Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Adastrians B
Saturday 19 September 2009

The Pirates put on a clinical performance from ball one on Saturday to square the 2009 series against Adastrians B. A strong Adastrians’ outfit included A-and-Premier-grader Massam. The rest of the team had only just missed out on the QCF league title to an MCSO team packed with ringers.

After Cap’n Daz lost yet another toss (six in a row), Adastrians elected to bat. Naveed and Tyeb opened and were put under pressure immediately when Phil Roche produced a delivery that made Naveed sky the ball to Hugue St-Jean at mid-on for a duck. This brought Captain Gohar to the crease to face the fire.

At the other end, Dangerman Tony O’Driscoll was in great form, moving the ball away considerably. Tyeb started with some risky strokes that almost brought him undone on a couple of occasions. Gohar was struck on the finger with a vicious rising deliver from Dangerman and had to retire hurt. This brought Massam to the crease. The big man didn’t take long to swing into action, hoiking his first ball over the square leg fence.

Massam and Tyeb started to play themselves in and then dominate the opening duo of Roche and O’Driscoll. After 12 overs, the score had reached 69 for 1 and Cap’n Daz rang the changes. Swayed by the Scottish Saltire of plane trails appearing in the sky, he brought himself and spin twin Bell on from the power station end.

Keeping the ball full, the runs began to dry up. The breakthrough came when Massam (27) lofted the ball to St-Jean at long-on, who held onto the ball at the second attempt. Once again, he was fast becoming the ball magnet of the day.

The Pirates, relieved to have got the break, then went on a wicket binge. Bullivant entered the wickets column, dismissing Qasim (74 last game), superbly stumped by Richard Horne from a ball that bounced more than anticipated.

Istiak was then caught by Dangerman O’Driscoll, running across from mid-off, to put the Pirates well and truly on top.

Zakir was adjudged LBW to Bell without troubling the scorer. Bell struck again in his next over, yorking top scorer Tyeb for 34.

Trying to keep his name on the catches averages, too, Bell then ran to short mid-wicket to claim a catch off his own bowling. Dom Lemoine, who is slightly taller, ignored the call and reared the Scotsman from behind. The two ended up holding hands and the ball.

The wicket took Bell’s tally on the day to 4. He should have had wicket number 5 when Istiak skied a delivery to mid-off, but the catch was misjudged by Cap’n Daz. (It was the fourth drop of the innings off the legspinner’s bowling.) Bullivant then heard the keeper’s frantic shouts and hurled the ball into the gloves of Rich Horne, who whipped off the bails to run out Gohar.

The Captain then went for the throat, bringing on “The Anti-Pace” Wisden. The tall Englishman looked lively but struggled to control the swing. After four wides he got the ball online to grab the wicket of Aman with another lofted shot to – yes, that-Man-again-St-Jean – at long-on. Wisden then bowled another three wides in the over before Sakunder slashed to Bell at point, who, not picking the ball out of the trees, clung on with two fingers above his head.

Adastrian’s were all out for 118.

The Pirates’ innings began with openers Phil Roche and Darren Bullivant, who strolled to the crease knowing that a run rate of 3.5 would see them home comfortably. The first objective was to see off the new ball and occupy the crease for 10 overs.

Bullivant and Roche looked in control until Bullivant was struck on the thumb with a ball that rose sharply off a length, only to be dropped at slip by Naveed. This was the only chance presented in the first 10 overs, with the batsmen scoring at just under 6 an over.

Roche, batting with a mix of English defense and West Indian attack, produced some glorious strokes, pulling and driving to take the team total to 77. He then mistimed a full delivery off Massam and fell LBW for 37.

Bell was lucky to survive after mistiming a pull shot, dropped by Massam on 0. Tyeb who was bowling with varied pace and excellent lines then took the wicket of Bullivant for 25, caught at point, and the Adastrians’ were back in the hunt.

Horne joined Bell in the centre and the two began rebuilding patiently until Bell was judged LBW to a Massam outswinger for 11. Horne followed next over, LBW to Tyeb for 4, and the Pirates had lost 4 wickets for 19 runs. With 23 still needed for victory, and the Adastrians running riot, appealing for everything, the Pirates looked in mortal danger.

Wisden joined Rookie Farooq at the crease. With his calm and calculating nature, Wisden played himself in, whilst Farooq flayed a well timed square drive to the boundary. The pair scampered between the wickets, edging the Pirates closer.

In an extraordinary piece of luck, Wisden, having edged to the keeper, was given a reprieve when scorer Cap’n Daz noticed Massam had already completed his seventh over, thus signalling dead ball. In the next over, a direct hit would have seen Wisden run out. Instead, the ball sailed over the fine leg boundary for four overthrows.

Farooq and Wisden added an unbeaten 23 to take the Pirates home with 6 wickets and 11.1 overs to go.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Adastrians B
Saturday 19 September 2009
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Match type: 35 overs per side
Toss won by: Adastrians B
Weather conditions: Mild ‘n’ bright
Result: Pirates of the St Lawrence won by 6 wickets

Adastrians B Innings

Naveed ct St-Jean b Roche 0
Tayeb b Bell 34 (5×4)
Gohar run out (Bullivant) 5
Massam ct St-Jean b Bell 27 (3×4, 1×6)
Qasim st Horne b Bullivant 5 (1×4)
Istiak ct O’Driscoll b Bullivant 1
Zakir lbw Bell 0
Umaid ct Lemoine/Bell b Bell 2
Aman ct St-Jean b Wisden 0
Sunny not out 2
Sakunder ct Bell b Wisden 0

Extras 42 (Byes 0, Leg Byes 8, No Balls 4, Wides 30)
Total 118 for 10 in 25 overs

FoW (1-0, 2-77, 3-86, 4-92, 5-92, 6-105, 7-110, 8-110, 9-113, 10-118)

Bowling

Phil Roche 6 overs, 1 wicket, 36 runs
Tony O’Driscoll 6 overs, 0 wickets, 31 runs
Darren Bullivant 5 overs, 2 wickets, 21 runs
Angus Bell 6 overs, 1 maiden, 4 wickets, 17 runs
Tom Wisden 2 overs, 2 wickets, 10 runs

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Darren Bullivant ct Zakir b Tayeb 25 (3×4)
Phil Roche lbw Massam 37 (6×4)
Angus Bell lbw Massam 11 (1×4)
Richard Horne lbw Tyeb 4 (1×4)
Farooq Syed not out 6 (1×4)
Tom Wisden not out 8
Hugue St-Jean DNB
Dominique Lemoine DNB
Andy Myron DNB
Tony O’Driscoll DNB
Brian Llewellyn-ap-Dafydd DNB

Extras 28 (Byes 2, Leg Byes 1, No Balls 5, Wides 20)
Total 119 for 4 in 23.5 overs

FoW (1-77, 2-78, 3-91, 4-96)

Bowling

Gohar 3.5 overs, 0 wickets, 19 runs
Sunny 7 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 34 runs
Sakunder 1 over, 0 wickets, 10 runs
Massam 7 overs, 1 maiden, 2 wickets, 33 runs
Tyeb 5 overs, 1 maiden, 2 wickets, 21 runs