Played at Highgate Woods
Report by Hassan Khan
After last Thursday's late night thriller, this contest proved
equally memorable. In one of London's most picturesque cricket
grounds, Highgate Wood, I elected to field on a greenish wicket with
a huge crevasse at one end.
Andre, Black Rose skipper,
confirmed that he had a particularly strong side. However, we struck
a crucial blow in the first over as their opener was pinned LBW for
0 by yours truly.
With our keeper, Kafh, fashionably late,
Danny O'Rourke, took the field in his first ever game for us. At
number 3, a pinch hitter cut loose. The small boundaries at Highgate
Wood were no challenge, as this Kashmiri carved our bowling to all
parts.
Enter Kafh, strutting to the wicket in designer gear
from head to toe. He promptly ran out the second opener. When Umair
Shezad took a brilliant swirler at slip off my bowling, the pinch
hitter was gone for a flying 50 and OFCC were back in the game.
There followed a superb illustration of control and discipline
from Peter Frisby and young Jacob Freedland. The latter bowled
metronomically and a perfectly pitched tempting outswinger was duly
gloved to Kafh. 110-4 and I smelled blood.
BRH
counterattacked belligerently. A thunderous on-drive flew through
Umair's fingers for 4. He left the field with a swollen and bloodied
middle finger. Their onslaught continued until a fairly simple
chance at short mid-wicket produced a clash of heads.
Danny
had a deep cut to his chin and Kafh, keeping without a helmet as
usual, left in an ambulance. He had sustained a deep cut to the
forehead and lapsed in and out of consciousness.
With
Highgate Wood now transformed into a battlefield and three
Fallopians hospitalised, the match was abandoned at 245-4 from 32
overs. John Shaw and Peter Frisby helped ferry Danny to the
Whittington hospital.
A return fixture is set for 19th
August and I promised Andre that OFCC would bring more firepower.
Let's hit them with both barrels. Will Hopson-Hill are you
available?
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