Winchmore Hill fall to Israel

The new season got under way in style at the genteel surroundings of Winchmore Hill on Saturday. A bright and breezy day, a lush green albeit undulating outfield and a suprisingly hard pitch was no more than the visitors could have wished for. Although a slightly wider entrance to the car park would have been handy for Richie Williams.

Skipper Craig Ivey's first task was to coax his brother Adam out of retirement as a replacement for an eleventh hour dropout, perhaps neglecting to inform him that he would be keeping and that Izzy was fired up and raring to go. His second task was to win the toss, a task he failed miserably as Brooks rag tag and bobtail line up were asked to bat.

The Marvel (Andy Livett) began his 34th season, just as he had ended the last, in blistering form as he ejected the birds nesting in the trees astride the New River from their roost, tweeting as they scattered " I wish he wouldn't channel his inner Brendon McCullum". The Bird at the non strikers end (who local twitchers were unable to identify) soon joined in the fun managing to ignore the entire slip cordon discussing his technique whilst guiding the ball to the exact position the fielder had just vacated.

Marv soon reached a well deserved fifty, forty of which came in boundaries, and the score was racing along when J Wilkinson entered the attack..... as a bowler. This lesser known Winchmore Hill variety of J Wilkinson with a fully flexible elbow spun out the Bird for 35, an ungainly heave ending an innings full of movement, open faced drives through the slips and one majestic punch over mid-on and then Charlie Thompson left his third ball, somewhat erroneously given that it spun back to hit off stump, to depart for 0.

This set the match on a course that with better publicity would have brought science fiction aficionados from around the globe to see what would happen when J Wilkinson bowled to J Wilkinson. The answer was...... two runs punched towards the cover boundary then 3 balls later a lofted repeat ending up in the hands of the diving fielder ( who just happened to have a dodgy elbow). Exit Jo to much shaking of head and bemoaning of his luck, given both openers had survived simpler dropped catches.

Adam Ivey then came to the crease and looked like he had never been away, or at the very least looking like he'd spent most of the intervening period running, but a promising partnership with the effervescent Marvel was cut short by the quick finger of the home umpire. This brought Craig Ivey to the crease who in tandem with his brother flayed the ball all around the ground with special attention given to the bushes just behind mid-wicket (cynics might say cow corner). Adam hit a solid 57 with nine fours and a six and Craig 69 with ten fours and two sixes in their partnership of 137. Although as their partnership co-incided with Skippy somewhat erratically deciding that his scoring stint would be better spent teaching Charlie to score, either batsmen could have scored anywhere between 40 and 85.

That left the tail to end proceedings and Richie Williams was in the runs, just not many coming off his bat and a cameo by Sav Bedi with two fours and a six in 15* took the final total to an imposing 282-7 from 40 overs.

For those curious to see Sav with bat in hand after a winter of only bowling at nets, expecting the some kind of Skippy-esque rabbit, the Kenyan sensation is sadly quite competent with the willow, his trigger movement being the anti-Birdy, taking him across his stumps as opposed to MLP's backward jump that has startled many a square leg umpire.

Tea was a hot pork fest with much squabbling over the red and brown sauce...... Richie opting for brown and everyone else for red.
The home reply faltered from the start with Joe Barwick removing both openers in his 8 over spell. A one over cameo by Sav (cut short by a side strain) brought Izzy Ochwo into the attack early and he soon found his line and removed the stumps of the rest of the top order to leave WHCC on 24 -4

In the many years Owen Elsom played for GBCC he relished bowling at Jo Wilkinson but he will forever curse the skippers decision to try and make a bit of a game of it when the home Joe Wilkinson, with at times as much luck as intent, creamed the ball around and over the fielders and when 62 year old Terry Braithwaite decided to join in that was the icing on the cake. Elsom finished with 0-47 from 5 overs.

With bowling options diminishing after the brutality against Elsom, Richie Williams came off his short run but still encountered some follow through issues, meaning it was the returning Ochwo who stole the show with a blistering spell that removed the stumps of four more batsmen to finish with 8-4-15-6.

Craig Ivey then got a wicket courtesy of a stumping by his brother, who truly impressed behind the stumps and it was only then fitting that the Crab should nab the final catch off Charlie Thompson to leave Brook victors by 145 runs.