Cedars 21 July
Cedars 193-8 dec (61 overs)
SCCC 194-4 (30.5 overs)
WON by 6 wickets

This was a ruthless hiding of the good folk of Northamptonshire, dished out with 10 or 11 overs to spare thanks to the savage batting of Andrew McLoughlin. For the second time in five days we were royally entertained, this time by Cedars at Holcot near to nobody but Blamphin. It was worth the journey. The beauty and quality of the ground, the wicket, pavilion, lunch (for this was an all day game) were all the best experienced by Cryptics in living memory. Our dressing room alone was larger than some pavilions we use. The Cryptic team on the day was light on batting, with a tail that started at Number 4 on the season's evidence to date.

Cedars elected to bat first and, having lost a wicket in the first over to Greenwood's slower loosener, reached 64-4 at lunch. Greenwood's and Edwards' opening spells were good once they realised that on a flat pitch they could afford the batsmen no width. With the bonus of a run out before the interval the Cryptics lunched happy. Blamphers was back on his feet by lunch having taken a catch at second slip in his "midriff" using his hands only some time after the initial impact, and to the amusement of all others on the ground.

Cedars batsmen completely lost the will to score and in the hour after lunch managed a feeble 32 runs from the tame medium pace of Brook-Webb and whatever the McLoughlin twins hurled at them. None of the bowlers bowled badly but it was respect on a level previously unseen as Cedars' opener Schanshieff crawled to 108 without getting out of first gear in over three hours.

Declaring necessarily very late, Cedars set us to score at 5 an over. Wright went early for (a beautiful) 4, Hogben bludgeoned a rapid 28 and Cupit scatched a typical 19 but when Seeckts joined the younger McLoughlin at 82-3 with 19 overs remaining, the South African tyro cut loose and brutally assaulted the bowling. Better known for not reading his emails, he plainly had not read the script for the game either. One six cleared the boundary by fully 40 yards, the captain joined in the fun as the fielders firstly went quiet and then went to the horizon. Never has a ball been hit so hard in Cryptic history than by Mcloughlin. The pair added 104 in 7 overs of mayhem. McLoughlin perished for 88, allowing Greenwood to sneak a cheeky 7 not out to secure a remarkable victory with Seeckts there at the end on 36*.

Numerous Cryptics have had their day in the sun which passes into folklore. We can only hope that this day is not remembered as 'McLoughlin's match' for the boy has the talent and the belligerence to do it many more times and it will be a surprise and a shame if we do not see such a sparkling display again soon.

Jubilant scenes were caught on camera before we embarked on the long journey home but it was a cracking day in all respects and worth every mile.

Deansbank 6 July 2002
Deansbank 100-7
SCCC 102-3
WON by 6 wickets

The unusual looking numbers above reflect an unsatisfactory game in which ten Cryptics easily overcame eight men of Deansbank. While it is always nice to dish out a jolly good hiding, even the victory starved Cryptics would have preferred a stiffer test than this from a club who, in recent years, have been a good match and sometimes too strong for us.  Only a young South African called McLoughlin will be able to explain why there were ten Cryptics...

Deansbank plodded to 50 odd for 2 after 20 overs, unable to plunder Greenwood (10-5-12-2) and the debutant left arm flight and guile man Bridger (11-2-32-0). Blamphin and Grindrod entered the attack for a bit of variety, the former bowling six overs of unpunished trash while stealing 3-18 and leaving the day's better bowlers seething. But he hadn't had all the luck last time out at Dunsfold.

Still short of runs to chase the Cryptic skipper obligingly served up some pies but the innings ended in farce when the last man, batting alone, whacked the bails off while the ball was not in play after his running partner had been clearly run out but not sent on his way by the umpire. Confused? You should have been there. We decided to give him not out but adjourned for tea anyway.

James Hogben and Rizwan Sheikh (are there any other Cryptics with a 'z' in their name?) got off to a flying start, Riz skying one all too soon and allowing Dwight Cupit to the crease. Dwight scored eight in a partnership of 64 with Hogben who gave the impression of having a plane to catch, flaying the bowling to all parts while Dwight resisted the temptation to knock the middle of his new bat in. Hogben was caught attempting to send the ball towards Rudgwick again, Cupit came out of his shell when joined by Wright who clouted seven from six balls (he said) before shovelling one to mid on with three required. Skipper achieved a not out in the only possible way by being up the bowler's end as the next ball went to the fence. Jingle Bells was a muted hum.

So much fuel was left in the Cryptic tank at the 5.45pm finish that we played a five a side 'beer match' before heading for the pub. This was notable only for Andrell being caught and bowled by Pippa. Ye Gods...

Cobham 30 June 2002
SCCC 207-9 dec (44 overs)
Cobham 163-8 (44 overs)
Match drawn

For once a Cryptic side proved to be stronger on grass than it looked on paper, which was stronger than usual. Given fair weather, good opposition and decent ground conditions, the team, showing five changes, played even better than last week at Dunsfold where the pitch was more suited to producing a result.

Debutant Rizwan Sheikh's opening cameo was excellent but he showed his strong Cryptic credentials early by spooning one to cover on 13. (He later dropped a catch to complete his initiation). On a bouncy track Andrell then set about the Cobham bowlers for 72 runs using every part of the bat and every part of the field, not least the bit over the wicketkeeper's head. Capably supported by a series of partners, only three of his scoring shots were neither fours nor singles. Brilliant or idle?  David Grindrod then thrashed a sparkling 30 in the final overs while Greenwood shamelessly played for his average, squeezing out singles and finally refusing an easy second run from the last ball before the declaration, sacrificing the hapless Edwards in the process.

Cobham's top three posed the greatest threat so when star batsman Newland edged Goss in the third over, the relief (and surprise) shown when Seeckts juggled and then pouched a sharp chance was understandable.  Goss and McLoughlin had the batsmen hopping about for a while but with 20 overs remaining Cobham were 95-2 and well set to score the 5.6 required per over.  Edwards was the surprise pick of the bowlers, pitching the ball up and taking 3-14 before succumbing to the old hamstring again. The captain's second catch, a leaping, flying, reflex miracle of a thing at slip has probably not been bettered by Mark Waugh.

In fact the bowling and fielding all round were of a high standard, even Peter Andrew finding himself compared to our very own Puppy in the field. In the end the win was just out of reach, Cobham's Everest having batted 41 overs for his 67* but the moral victory belonged to the Cryptics and we take on Deansbank next weekend in far  better shape than we were nine days ago.

Dunsfold 23 June 2002
SCCC 182-8 dec (45 overs)
Dunsfold 105 all out (28.2 overs)
Won by 77 runs

We won the toss and batted after some refreshment in The Sun.

It must have been the return of the prodigal Thompson from Denmark that made the the batsmen look like cricketers for the first time this year. From the moment Pippa smacked a boundary in the second over (honest) the tone was set, a refreshing change from the sometimes painful blockathons we have seen of late. Wright, Andrell, Williamson and Cupit all got over 25, the prodigal smeared / mooed a four over midwicket before getting a straight one, then Greenwood, aided by Seeckts, added useful runs late on, 68 coming from the final 12 overs before tea of cucumber sandwiches inter alia.

Captain's shrewd plan of opening up with the change bowlers saw Dunsfold to 30-0 after 4 overs. Blamphin's second over included three boundaries, two dropped catches (Captain pleads guilty) and a missed stumping. It wasn't to be his day. Grindrod's tidy away swingers beat the bat frequently and on another day he could have had several edges put down by the cordon of Seeckts, Thompson and Wright. As it was, Goss and Greenwood both took spectacular catches for him.

Greenwood, meanwhile, set about a demonstration of accuracy by hitting the off stump 5 times for 18 runs. Dunsfold's groundsman should share the plaudits since four batsmen were victims of wickedly low bounce, helpless as the ball shot under their bats. Greenhough and Goss barely got time for a bowl, both picking up a wicket with sharp catches by Andrell behind the timbers.

Winning with 11.4 overs to spare, it was Jingle Bells all the way back to The Sun and for the prodigal, back to his tax haven.

Salesians 16 June 2002
Salesians 145-9 dec
SCCC  93 all out
 LOST by 52 runs

The horror run continued at Salesians on Sunday with a now familiar tale of batting fragility.

Salesians batted first as they seemed more interested in the fate of the Irish football team. Greenwood and Pow bowled good opening spells to have them 33-4 after 19 overs but they recovered well in ground and weather conditions where big totals were never on. Greenwood's 4-29 stole the limelight but Mark McLoughlin took 1-14 and now boasts 99 career wickets since 1992.

After tea Andrell treated his knock of 33 as a net, cleverly lofting the ball to avoid the slow outfield, spanking 2 mountainous sixes in the process. Everybody else prodded and poked their way to unflattering single figure scores bar Edwards who slogged an unlikely 17 before we lost with 4 overs to spare.

That we could do with some sunshine and drier pitches to play on is not in doubt. We could also do with considerably more resolve at batting time. Perhaps Salesians' pitch only suited lefthanders, perhaps Andrew Thompson is the man to pull us out of the trough on Sunday at Dunsfold........

Putney 19 May 2002
Putney 144 all out, 42 overs
Surrey Cryptics 65 all out, 22.5 overs
Lost by 79 runs

Well, the Cryptics finally managed to achieve two things that had been threatened all season: 1) bowling a side out 2) failing to reach 100. It was a game of two halves: all looked well until tea, with a workmanlike fielding display restricting the home side to what looked like an attainable 144 all out.

The luckless Goss and Edwards pinned their openers down until late arrival McCloughlin (A) showed what a well-placed half-volley could do; B-W pouching the catch off Bubba Junior's first ball. (More first ball excitement followed for Little Bok in the second act). Before weariness and genetics kicked in and his arm action came increasingly to resemble that of Uncle Mark, he added four more wickets. Two of these were taken by "I'm not just a stand-in" wicketkeeper Ware (and a third off a no-ball); bizarrely marking his first catches behind the timbers.Even more bizarre was the fact that the stumping off Greenhough was not his first: he also snaffled one at the same venue off the same bowler last year. If it was the same batsman, it is advisable he retire immediately. McCloughlin finished with 5-27. Greenhough didn't. All the change bowlers chipped in with wickets; the fielders fielded; Rod realised (eventually) that a sightscreen does not fit through a tree and Alan Wood also had a Bois de Putney experience, his head effecting some minor arboreal surgery on the mid-wicket boundary. All-in-all, it was a sanguine Cryptics that went into tea.
 
Cast in the role of pinch-hitter, McCloughlin then returned the first ball favour, having his leg stumped removed by what transpired to be Putney's best bowler. Pinch-hitter No.2 arrived in the form of B-W, and departed four balls later along with his middle stump. Arrive stand-in Skipper at No.4 to join Hogben - just the eventuality that the strategy was designed to avoid - with the first over still yet to be completed. A stand of 26 followed before yours truly played all round a straight one to become  Smallshaw's third victim. Of the top (read 'first') seven batsmen, only Hogben avoided his clutches: a result achieved by the clever ploy of positioning himself at the other end. 7-3-6-8 are figures that Cryptic bowlers can only dream about until the Fine Young Zionists make a reappearance on the fixture list.

The Cryptics innings contained six ducks (is this a record, Stattos?). The fact that Hogben's 29 represented the highest score of the match (eclipsing the 25 that Extras scored for Putney) puts it in some perspective, but it was still an abject performance.
A crestfallen Cryptics then trooped back to the pavilion only to find that Hoggers had contrived to lose the key somewhere about the time that the rest of the team were losing the plot. Perfect end to a perfect day.
Skippa Pippa

Follies Farm 12 May 2002  (40 overs per side match)
Follies Farm 186-9 (40 overs)
SCCC 103- all 9 (35.2 overs)
Lost by 83 runs

For a hit and giggle game the Cryptics indulged in little of either.  With 18 players available it was a touch infuriating to turn up with 10 while we ventured to a fabulous venue to encounter a strong team.

They lent us a fielder for the first 20 overs but thereafter the lack of an eleventh man proved very costly. We had them 0-2 after 2 balls, Greenwood fooling both openers with his slower one. Follies' recovery betrayed a team confident in the 40 over format and the fact that their team was stacked with batting, the best players listed to come in at 8, 9 and 10. They murdered the loose stuff, and there was enough of that not to have to take risks against the better stuff. Greenwood ended with 4-30 and debutant Andrew Pryde took 2-29 in 4 varied overs. Young Andrew McLoughlin's opening spell was tight but wicketless.

The Cryptic chase was bogged down by disciplined bowling and a batting combination in which one partner couldn't hit it far and the other couldn't run. With only a tortured 60 on the board at 20 overs there was little hope and, predictably, the middle order fell cheaply trying to make amends. We have not mastered the limited overs format and since there was nothing to play for in the last hour we should be glad we don't play it very often. Blamphers cracked a straight 4 to bring up the hundred and that was it.

The brave may like to refer to the report of the Follies Farm match on 14/5/2000!

Kingstonian 5/5/02
SCCC 140-9 dec (44.3 overs)
Kingstonian 96-8 (41 overs)
Match drawn

This was just the kind of early season, slow track, cold, windy fare that puts sensible people off cricket. Having lost the toss we lurched from a poor 17-3 to a desperate 39-6 before recalled veteran Martin Williamson and the prosperous looking Ross Greenwood tucked in to the home team's change bowlers.  The pair added 80 before Williamson retired hurt, doubtless looking to improve his average. Skipper delayed the declaration long enough for him to return and be dismissed for 41, by which time Greenwood had notched his first 50 for the club in fine style. The rest of the team were awful, variously playing ridiculous shots and inducing run outs.

Kingstonian's reply made our run rate look rapid as they flattered our rusty but enthusiastic bowling.  A few catches went down, eight bowlers were used, Mark McLoughlin hit the stumps three times but otherwise made life tough for wicketkeeper Edwards. Kingstonian made no attempt to win the match and most of the crowd left well before the end.

Prepare for something completely different at Follies Farm where the hit and giggle limited overs rules promise non stop thrills.