St Annes Allstars Ibiza Tour
IBIZA C.C.'s LESSER KNOWN BATSMEN AND "TAIL" WAG TO CLINCH A THRILLING
ENCOUNTER VS ST ANNE'S ALLSTARS
Well, this actually happened in the second match between the two sides, so I will report the result of the first match to begin with;
IBIZA C.C vs ST ANNE'S ALLSTARS C.C (from Barnes, N.London)
2nd October - 30 overs per side.
St Annes batted first and managed 123 all out, thanks to determined innings from James "Tarka" Hindle (36) and Nick "Chadders" Chadwick (29). To be fair, their batsmen had to adjust rapidly to the unfamiliar San José pitch and its bounce, and, in addition, Ibiza's team included several of their most consistent batsmen and bowlers, who kept field well and bowled tightly, with Jim "Jimbo" Harvey (3 for 35), Ryan "Scrappy" Way (3 for 33), and Robin "Hood" Parmenter (3 for 11) all contributing to constricting St Annes to a modest total.
Ibiza then batted and achieved the target in 16 overs thanks to a rapid 55
from Jordan "Saffer" Bylevelt and Bob "the Vicar" Short with
36 (retired by captain's prerogative!).
4th October - 30 overs per side.
St Anne's again batted first, and were evidently committed to posting a competitive score, with their opening batsman Joe "Andy Capp" Nichols scoring freely in an entertaining 69, and well supported by Tony Grant with 42, and Kiwi "KP" Brownan with 23, their final total reaching 198 for 8 wickets. Ibiza had less bowlers to call upon and were not so disciplined as in the first match, conceding 23 extras, with Ryan Way being the most successful bowler (3 for 34).
Then Ibiza began their reply disastrously, falling early on to 9 runs for 3 wickets, before Stuart "Bradford" Browne (37) and Steve "Cocktail" Wilson (46) steadied the nerves with an entertaining 70 run partnership. However, when they were separated, Ibiza continued to lose regular wickets, and the batting collapses of the past seemed to be returning to haunt us so that, on 144 for 8, it seemed the match was going St Anne's way and Ibiza would fall well short of the runs required. But Ibiza's tail, represented by the solid and reassuring shapes of Captain Martin "Shaggy" Makepeace and Jeremy "the Rock" Parmenter, came together and by sheer determination and concentration, not to mention mutual encouragement, forged an unexpected 57 run partnership to reach the target with 201 for 8, and win this enthralling encounter by 2 wickets!
All in all, it was a wonderful game of cricket, which was much enjoyed by both teams, as expressed by both captains afterwards.
Well, that is almost the end of the season, with only the annual romp to Benidorm to come (enough said!), and Ibiza C.C. can say that it was a good season overall, with 11 matches played, 7 won and 4 lost. It only remains to salute two players who are returning to the UK, Michael "Cocoa" Fowler, and Stuart "Bradford" Browne, who with 15 years and 8 years service respectively, have greatly contributed to the friendly atmosphere in the club, as well as performed on the field; Cocoa with his wicket-keeping gloves, and in the field, and Stuart batting and bowling. Their comments and humour will be missed and we wish them all the best back in England.
Thats it for now,
Cheers, RP Hood.