Visuals Indoor Cricket Fixtures

Visuals Indoor Cricket Results
Summer 2004

Played               11
Won                    2
Lost                    9

Visuals finished bottom of the league.

This was a hit and miss performance from Visuals, we missed loads of chances in the field but hit just about every ball in what was a fine batting performance against a under strength Shires outfit. Mike let me do the toss as he always loses it so I called tails and won once again and put Shire into bat. This looked to be a bad decision though as for the first 10 overs we missed chances galore in the field and only managed to take two wickets as Shire reached 100 without too many problems despite not batting particularly well. It was only when I threatened to take the whole team for a mass check up at specsavers did we begin to perform better managing to pick up a quick batch of run outs and catches which reduced Shires scoring to just 14 runs from the last 6 overs. It was the Bryan and Gary show at the front of the court with myself stopping the ball and getting it in to Bryan who whipped the bails off 4 times in quick succession for successful run outs. Ben was also robbed of a couple of run outs by Paul Allen who was umpiring the match now he no longer plays for us, so much for old players helping us out!

With our 60 run start that the stadium have given us now we are in the top league we needed to score just 55 runs to win and we got off to our usual flyer with Bryan and Ben scoring 41 hard hit runs despite losing a couple of wickets. Tony and Mike went next and wrapped the match up in no time scoring a sensible 30 runs without losing a wicket which took our total up to 131 at the halfway stage. It was left to Nigel and Mark and Karl and myself to pile the runs on in the search of extra batting points and the back net was found on a regular basis against a now dispirited Shires side. Mark and Nigel knocked up a excellent half century of runs and the final partnership added a further 33 as we wracked up 8 batting points and probably the easiest victory we'll ever have in the Premier league. With Mike paying the subs on time earning us a further 10 points we sit proudly at the top of the Premier table after one game for the first time ever. Enjoy it while it lasts boys!

A weakened Visuals team slumped to their first (of many probably!) defeat of the season against a very strong Knights side that included an

England

international, 3

England

U18 internationals and 2 Ipswich players. Nick returned for his first game for us after a long illness (good to have you back mate) and Eric also guested as we struggled to raise a full side with Karl, Nigel, Chris and David all missing. Mike shocked us all by actually winning a toss and we fielded first. We did well to keep their first pairing down to 42 considering we took no wickets although we did miss a few run out chances. We improved after that however as we kept their next two pairings down to just 19 and 13 respectively thanks to some sharp fielding and good bowling. Things rather slipped away from us with their last pairing scoring 49 despite losing an early wicket. Pick of our bowlers was Ben who bowled with good pace and accuracy to pick up some useful scalps.

With our 60 run start we still appeared to have a good chance of a surprise victory but Knights were simply awesome in the field and with our strongest pairing of Ben and Bryan struggling to score 10 runs we knew it was going to be tough. Our next pairing of Nick and Eric had an absolute disaster scoring a grand total of -25 which goes close to Karl's worst ever effort for Visuals! Whatever Nick called, Eric appeared to simply ignore and most times they ended up standing together at the same end as run outs galore took place. I began to think Eric fancied Nick he spent so much time standing next to him! With our score now back to just 45 the game appeared lost but Tony and Mike batted superbly to score 37 runs without losing a wicket, a fine effort against a very useful team. This left Mark and myself 42 runs to win, something Mark fancied more than myself against their best 4 bowlers and the game slowly slipped away from us as we lost a few early wickets going for big shots (as usual!). We ended up needing 6 from the last three balls to achieve another batting point which we managed but still ended up with a partnership of -5. With a full team we would have run Knights close but considering the team we had out this was not a bad effort especially in the field. At least this is good practise which will stand us in good stead for easier games when we get relegated at the end of this season!

After beating Shire easily in our first match of the season by 100 runs the stadium decided to take away our 60 run start against them. A shame this as it was always our best chance of winning matches in this league and now Shire have Gavin back in their side we could probably do with a handicap start again but perhaps not 60 runs. Mike shocked us all by the winning the toss for the second week running, a record for him and once again we fielded first. These 9pm starts are doing us no good however as most of the team appeared to be half asleep as Shires got off to a flyer with Gav and partner scoring 47 without losing a wicket despite one or two chances being offered from Gav who was playing his first game for 6 weeks after injury. To be honest most of our team look more unfit than him even on a good day! We slowly began to improve in the field as Shires innings went on but they had still reached 90 with a partnership to go. However Tony and Ben both had two overs each left and bowled superbly to limit their final pairing to just 4 runs although we were aided by some strange umpiring decisions from Barney who seems to flick a coin when making a decision he got so many wrong!

With 95 needed to win it appeared we had a decent chance of victory. Ben and Bryan got us off to a steady start scoring 25 despite the loss of early wickets which kept us on target for victory but the next pairing of Mike and Tony who had been in excellent form of late struggled scoring just 11 as wickets continued to fall. The game was decided in the next partnership though with Nick and myself batting. Nick is still struggling with the bat after a long lay off and last night his form of last week continued. He either missed the ball and was bowled or hit the ball in the air and was caught by one of the now fired up Shire fielders. Eric,who was guesting for Shire this week after playing for us last week took 5 wickets in one over which is more than he usually gets in a season! He was helped by an amazing catch from Frannie though who was fielding at the front and managed to catch the ball with his b0llocks which caused him much pain and his team "mates" much amusement! We struggled to a score of -5 which put us back to a score of 31 after 12 overs. With the match as good as over Mark and Nigel went for a slog and did well to score 33 even beating Gav on the back net on a few occasions which had proved difficult all night. So our second defeat in a row but at least we get our 60 run start back next week although the opposition will be tougher. I can't wait!

Since joining the top league of indoor cricket we have bowled and fielded fairly well but batted like the stadium lights have been switched off. However, in last night's match we decided to have a change and field like our arms had been cut off and bat like superstars. There was confusion before the match had even started as we had 9 players turn up which was quite ironic after struggling to get 8 players all season. Mike kindly volunteered to be non playing captain which seemed a good plan by him as after winning the toss for the third week running and deciding to field the Untouchables smashed us to all parts although our complete lack of fielding ability on the night certainly assisted their massive score. Everyone of their partnerships scored over 40 and we only managed 6 wickets all night with two of our most reliable fielders usually, Bryan and Mark having particular off nights. With Untouchables final score of 191 looking completely untouchable despite our 60 run start we decided to go out and have a slog - nothing new there! Ben and Bryan played their usual hard hitting innings managing 35 runs despite the loss of a couple of wickets. Nigel and Mark went next and did even better scoring 37 runs with some more powerful hitting which took us up to 132 at the halfway stage and still with an outside chance of a miraculous victory. It was still a tough call though with Karl and new player Kevin, another signing from the St Margaret's outdoor side to keep the scoring rate going. They managed just 11 runs and in truth were a little lucky to get that many with some very dodgy running most of which they escaped with as Untouchables fielding was about as good as our earlier efforts despite the fact that all of them had played for Ipswich national teams at sometime in the past. With 49 needed for victory and just myself and Tony to bat and Untouchables four best bowlers to go I certainly wasn't confident. We weren't helped by two poor decisions from the Scottish female umpire who gave Tony out stumped first ball despite the fact his foot never lifted from inside the crease then she gave him run out when he appeared home. This really put the game out of our reach but we still managed 25 runs despite some hostile bowling which I was fending off from between my eyes at times, great fun! So we finished with a total of 168 which was a great batting performance against a very decent side. If only we had fielded like we know we can a major shock could have taken place. Always next time I suppose.

This game had a remarkable similarity to the DJ Evans match the night before, where three Visuals players joined DJ in a game where strong bowling against the last partnership prevented DJ from winning. This time three Visuals players were joined by five from DJ (thanks), and again strong bowling against the last partnership prevented us from winning.

Mike won the toss yet again and chose to field. Despite taking few wickets, we managed to keep their first thee pairs down to a respectable 90-odd, but could not prevent the last pair adding about 60. But with our 60 start we only needed to score 94 to win. Dennis and Mick went first and did well for the first three overs but lost some wickets in the last one, but still achieved a respectable 15. Nigel and Mike went next and scored a steady 30, which would have been 42 except for a brilliant piece of fielding which turned Nigel's well hit seven into a run out. Adam and Lee were third and played some great shots, including consecutive sevens, but also lost a few wickets but still scored 32, taking us up to 137. So Mark and Tony were left the task of scoring 17 against their best bowlers, which unfortunately proved to be an impossible task.

Two close games but unfortunately for us two more defeats. The first match against a very strong Untouchables side saw us win the toss decide to field then watch their first pairing smash 65 runs off our first four overs to wipe out our 60 run start in no time. They were hitting so many sevens that Tony decided to bowl an over of almost all wides just to give only 2 runs a ball away rather than 7! That was his excuse for wayward bowling anyway! It did get easier after that and we did manage to get 1 bowling point for taking 5 wickets in the end. Not our best performance in the field by any means with most of us appearing to be saving energy for what looked an easier second games on paper! We did better in bat and for a while it looked as if a shock could be on the cards as the runs began to mount up although this probably much to do with Untouchables taking their foot off the pedal slightly. Bryan and Tony got us off to a steady start despite some running problems due to the fact they rarely bat together and Kevin and Karl continued the good work taking us past the 100 mark at the halfway stage of our innings which included our 60 run start. I was next to go with Mark from DJ Evans and despite a couple large sixes from my bat we only managed 14 runs thanks to sharp fielding from a Untouchables side who had now decided to start trying that bit harder again with possible defeat looming. This left Mark and Nigel needing 35 to win which against their four best bowlers was always a tough ask. They did well to get us past the 150 mark in the end which meant we ended up losing by 21 runs.

We made a couple of changes for the second match with Big Mark and Karl having to leave early so Ben and Adrian came in to take their places. We lost the toss for the first time in ages and were put into bat. Despite being given a 30 run start Ben and Bryan did their best to give it back early on losing three wickets in the first four balls of the match. Ben was flashed by a speed camera whilst making his way to the stadium at great speed (as usual!) so I can only think the flash was still affecting his vision! They did recover in the end to post a score of 14. Kevin and Adrian went next and again runs were hard to come by but with Adrian playing his usual game of hitting the ball a few inches behind him for singles big runs were never on the cards. They managed just 7 which took us up to 51 at the halfway stage. I was next to go with Tony and despite losing three wickets we scored 21 thanks to my usual slogs to the back net and Tony's more sensible shots to the side nets. Once again Mark and Nigel went last and thanks to some superb hard hitting from Mark they managed to get the score up to 100 on the final ball. This was only after Nigel had taken a heavy fall whilst running when he caught one of Shire's fielders feet and hit the ground with such force that it caused a small tremor in Birmingham! Luckily he was ok to continue after a couple of minutes. Shire opened with Gavin and he and his partner scored 45 runs without losing a wicket which made our chances of victory look remote. However we managed to pull it back in the next partnership with Kevin picking up 4 wickets in his two overs with his spin bowling. They managed just 12 runs but their next partnership did well to score 30 which meant their last pairing needed just 14 to win. Ben bowled a excellent first over but with no luck as they managed just 3 runs with a couple of difficult chances going begging. I was next to bowl and did manage a sharp return catch as just 4 more runs were added which still left us with a outside chance of victory. Unfortunately though we couldn't pick up any more wickets as the Shire batsman played sensibly pushing ones and twos which saw them to victory. A frustrating evening results wise when with a little more luck we could have picked up a victory for our efforts.

We looked really good in this match, however it was nothing to do with our "skills" on the pitch, just the fact that the new Autoglass sponsored shirts had arrived! Knights had their full side out which included three Ipswich players as well as all the annoying loadmouth kids who play for the Ipswich and England U18 sides. Unfortunately we were missing loads of players once again including Tony, Nigel, Bryan and Mike so we had a real mix and match team out. We got off to a good start however by winning the toss and keeping Knights strong first pairing down to 31 runs thanks to three early wickets all of which Ben played a part with two stunning catches and a run out. Knights scored fairly steadily throughout playing mainly sensible shots for ones and twos no doubt taught from all the England training camps most of them have been attending. However at that age they are still easily wound up and we continued to take wickets throughout thanks to a combination of good fielding and bowling and Ben winding up the opposition. To keep a side as strong as Knights down to 135 was a good effort and with our 60 run start we appeared to have a good chance of victory. However things soon went wrong in a big way! Ben wanted to bat with Mark to "get us off to a good start" but things didn't quite turn out as planned as they both had absolute nightmares with the bat scoring -17 which put our total back to 43. I went next with Karl and I was seeing the ball like a football slogging the ball to all parts as I found the back net 5 times. Unfortunately though as quick as I put the runs on Karl took them off as he too had a nightmare with the bat with some of his now famous slog accross the line shots! We did at least manage to score 20 runs with put us back up to 63 at the halfway stage but the game now look lost esp with our most dodgy batsman Adrian batting next with Kevin. However they astounded us all with a superb display of sensible batting scoring 36 runs without losing a wicket although Kevin did ride his luck at times with some air shots which were fortunate to fall safe. Adrian as usual played his ones and twos game but picked the gaps really well despite having four fielders crowding round him. This took us up to 99 and gave us an outside chance of victory but with Knights best four bowlers left it was always going to be tough for the DJ Evans guesting pair of Lee and Mark esp as Mark had taken a nasty blow to his fingers whilst fielding bending them back. In the end they did well to score 21 runs to take us up to a respectable score of 120 and a 15 run defeat. Another match we definitely could have won with a little more luck and if Ben and Mark had shown their true form with the bat. Always next time I suppose!

Just a quick report this week as I'm snowed under at work (no one will believe that I know!) and the reports are getting predictable - we show up, pay our money and get thrashed although some people pay a lot more than we do for that sort of thing!! This week was the turn of the Untouchables to give us a good hiding and after losing the toss (the only thing we have been winning this year!) and getting put into bat we were soon in trouble despite our 60 run start. Bryan failed to turn up so it was left to Nigel and Mark to open who managed just 5 runs thanks to a combination of superb fielding, poor shots and a ball that was swinging around like a boomerang which made some of their bowlers almost unplayable. Tony and Kevin went next and made Nigel and Mark's score look good as they managed the superb score of -19 which took our score back to 46 at the halfway stage. Luckily for us Mick from DJ Evans had got to the stadium early for his game and agreed to step in so he went next with Lee and they did superbly to score 36 runs without losing a wicket which put us back up to 82. I was last to go with Karl and against their four best bowlers we struggled early on with the ball swinging so much but recovered well in the last over to score 16 runs and 19 overall which take us over the 100 mark and a extra batting point. This was never going to be enough against a strong batting side though and Paul Allen and partner got Untouchables off to a good start scoring 40 without losing a wicket. We did better against the second partnership reducing them to just 18 runs and picking up 3 wickets but the game was soon over as a contest as Karl Mildenhall came in and smashed the ball to all parts including seven large sixes in a partnership of 50 despite losing 4 wickets. No one was keen to bowl at him but Mark bowled superbly to pick up a hat trick in the last over of their innings. With the game as good as over their last pairing scored another 48 easy runs losing just two wickets in the process. So another defeat but looking on the bright side when we relegated the matches will seem so much easier after playing these teams!

A victory at long last! I'd almost forgotten what a win felt like and despite Knights being under strength it still felt good to win again especially against such a cocky bunch who hate losing! We lost the toss but were put into field which is what we always choose to do first anyway. It was a much changed Visuals side with Ben, Mark, Nigel and Kevin all missing so Nathan, Mark and Ian from DJ Evans and a rare appearance from "captain" Mike took their places. Knights got off to a steady start with their first pairing scoring 33 without losing a wicket by just scoring in ones and twos and with their next pairing scoring 45 losing just 1 wicket things didn't look too good. However we pulled things back well as Knights next pairing struggled to make contact with the ball let alone score any runs thanks to some good bowling. The few runs they did manage were mainly thanks to Karl who was having a nightmare on the back stumps missing run outs galore thanks to the ball bouncing off his ever expanding gut and away from his hands! Knights had saved their best two players to bat last with Spuddie and Billy both being Ipswich players and we were fully expecting to give away plenty of runs. However Nathan had other ideas with a superb series of balls picking up a hat-trick and making good players look very ordinary. Tony and Ian kept up the good work with two more tight overs and with Knights score on just 107 with a over to go things looked rosy especially with our 60 run start. However Karl's nightmare continued as the Knights pair finally got their eye in and smashed 29 runs off his final over which gave us a tricky total of 137 to chase for victory.

Our innings started well with Bryan and Mike scoring steadily but things went wrong with a couple of run outs late on with Bryan calling Mike through and Mike ignoring him! Tony and Mark got things back on track scoring a steady 27 runs despite Tony being bowled once. This took us up to 103 at the halfway stage of our innings and well on the way to victory. Ian and Nathan went next and after a dodgy first over of minus 9 they recovered well to end up scoring 20 runs with Ian finding the back net on a couple of occasions. This left myself and Karl needing just 14 runs for victory but with the night Karl had had up to then nothing was certain! However Karl had one of his better batting nights and despite a couple of run outs early on we passed their total in the 15th over and went on to earn a extra point with two balls to spare with Karl playing out the final two balls defensively with a straight bat - a rare sight indeed! So a rare victory for Visuals this season but with the wooden spoon beckoning, hopefully not our last!

As thrashings go even Madame Whiplash would have been impressed with this one! This was a mismatch of almighty proportions with Untouchables deciding to field 8 either past or present Ipswich National league men's players. Mike "kindly" decided to give a debut to his new Sri Lankan workmate Sidda and after this I guess he'll be looking for the first plane back home! He actually performed very well considering it was his first game ever indoors and was one of our better bowlers on a night when we got hammered to all parts of the court. Mike's first decision of the night was not a good one - he let me do the toss and I promptly lost it and we were put into bat. Despite a 60 run start this was never going to be enough as wickets soon started to tumble. Our first pairing of Tony and Nathan managed to score 5 runs which at the time didn't look too good but ended up our best partnership! The remaining three partnerships of Nigel and Mark, Mike and Sidda and Karl and myself all recorded minus scores despite not batting that badly. Untouchables bowling was fast and hostile and there fielding sharp and accurate as our score slowly got smaller. We ended up on just 38 runs which meant we had managed -22 on the night and as far as I can remember our worst score ever.

With such a small score to defend we were never in with a chance of winning but Visuals seem to have a Odie (from Garfield) like enjoyment about things even when they couldn't be much worse! Untouchables decided to chase 200 runs and for a long while appeared to be on target. Their first pairing managed 50 runs and their second 61 despite losing a couple of wickets. This was mainly thanks to Karl who managed to beat his all time worst over from last week which went for 29 runs with one that went for 34 runs this week! The back net took such a hammering it needs to be replaced today! With Untouchables third pairing putting on another 39 despite losing 3 wickets they were up to 150 after 12 overs with their best two batsmen left so their target looked well on the cards. However we came up with a cunning plan of bowling wides to their best player so they only scored 2 runs instead of 7 every ball! This worked a treat as he kept charging down the pitch at balls that were a couple of meters behind his legs and getting stumped! The great thing was he didn't learn either and despite reaching some balls he missed a whole lot and helped us get up to 10 wickets. They were highly p1ssed off by the end of the match and walking off the court you wouldn't have realised they had won by a mere 142 runs! Play offs next week and as we have finished 4th out of 4 teams we have to play the top team - Untouchables! I think I would rather have my teeth pulled out with pliers personally!