TWENTY-FOUR clergy cricketers turned up, and were sorted into two teams of 12, which lent a Victorian-era tinge to proceedings on a phenomenal sunny day on the exquisite pitch at Falkland Cricket Club, in Newbury, on Monday of last week.
Broadly speaking, it was St Albans, plus a couple of from other dioceses, v. Oxford plus a couple of from other dioceses.
St Albans and Co. did well to post any form of rating, having fallen to eight for 4, after the testing googlies of Glen Scrivener (Chichester) caused havoc in the highest order. First, Ali Marshall (Chichester) led a counter-attack, after which Will Kemp (Chichester) took up the baton, with a high-class undefeated 82. This ensured the recovery, and the full was accomplished by a remarkable all run five off the ultimate ball which had been tapped gently to cover, because the fielding, hitherto excellent, descended into delirious levels of village incompetence, and overthrow followed overthrow.
The Oxford and Co. reply began with caution; but, once Tom Murray (Oxford) joined Ray King (Winchester), things moved up a gear. King made a robust 21 before falling to an excellent one-handed catch by Adam Prior (St Albans), diving to his left at mid on. Murray, nevertheless, played the innings of the day, at first watchful in defence after which moving to attack, driving the ball with the sure and sound purity of a biblical exposition by John Stott.
He was finally removed for 97, bowled by a laser-like yorker from Marshall, which left Paddy Harris (Oxford) because the senior batsman. With just three to win in the ultimate over, off the second ball, he smote the ball cleanly, but picked out Kemp, who snaffled the catch and the strain ratcheted up. Arthur Franklin held his nerve, nevertheless, and won the match with a positive strike over within the infield for 4.
St Albans and Co. 208-7 (Kemp 82*, Marshall 37, Scrivener 3-22)
Oxford and Co. 212-5 (Murray 97, Harris 44, Marshall 2-16).
Oxford diocese won by five wickets.
The Revd Robert Stanier is Vicar of St Andrew and St Mark, Surbiton, within the diocese of Southwark, and a former winner of the 2018 Wisden Writing Competition (Comment, 18 May 2018).
