Cricket: Rain Doesn’t Stop Play

Published on: 27 May, 2021
Updated on: 28 May, 2021

Fairlands 2nd XI v Wood Street 2nd XI 

Fairlands won by seven wickets

Wood Street 99 all out of 39 overs – Fairlands 100-3 of 22 overs

By Julian Cooper

May 2021 has not given us cricket weather. But surprisingly at the weekend, a village cricket match was not only attempted but completed through to a result. 

The 40-over match began as scheduled at Fairlands community ground at 1pm on Sunday afternoon (May 23). There had been some heavy showers in the morning and even though the pitch was uncovered, the batting track was deemed just about okay to play on.

Wood Street went in to bat first and struggled to get used to what was a dead wicket. The moisture had really taken its toll, leaving an unpredictability to the bounce that would have had the most talented cricketers floundering. The bowlers only needed a good line to ensure the batsmen were put under pressure.

This story was told on the scoreboard as the wickets fell at regular intervals and runs were extremely hard to come by. The final wicket went down in the 39th over with the Wood Street score at 99 all out.

So a round 100 run target for Fairlands to win in their 40 overs, a target that didn’t prove too difficult. It was reached within 22 overs for only three wickets.

I will make a special mention to a father and son pair that were playing for Wood Street, that is their very own flying Dutchman, Berre Van den Broek, along with his son Owen.

Berre Van der Broek trudging off having been run out Photo Julian Cooper

Berre went into bat at number three and stubbornly stuck around for his eight runs only to be run out by his much younger teammate, who I think had temporarily forgotten that Berre was more than double his age when asking for him to run for a second. He could not cover the 22 yards before the bails were whipped off by Fairlands’ wicketkeeper.

As for Berre’s 16-year-old son Owen, he opened the bowling and it was the son and father combination, bowler and catching fielder, that produced the first early wicket.

Wood Street CC bowler Owen Morris demonstrating his bowling action that brought the first wicket. Photo Julian Cooper

Watching Owen bowl reminds me of a young, former Royal Grammar School pupil, Bob Willis. Not just similar hair but a fantastic action that really sees him plant his front foot down solidly and arch his back, slinging his arm over with such whip that he’s able to produce some fantastic reverse swing to the ball.

It’s similar to what James Anderson achieves. No mean feat and praise indeed. In fact, the more I watch young Owen I really feel there’s some talent there for coaches to look at and consider nurturing carefully. Certainly someone to look out for in the near future.

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