On Saturday, four of the county’s social cricket clubs competed in the first edition of the MITC Social Indoor Cricket Tournament.
Off the back of the competitive tournament, which will end this weekend, there was appetite for a friendly equivalent of the tournament.
Rain Men CC, Railway Taverners CC, Tetherdown Trundlers CC and Highgate Taverners gathered at Laurel Park School in Arnos Grove for a fantastic day of social cricket, with Middlesex and England legend Angus Fraser, the Managing Director of Middlesex in the Community, standing as umpire.
Standard indoor rules applied, with the added quirk that the batting side could enact a powerplay for one over before the final over, in which runs would count double. This caused all sorts of confusion for the umpire and scorer, but added extra incentive to try and hit the ball as hard as possible (for most).
The first semi-final saw Rain Men take on the Railway Taverners, and despite some big hitting from Nic Knight and Christian Wolmer at the top of the order, the Taverners were able to restrict Rain Men to 102 from their 10 overs. In response, the Taverners approached the run chase in a sensible and calculated manner, with the top 3 all retiring not out on 25. They went on to qualify for the final without losing a wicket, inside seven overs.
In the second semi-final, the Highgate Taverners batted first, and a brutal 57 off 35 for M. Sewards meant that the Trundlers were chasing 121 to qualify for the final. Their run chase could not have got off to a worse start, and Sam Ball was run out by Sewards first ball of the innings. Despite from late charge from skipper Adam Frais with 39 off 31, the Trundlers were all out for 79.
A brief tea break followed with the ‘spread of champions’, with very kind contributions from Rain Men CC and a special mention to captain Alan Doggett-Jones. It might not have been his day with the bat or ball, but his burnt almond merengue victoria sponge cake was the showstopper, and worthy of a place in the Bake Off tent.
The 3rd/4th play off provided all sorts of comedy, with three balls lost in the ceiling, run outs galore, huge sixes and very wide wides. The Trundlers made 166 from their 10 overs, including a serious jug avoidance from Sam Ball, clearly still angry after his run out in the previous match. His 48 off 14 balls meant that Rain Men had a big task on their hands. Their response did not start as they might have hoped, with skipper ‘Dojo’ dismissed second ball without scoring. Simon Sampson held the innings together, and despite trying to abandon the tournament by losing a few of our balls, some poor running between the wickets meant that his 41 off 33 was not going to be enough. Rain Men fell 86 runs short, and in so took the wooden spoon for the day.
After a few words from tournament organiser, Jack Davis, the final was underway as the battle of the Taverners would determine the winner. Highate Taverners batted first, and quickly found themselves in all sorts of trouble after a one handed worldy from Dom Moger saw them 0/1. Tight bowling and fielding all round saw the Highgate Taverners all out for 55 within 7 overs, having missed the chance to use their powerplay. A sensible and measured run chase ensued, and despite some interesting shot selection, the Railway Taverners emerged victorious, chasing down the total in 6.1 overs for the loss of three wickets.
A really enjoyable afternoon of cricket does not fit within the narrative of a cold wet Saturday in February, but MITC were delighted to be able to offer this opportunity and look forward to continuing to support club cricket across the county.
