Pirates of the St Lawrence versus The Mad Dogs of Connecticut
Saturday 26 July 2008

(From The Mad Dogs’ Archives)

After an eventful trip involving a defective van and a desperate escape from gun-toting Border Guards, the Mad Dogs made it to Montreal late on Friday evening, in time for a few drinks in the local bars.

Saturday’s game was the first competitive match at our hosts’ ground, a mat-on-stone-chip pitch in a rather grassy, farmer’s field near a chocolate factory. Harrison won the toss and the Dogs batted.

Montreal local Eddy Palmer made a welcome return to the Dogs’ ranks (not good for the Pirates – ed.), and batted well after surviving an early chance to Allen, a Dogs’ guest player sub fielding for the hosts. Kimberley soon fell LBW for 7 (17 balls), the first of some questionable decisions.

Knight and Palmer then put on an entertaining 42 in the next 5 overs, both batsmen opening up and playing some powerful shots. Palmer was run out by the rocket arm of Hugue St-Jean after a calling mix-up, to leave the crease with 31 (47 balls, 4 x 4). Knight fell two runs later, another LBW victim of a doubtful nature, for 23 (19 balls, 2 x 4, 1 x 6). The third dodgy fingering of the innings removed Howden, LBW for 9 (6 balls, 1 x 6). This left the score on 79 for 4 off 16 overs, so some retrenchment was in order.

Accordingly, Blomfield and Moore batted sensibly against some less than stellar change bowling and the more competent flighted leg spin of host skipper and cricket nut, Angus Bell. A stand of 70 was assembled in 11 overs, mostly in singles, but with Blomfield also launching two meaty sixes. However, an attempt at a third led to a stumping off Bell, as Blomfield went down the track and missed (33, 43 balls, 2 x 6).

Harrison came in to bat breezily, adding 18 with Moore before the latter was run-out, rightly being sent back and failing to beat a sharp return from Bell at midwicket, out for 29 (36 balls, 2 x 4). As the overs wound down, Kojima lobbed a catch (3, 8 balls), then Harrison slapped a drive to Bell at cover off a French-Canadian irregular (Hugue St-Jean again – ed.) for 18 off 24 balls, 1 x 4. Allen, playing his first innings since schooldays, contributed 4 from 8 balls, before becoming the third run-out batsman of the innings – victim of debutant Quebecois Thiery Milot.

Farricker scored 2 not out from 5 balls, with Bush contributing a stellar 0 not out (0 balls) as the innings closed on 191 for 9 from 35 overs. Angus Bell was the pick of the host bowlers with 1 for 22 from his 7 overs.

After a leisurely and comprehensive lunch, the Dogs went out to field under gathering thunderclouds, with lightning flashing over the nearby power station. Howden and Blomfield bowled steady, nippy opening spells against Horne and Bell, the pick of the St Lawrence batting. The pair added 34 for the first wicket before Bell fell to another dodgy LBW, pulling over a ball from Blomfield to depart for 9.

After a brief rain-break, Howden removed Horne next over, the batsman somehow top-edging a low-bouncing long hop, to be caught by Farricker for 19. Moore then relieved Blomfield, and immediately bowled Milot through a nondescript paddle sweep.

The rains then returned with a vengeance, causing an abandonment of a game the Dogs would most probably have won.

And so back to Montreal city centre for a nice meal, or a lot of drinking, as various players preferred. Only two managed actually to get laid.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus The Mad Dogs of Connecticut
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Saturday 26 July 2008
Match type: 35 overs per side
Weather conditions: Overcast then torrential
Toss won by: Negotiated
Result: Match abandoned

Mad Dogs of Connecticut Innings

Palmer (wk) run out (St-Jean) 31 (4×4)
Kimberley lbw Sanger 7
Knight lbw O’Driscoll 23 (2×4, 1×6)
Blomfield st Horne b Bell 33 (2×6)
Howden lbw Brodie 9 (1×6)
Moore run out (Bell) 29 (2×4)
Harrison c Bell b St-Jean 18 (1×4)
Kojima c Milot b O’Driscoll 3
Farricker (c) not out 2
Allen run out (Milot) 4
Bush not out 0

Extras 32 (Byes 0, Leg byes 3, No balls 4, Wides 25)
Total 191 for 9 in 35 overs

FoW (1-27 Kimberley, 2-68 Palmer, 3-70 Knight, 4-79 Howden, 5-149 Blomfield, 6-167 Moore, 7-179 Kojima, 8-182 Harrison, 9-187 Allen)

Bowling

Amrit Sanger 7 overs, 1 wicket, 32 runs, Econ. 4.57, SR 42.00
James Hogg 5 overs, 0 wickets, 29 runs, Econ. 5.80, SR –
Tony O’Driscoll 7 overs, 2 wickets, 33 runs, Econ. 4.71, SR 21.00
Hugh Brodie 3 overs, 1 wicket, 24 runs, Econ. 8.00, SR 18.00
Angus Bell 7 overs, 1 wicket, 22 runs, Econ. 3.14, SR 42.00
Robert Savage 3 overs, 0 wickets, 25 runs, Econ. 8.33, SR –
Mark Sanders 2 overs, 0 wickets, 9 runs, Econ. 4.50, SR –
Hugue St-Jean 1 over, 1 wicket, 4 runs, Econ. 4.00, SR 6.00

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Richard Horne (k) c Farricker b Howden 19 (2×4)
Angus Bell (c) lbw Blomfield 9
Thiery Milot b Moore 1
James Hogg not out 1
Hugh Brodie did not bat
Tony O’Driscoll did not bat
Amrit Sanger did not bat
Robert Savage did not bat
Hugue St-Jean did not bat
Mark Sanders did not bat
A.N. Other did not bat

Extras 6 (Byes 1, Leg byes 0, No balls 0, Wides 5)
Total 36 for 3 in 9.5 overs

FoW (1-34 Bell, 2-34 Horne, 3-36 Milot)

Bowling

Howden 5 overs, 1 wicket, 13 runs, Econ. 2.60, SR 30.00
Blomfield 4 overs, 1 wicket, 21 runs, Econ. 5.25, SR 24.00
Moore 0.5 overs, 1 wicket, 1 run, Econ. 1.20, SR 5.00