Broughton Gifford Vs Venturers, Sunday August 2nd

Broughton Gifford 160-9, Venturers 163-3

Potentially the youngest Venturers side to ever take to a cricket field secured a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Broughton Gifford.

The XI included three secondary school-aged players (Adi, Josh and Ritvij) to confront an opposition who had scored almost 350 runs the last time the fixture was played.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Broughton made a patient start, forced into restraint by accurate, if not particularly threatening, bowling by Ian. At the other end, Jamie forgot that use of the pitch could work to his advantage but wasn’t punished for it. When CB was brought on, more started to happen. His out-swingers threatened for several overs before the breakthrough was finally made, bowling the opener and bringing to the crease Broughton’s dangerous captain.

In Ian’s penultimate over the opposition skipper looked to work into the off-side and played around one that hit off stump. When CB struck again not long afterwards, the sting of the opponents’ batting was seemingly drawn, though not totally nullified. Jerome replaced Ian at the Pond End and soon picked up his first Venturers wicket, the batsman playing onto his stumps. Adi continued the good work of CB, taking a wicket in his third over.

With Broughton 75 - 5 an early finish looked possible, to inexperienced Venturers watchers. Kirman and Leverington began to rebuild the innings, defending well and taking advantage of the odd loose ball. With another wicket needed the obvious choice was Bruce, who encouraged the batsman to attack before striking with the final ball of his first over, hurrying the batsman and Jack (keeping in the absence of Simon, Ian G, Josh C, Charlie, Roger and Alex) neatly taking a fine edge down the leg-side. Adi struck the stumps for a second time but Leverington and Sailes continued to pick up runs.

Steve successfully closed out Venturers’ bowling efforts from the Pond End, with a catch taken at mid-on immediately after Ian’s recommendation to drop the field deep was ignored. New recruit Josh, another product of the youth system (‘Do any of your son’s friends fancy a game?’) settled into a good spell bowling left-arm around the wicket and turned a few beyond the edge before finally being rewarded with a stumping. This left Broughton on 160 after 40 overs - fewer than last time but still a challenging total.

What felt a winnable second innings turned into a batting masterclass by an (almost) faultless father-and-son opening partnership. Jaideep and Ritvij put on one of the finest first-wicket stands in Venturers’ history with a number of well-timed and perfectly-weighted cover drives, cuts and (very) occasional singles. They took Venturers to 100 without loss before both securing half-centuries.

In inevitable Venturers style, though, there was a mix up in the middle when son called through reluctant father for a second run. Despite the Broughton fielder throwing to the wrong end, the wicket keeper smartly hit the non-strikers’ end to take the first wicket of the innings. A swift apology from Ritvij likely made conversation around the family dinner table later no easier. Shortly afterwards, Ritvij himself lost his wicket, bowled trying to sweep into the gaps on the leg-side. Buoyed by these wickets, Broughton bowled tightly and made Venturers work for the remaining runs.

Ian, having gone in at three and thereby demonstrating that shy bairns get nowt, tried to uphold the traditions of the club by seeking a variety of dismissals with victory at hand - a ball played directly to the cover fielder provided the perfect opportunity for a needless run-out, but Jack, now only an occasional Venturer and accustomed to league cricket, calmly refused. Increasingly extravagant shots failed to result in contact with bat or, more surprisingly, stumps and then Jack, realising that he would have to score the remaining required runs, played to clear the ring but the Broughton wicket doesn’t favour lofted drives and the catch was well held by Alan moving back from mid-off.

With fewer than twelve balls remaining and the field well up, captain Jamie was able to emulate General Wenck and broke the encirclement with a thrust to the east/fine leg boundary and Venturers won by seven wickets in the 39th over.