, when the heavens opened at just the wrong time, the Beds were at least glad to get back into action. Though it has to be said that it was bl … y cold for the Chancers game. Just as well that Bedouins enjoy simply being in each other’s company; otherwise there might have been a few mutterings about better the threatened rain for this match too, so that everyone could have sat at home in the warm to watch the latest BBC2 bonkbuster.

Chancers 160 for 4 (Spratley 2 for 31; Woodhouse 1 for 19; Bywater 1 for 18)

Bedouins 112 for 5 (Lippitt 30; Woodhouse 28; Smith 15 not out)

Bedouins v Pedmore Over 40s at Pedmore – Wednesday, 12 August 2015

Bedouins won by 7 wickets

Youth and experience combined to good effect at Pedmore to bring the Bedouins a resounding seven-wicket win in the last game of the 2015 season.  It was the two teenage opening bowlers and the two “experienced” (combined age of over 120) opening batsmen that set up the win, as the Beds rattled up 130 for 3, to win with a couple of overs to spare.

Owing to some non-availabilities – some for more painful reasons than others! – there were a couple of unfamiliar faces in the Bedouins line-up.  Ethan Jones, another of Austin’s mates (he has a secret production line somewhere), proved a very able opening bowler, belying his somewhat tender years.  And Harry Stanier, son of Jon, contributed some hefty blows to the Beds’ innings.

Unfortunately, our hosts seemed to have less idea of the importance of prompt arrival for an evening game beginning in mid-August.  So, while all Bedouins were changed and on parade by 5.45, the opposition arrived in dribs and drabs somewhat later, resulting in the toss having to be falsified in order to get the game underway while there was still some light around.

Therefore batting first, Pedmore made 127 for 6 in their 15 eight-ball overs, Ethan John taking 2 for 16 and Josh Lemm, opening the bowling at the other end, 1 for 21.  There was also a wicket apiece for Stanier senior and junior.

For the second time this season, John Howells and Jon Stanier formed a highly experienced opening pair.  Both were in fine form and both retired on 30.  The former, back on a favourite old stamping ground of his, showed the return of much of his old timing in hitting five boundaries, while Jon Stanier reached the boundary ropes six times.

Not to be outdone, Richard Ferguson and Richard Spratley also brought the crowd to its feet with a couple of classic cover drives.  With Harry Stanier hitting 29 not out, the Bedouins’ total of 130 for 3 was more than enough to see off a team of experienced cricketers.  Not bad for what some appear to consider “a small club”!

Pedmore Over 40s 127 for 6 (John 3 for 16; Lemm 1 for 21; J. Stanier 1 for 5; H. Stanier 1 for 29)

Bedouins 130 for 3 (Howells 30; J. Stanier 30; H. Stanier 29 not out; Gregory 13)

*  *  *  *

The Bedouins end their 2015 season in good shape.  A number of welcome new regulars have all shown good form.  Our finances seem pretty healthy.  Several new fixtures are in the offing for 2016.  And our “buffet belles” have continued to enable us to provide first-class hospitality.

It hasn’t been the most successful season from a win/lose perspective – a pretty even split between victories and defeats – but Bedouins have continued to play cricket the way they want to – “seriously for fun”.

Now we’d like a few more than the “regulars” turning up for the AGM, and a bumper turn-out for the Duck Supper.  AGM at the Fox at Stourton on Tuesday, November 3; Duck Supper at the Cat at Enville on Friday, November 27.  But you didn’t need reminding about those dates, did you?

Bedouins v SSP Halifax at Enville – Sunday, 9 August 2015

Bedouins lost by 14 runs

Our friends from up north, SSP, came down from Halifax for the 21st annual meeting with the Bedouins, at Enville, and returned up north with the Rasche Trophy safely gathered in for another year.  It was a highly competitive match, but played in the right friendly spirit and resulted in a total of over 400 runs, with slightly more than half of them going to SSP.

The Enville outfield was lightning quick, and anything that got past the fielder went for four.  Thus it was that SSP opener, Nathaniel Hyde, rattled up 52 retired, with 11 boundaries and one six meaning that he needed to run only two singles.  On the whole the Beds would have preferred Dr Jekyll to have turned up instead of Mr Hyde, because later he contributed eight accurate overs and was as athletic as one or two others among the SSP fielders.

The other SSP opener John Dobson, a regular thorn in the Beds’ side over the years, also hit 50, but in somewhat more sedate fashion.  His brother Tony also made 47 not out and later took three wickets.

The first SSP wicket fell in the 28th over with the score on 152. so the Bedouins bowlers did well in the later stages to restrict the total to 216 for 7 in 40 overs.  That was largely thanks to Jon Stanier, who had the excellent figures of 4 for 23 in six overs.  There were also two wickets for Spratters, and one for Adrian Susman.

In the Bedouins innings, the first six batsmen all made double figures, led by openers Paul Lippitt (53 not out, including nine boundaries), and Jon Stanier (53 retired, including 10 boundaries).  Adrian Susman made 16, Jono Hill 24, John Howells 18 and skipper-for-the-day Lee Bywater, who had brought his own fan club with him, 22.

At one stage, it looked as if the home side might make the 217 needed for an unlikely win, but the SSP front-line bowlers were just too strong and managed to rein in the scoring rate just when it really mattered.  The result was a 14-run defeat for the Beds, who had to content themselves with having put in an excellent all-round performance against a team that included some very capable cricketers.

The other highlight of the day was the Bedouettes’ catering.  They served up pre-match sandwiches etc, between-innings tea and cakes, and post-match goodies that together made up a memorable package.  Well done, thanks.  A gold star for each of you!

SSP Halifax 216 for 7 (Stanier 4 for 23; Spratley 2 for 33; Susman 1 for 43)

Bedouins 202 for 8 (Lippitt 53 not out; Stanier 53 retired; Hill 24; Bywater 22; Howells 18; Susman 16)

Match photos available here.

Bedouins v Beacon at Wombourne – Wednesday, 5 August 2015

Bedouins lost by 6 wickets

The delightful Beacon CC ground at Wombourne has the Staffs Worcester Canal running alongside, close enough to ensure the disappearance there of a few cricket balls during a match; hence the very long-handled fishing net kept permanently at that end of the ground.  For those unaware of cricket balls’ propensities, they will float.

Last season, in the first meeting of Beacon with the Bedouins, balls were being hit for six into the “cut” with monotonous regularity – unfortunately most of them by the Beacon batsmen.  But not so this time.  When the Beds met the Beacon men in early August, the fishing net stayed mostly dry.  Bedouins skipper John Branch put the second ball of the match there, but there were only two sixes during the evening, one to each side, and neither of them into the drink.

Put in to bat, the Beds got off to a good start, with Branch adding two more boundaries before being bowled for 16, and Jon Stanier, hitting four fours and a six in his retirement 30.  John Howells (15) and Paul Lippitt (18 not out) then took the final score on to 99 for the loss of three wickets.

Beacon are able to field a team of more than capable cricketers, and a target of 100 in 20 overs was probably not quite enough to test them.  Although Lee Bywater and Spratters did an excellent job of keeping the opening batsmen quiet (a total of just 16 runs in the first six overs), the home side proved their batting ability by hitting the winning runs with just four wickets down and more than two overs to spare.  There was a wicket for Richard Spratley and one for Austin Gregory.  At the close Stanier finished up with the ridiculous figures of  0.3 overs, 2 for 3.

They’re a good bunch to play against at Beacon, and they have now become an established part of the Bedouins fixture list, both home and away.  They attend to the finer points of the game, by providing an excellent post-match buffet, although some of the more elderly gentlemen in the Beds ranks could do with a few more seats available in the pavilion after a gruelling 20 overs, no less, in the field!

Bedouins 99 for 3 (Stanier 30; Lippitt 18 not out; Branch 16; Howells 15)

Beacon 100 for 4 (Stanier 2 for 3; Spratley 1 for 17; Gregory 1 for 20)

Bedouins v Enville Over 40s at Enville – Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Enville won by 7 wickets

After the disappointment of “Oldbury Oh B .g..r” rainy Sunday, the Bedouins got back to action against “Enville Over 40s” – and probably wished they hadn’t, after one of their worst all-round displays in a long time.  It was just one of those nights!

Now, far be it from any true Bedouin to register any kind of complaint about the make-up of an opposition team; we’re happy to take on anything thrown at us.  But the Enville Over 40s appeared to contain a fair few “over 40s” who were suffering a nasty bout of nappy rash.  There were the odd few who lived up to the “over 40” age tag, including Fred Hodges and Ian Burn, who are both now probably even nudging the 50 mark.

It was the younger members of the team who featured in the early bowling, as the Bedouins began their innings.  Skipper JB “got a good one”, as they say, and was bowled for 11.  Lee Bywater seized the opportunity of an early spot in the batting line-up to reach the 30 retirement point, and he would have been joined by John Howells, who hit four juicy boundaries before being cruelly run out just one short of a retirement 30; wild horses won’t drag from this writer the name of the perpetrator, Lippo.

With the aforementioned Paul Lippitt making 22 not out, the Beds’ closing total was a respectable 111 for 2.

The Bedouins’ bowlers, who had been in such good form in recent matches and had made major contributions to a three-match winning sequence, all chose the same game to be off-colour.  Wides came thick and fast from a number of quarters, and the result was scarcely in doubt from quite early on.  Enville Over 40s won by seven wickets with a little more than three overs to spare.

The saving grace was that, once again, Bedouins enjoyed the opportunity of an evening in each other’s company – and the rain stayed away, just.  Plus, the post-match buffet was as good as always!

Bedouins 111 for 2 (Bywater 30 retired; Howells 29; Lippitt 22 not out)

Enville Over 40s 112 for 3 (Branch 1 for 4; Bywater 1 for 14)

Bedouins v Kinlet at Kinlet – Sunday, 12 July 2015

Bedouins won 4 wickets

In the grounds of the magnificent Moffats Boarding School at Kinlet, sheep safely graze in the field adjacent to the cricket ground.  It’s a field that doubles as a parking area for those fortunate enough to be engaged in cricket there.  Not privy to the ways of cricket crowds, the sheep are inclined to wander around behind the bowler’s arm, but there’s little that can be done about that.

However, when they get too close to the skipper’s car, in an attempt to get out of the fresh north-west wind that is inclined to blow across the ground, something has to be done.  And something was done to move them on when they came too close on a fine but windy Sunday afternoon in July.  It almost looked as if they had a “sheepish” grin on their faces as they moved on!

But enough of this somewhat wordy meandering.  Down to the game itself.

This was the day when the Bedouins showed what they are really capable of.  It was the most complete performance from a Bedouin team for ages.  To get tight, accurate bowling, sharp and incisive fielding, and well-paced batting all in one place at one time is unusual in the annals of Bedouins cricket.  But that’s what happened here.

As always, it was a pleasure to be spending time in the company of another team of cricketers who like to play the game the same way as the Beds.  Matches against Kinlet are always occasions to be relished.

Bedouins won the toss and, much to the chairman’s evident displeasure (what does he know, silly old fool?), chose to field first.  It turned out to be a good decision.  The Beds opening attack was on top form.  Krishna Balthu produced one of the best spells of hostile opening bowling that many of us could remember.  And at the other end, Spratters was in equally accurate mode.

In the first ten overs, the home side could muster only 24 for the loss of three wickets, all taken by Balthu and including two fine slip catches by John Branch, the second particularly memorable just inches above the ground, to remove a dangerous Kinlet batsman.  The knees may be going, skipper, but the reactions are still pretty sharp.

The remaining Bedouin bowlers all did well, with Lee Bywater the most successful (3 for 23), backed up by Adrian Susman (1 for 20) and Nick Slym (1 for 32).  The latter at last got his radar tuned in correctly, completing his last three overs without bowling one wide.  More of the same, please Nick!  Spratters, who had pulled up complaining of having strained a muscle that he never even knew he had, finished with 1 for 25.

Chasing a moderate 40-over total of 134 for 9, the Beds sent out a 110-year-old opening pair.  With plenty of time to get the runs, they could pace themselves, waiting for the occasional bad ball.  The scorebook shows how successfully they did this, with their opening stand of 76 being comprised totally of boundaries or singles.  Skipper JB made 41 and Jon Stanier 35.  They weren’t parted until the 18th over, and, after that, it was fairly plain sailing.

Krishna Balthu rounded off a good day with 21, including two sixes, and Jono Hill, making a welcome return to Bedouins colours, made it look as if he’d never been away, with a quick 15 that included a trademark six over extra cover off the back foot.  Tony Hancock (10 not out) and Adrian Susman (9 not out) hit the winning runs, with four boundaries between them, and the Beds won with a total of 138 for 6 and best part of 10 overs to spare.

Along the way, Kinlet majordomo (look it up, like I did) Francis Engleheart took the MCC Cricket Coaching Manual too literally – “when fielding, always keep your eye on the ball” – when stopping a Jono shot with his forehead.  It was a worrying moment, but he was up quite quickly and, although he trudged off to the dressing room, he thankfully put in an appearance later at the Eagle & Serpent, looking none the worse for wear  He it is the Beds thank for arranging another highly entertaining day at Kinlet.

Kinlet 134 for 9 (Balthu 3 for 20; Bywater 3 for 23; Spratley 1 for 25; Susman 1 for 20; Slym 1 for 32)

Bedouins 138 for 6 (Branch 41; Stanier 35; Balthu 21; Hill 15)

Bedouins v Pedmore House at Enville

Wednesday, 8 July 2015 – Bedouins win by 61 runs

“Austin’s Army”, otherwise Pedmore House, were comprehensively beaten by a resurgent Bedouins at Enville, the “home” side recording a 20-over total of 145 for 1, which can rarely have been beaten in Bedouins history.  After a stuttering start to the season, the Bedouins can now bask in the splendour of a winning streak of no less than two games.

Each of the Bedouins first five batsmen made decent scores.  Skipper John Branch got things going with 31 retired, which included five boundaries that removed the need for too much of that damned running between wickets.  The scorebook shows two run-twos but, with JB’s famed amble between wickets, that must surely have been an error on the scorer’s part.

Opening partner Jon Stanier has clearly not yet got the hang of all Beds rules.  Anticipating the application of the “mug with the jug” rule, he made sure that he got himself out one run short of 30.  Paul Lippitt was in belligerent mood, hitting his first two balls for four and retired with 30 not out, including a couple of trademark reverse shots.

Adrian Susman (22 not out) and Lee Bywater (14 not out) took the total on to 145 for 1.

Krishna Bulthu had a couple of early wickets in the Pedmore House reply, as the Bedouins continued with their unaccustomed habit of taking their catches.  Bedouin Ian Woodhouse, complete with dodgy knee, made an appearance for Pedmore House and weighted in with 31 retired, which was completed with two successive sixes.  However, the Bedouins total was always going to be challenging, and Pedmore House finally succumbed by 61 runs with a total of 84 for 6.

Best of the bowling came from Krishna Balthu with 2 for 11 and Josh Lemm, making a welcome return to duty, with a similar 2 for 11.

All of that just left the highlight of the evening to be completed.  The barbecue!  That was Austin Gregory’s most memorable contribution to a memorable evening.  Thanks, Austin.

Bedouins 145 for 1 (Branch 31 retired; Stanier 29; Lippitt 30 retired; Susman 22 not out; Bywater 14 not out)

Pedmore House 84 for 6 (Balthu 2 for 11; Lemm 2 for 11; Spratley 1 for 10; Branch 1 for 7)

Bedouins v Open GI at Enville – Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Bedouins won by 9 wickets

At about the half-way point in their 2015 season, the Bedouins can at last bask in the glow of what it feels like to win a game.

Erstwhile Beds playing member, Des Johnston, brought his Open GI team over from Worcester on the hottest evening of the year, and proceeded to receive a bit of a “roasting” from a home team that finally lived up to its potential.  Chasing a competitive total of 119 to win, the Beds lost only one wicket in getting there, with an over or so to spare.

A resounding win, all right, but “Nil DES-perandum, Des” (see what I did there?), there’s always next year.

Traffic problems in Kidderminster – so what’s new? – resulted in a late start on a sultry evening, with the light fading almost from the start, much to the consternation of the elderly gent in the scorebox, who was having some difficulty in telling his Lippo from his Spratters.  Open GI got off to a terrific start, with 50 on the board in the first six overs.  John Pearsall made his customary 30 retired, as did his fellow opener, and the Beds looked to be in for a tiresome evening.

Adrian Susman then got to work on a hard wicket that suited his variety of leg-spin.  A return of 4 for 9 in 4 overs told its own story.  Austin Gregory took two wickets and Jon Stanier 2 for 4 in one over, and there was a wicket apiece for Lee Bywater and Richard Spratley.

Two other points worth noting.  Firstly the Beds recorded a “nil” figure in the “wides” column, which definitely makes a change this season.  Secondly, catches were held – mostly!

Never noted for the extreme youthfulness of their team, the Beds new opening pair of John Howells and Jon Stanier set the record-hunters a-flutter, with a total age of somewhere around 120.  But they  showed that they knew their stuff, with each hitting the boundary rope half-a-dozen times.  Both reached the 30-run retirement point.  They were followed by Krishna Balthu with 30 not out and Lee Bywater 19 not out, as the Beds reached their target of 119 for just one wicket with the second ball of the final over.

The annual meeting with Open GI is the Beds’ longest standing fixture, now probably well past its 20th year.  The trophy now returns into the Beds’ hands, which will come as some relief to the trophy engraver in Bridgnorth, who had become used to putting the Bedouins name on the shield each year until the last two, in which h it had been in Open GI hands.  Welcome home, baby!

Open GI 118 all out (Susman 4 for 9; Gregory 2 for 18; Stanier 2 for 4; Spratley 1 for 20; Bywater 1 for 34)

Bedouins 119 for 1 (Howells 32 retired; Stanier 32 retired; Balthu 30 not out, Bywater 19 not out)

Bedouins v Beacon at Enville – Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Bedouins lost by 19 runs

The Bedouins continued with their losing streak as they went down to an unexpectedly narrow 19-run defeat by an accomplished Beacon XI.  The opposition put out a team of actual cricketers against the home side, which seemed a trifle unfair, but all was conducted in a generally jovial Bedouin atmosphere.

The early signs were not promising, as Beacon cruised to 35 without loss in just three overs.  But the Beds managed to slow them down a bit, restricting them to just 26 runs in the next seven overs.  Two batsmen reached the 30 retirement point, and some later hard hitting produced an impressive 20-over total of 131 for 6.

Five of the Beds bowlers took one wicket apiece – Bywater, Susman, Gregory, Lippitt and Branch – and a couple of stumpings by John Howells saw the years roll away.

At 5 for 2, the Bedouins’ score after three overs hardly matched up to the Beacon three-over total!    Fortunately the home team’s guest player for the evening, Alex Rowbottom (another of Austin’s army of mates) proved a more than useful addition.  He reached 30, including four fours and a six, but had to retire all too soon.  Neil Smith and Austin Gregory both made 13, but the star of the late late show was Tony Hancock with a hard-hit 23 that included one six and an extra-cover drive for four that fairly fizzed to the boundary.

When Hancock was bowled, Alex Rowbottom returned to the wicket but scarcely had he got started again than his partner was run out at the other end, leaving the Bedouins just 19 runs short at 112 for 9.

Unfortunately the Bedouins injury list continues to lengthen.  Ross Morgan couldn’t bat, still suffering from the bruise caused by his acrobatic c&b in the game the previous Sunday, where his dive had measured 6.4 on the Richter scale.  And Spratters was gone in the fetlock, but still managed to turn up for the evening to give the team some support – nice one.

Where’s that first win of the season coming from?  Well, the Beds’ next game is on July 1st against Open GI, so our good friend Des Johnston and his “lads” had better watch out!

Beacon 131 for 6

Bedouins 112 for 9 (Rowbottom 31, Hancock 23, Smith 13, Gregory 13)