Npower Village Cup
24-05-10
“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a man, my son!”
Rudyard Kipling, If (1910)
The words of Kipling were probably far from the minds of the players of Carmel & District Cricket Club as they set off on the 64-mile trip to the village of Broadbottom for their debut in the Npower Village Cup.
But by 8.30pm on the evening of Sunday, May 23 those who proudly carried the name of the Flintshire village club may just have had an inkling of what old Rudyard was getting at.
For in moments of despair, and when starring at complete humiliation, the players dug deep and battled hard. They left the village of Broadbottom with their pride damaged, but their heads held high and the benefit of important lessons learned.
On a postage stamp of a cricket ground against a team from the Derbyshire/Cheshire League Carmel suffered the biggest defeat in the club’s 45-year history.
The home side, though, initially did not have it all their own way. Jonny Hunter struck twice in an opening spell to reduce Broadbottom to 27/2. However, the early wickets brought together two players who had both been averaging over a hundred this season.
It resulted in carnage as the ball was lost over the small boundaries – about half the size of our ground – as Broadbottom amassed giant 436/6 off 40 overs in boiling conditions.
The bowling figures certainly made for some interesting reading. Steve ‘Scooter’ Jones (0-69) and Barry McGauty (0-61) both went wicketless off their four overs.
Mystery slow bowler Chris Davies (0-69) did cause the home batsman some trouble off his seven overs while Michael Harrison (0-21) was withdrawn from the attack after suffering a recurrence of a shoulder problem after four overs.
Andy Skates collected 2-94 off nine overs but only Hunter with 2-59 off eight overs and negative bowling from Timothy Abraham, who finished with 1-30 off five overs, left the field with anything resembling a normal analysis.
Carmel made an inauspicious start after the tea interval but after the early loss of Barry McGauty and Danny Owens they were rescued by skipper Danny Oliver (25) and a cultured knock from Nick Washbrook.
The highlight of Carmel’s response was undoubtedly Washbrook’s innings as he peppered the boundary with a range of classy drives and measured cuts in a century stand with Will Loveland (38).
Hunter (15) enjoyed a brief cameo but with the overs running out Washbrook was dismissed 10 runs short of a deserved century on 90.
Despite a battling effort Carmel were bowled out for 224 which saw the club suffer a record 212-run defeat but the players were not downhearted.
Being able to treat the impostors of triumph and disaster just the same as Kipling speculated could well make men of Carmel this season with the more important challenges that lie ahead in the North Wales Cricket League.
Indeed, what If the game had been played at Pen-y-Gelli? Full scorecard here...