Scorecard

St Albans Cricket Club 1XI v Redbourn on Sat 09 Jul 2022 at 12:00
St Albans Cricket Club Won by 22 runs

Match report Another beautiful July morning baked the hallowed and lightly scorched turf
of Clarence Park. Even the 10:30am meet couldn’t stop the now familiar sight
of the Redbourn team arriving before most of the home side, notably O’Toole
Jr and Coulman who arrived well beyond 11am - a dodgy Lamb Bhuna the
former’s excuse while a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir the night before and getting
yobbed on his cycle to the ground the latter’s story. 50p fines either way.

For the first time this season, the match outcome was in peril as the Seniors
were losing in the game of Vortex. A couple of hasty touchdowns made sure
the Juniors weren’t allowed to jinx the main event.

Regan won the toss and, unlike the last few weeks, decided St Albans would
have a bat on a very dry surface. Surely the spinners (and Capaldi) would do
well bowling second?

The innings started in a steady fashion. The pitch clearly very dry and very slow
meant batting would be tough. The first of two brotherly opening partnerships
on the day added 34 before Joe made the cardinal sin of trying to cut a spinner,
and snicked one to the keeper. He professed, as he walked off, that it was the
hardest he has ever worked for 13. A couple of overs later, and Jamie fell
playing far too early to one that stuck in the pitch; the score now 40 odd for 2,
and the St Albans scorecard not where they had envisaged.

Bancroft and Coulman now at the crease looked to bat some time and get
themselves in on the difficult pitch. They both chewed up some balls finding
the boundary with the rare bad ones until Bancroft fell lamely into the trap
laid by the Redbourn skipper with two midwickets in place. As he tried to hit
over the top, he chipped straight into the grateful hands of one of them.
This brought Tom O’Toole to the crease with something special needed once
more from him to rescue the situation. Coulman fell after hitting 6 off an over
and then deciding he needed to speed things up by lofting the left arm spinner
over the covers. Instead, he meekly chipped it to the waiting fielder – spare a
thought for the bin in the home dressing room, which felt the full brunt of the
number 4s left foot.

Once again Capaldi and O’Toole came together at the crease to resurrect the
situation. Batting was increasingly tough but the scoreboard steadily ticked
on. The prophet Bancroft predicted 90 after 30 overs would produce a score
of 190-200 at the end of the innings to set a very competitive target. The
partnership duly arrived at 90-4 at 30 - the first part of Bancroft’s crystal ball
musings achieved.

Boundary lappers Bancroft, Regan Jr and Coulman all noted how slowly Max
was accumulating in comparison to O’Toole, but agreeed it was O’Toole who
was in fact batting on another level entirely, rather than Max struggling (the
fact the 3 of them had scored no runs and were already back in the shed was
not something which ever crossed their minds).

O’Toole brought up another Division One half century and in true Alpha style
he didn’t even acknowledge the applause from the boundary; this partnership
now crucial in the Saints effort to post a competitive score. Tom eventually fell
for an impressive 78, an innings that required a lot of concentration and
determination. Capaldi at the other end, the glue that held the innings
together, running well with Tom and making sure he stuck around to post a
total.

Mulvaney promoted up to 7 in the batting order came in to have a whack with
4 overs left but fell for a golden duck trying hit through the vacant midwicket
before Perrin came in to finish things off with Capaldi, plinking his way again
to a red inker but helping Max finish off the innings with a six that nearly found
the tennis courts to register an important 40.

St Albans posted 191, just as the prophet Bancroft had foretold.

The second innings did not start well for St Albans, the first 3 overs going for
30 runs. This included the first Regan over going for 11 - with 3 consecutive
wides. Capaldi at the other end seemingly forgetting how to bowl and seeing
his first over going for 14. The Redbourn skipper known for his big hitting
fortunately fellsoon after, unwisely trying to reverse sweep a Capaldi full toss.
His dismissal saw the run rate drop rapidly and pressure began to build.

However, Capaldi’s inability to land a ball meant this pressure was once again
removed as another over went for 14. Regan Snr then made the first of what
turned out to be a string of inspired bowling changes with Mulvaney into the
attack and trapping the number 3 bang in front of middle stump - the umpire’s
finger raised.

Redbourn 53-2 from 9 and the game very much in the balance.
The next inspired bowling change saw Kumar replace Regan just after
Mulvaney had removed another of the top 4. He took a wicket with his first
ball and the Saints were jubilant. The 3 leading run scorers for Redbourn back
in the hut.

It was clear that the pitch was now turning, all the wickets so far falling to the
spin attack. Jamie was unlucky to come away with no reward for his efforts
but Mude behind the stumps was somewhat relieved he was off after being
peppered on the second and third bounce, taking one in the jaw and plenty
around the (according to a judgemental Perrin) slightly flabbier than usual
mid-drift.

It was decided that another 10 overs of spin needed to be found from
somewhere and the part-time duo of Coulman and O’Toole started limbering
up in full view of the skipper. After Mulvaney had struck again in his
penultimate over, Coulman got the nod for the over before drinks.

Affirming what every SACC member knows, Coulman proceeded to
demonstrate that he is the triple-threat all-rounder. After diving over one off
his own bowling (not giving himself the same service he gives the other
bowlers) it was looking unlikely he was the answer to the skippers headaches.
However, after drawing a false shot with a dangerous half-tracker he took his
maiden 1XI wicket -yet another inspired bowling change by Regan.

St Albans headed into second drinks with Redbourn 127/7.

Regan came back on to finish his 10, but once again seam was not the answer.
A thought to Dan Baylis who gleefully wandered around Clarence Park on his
Saturday, looking for his never ending supply of Pringles.

After bowling Capaldi and Kumar out and still in need of 2 wickets, death
bowling specialists Coulman and O’Toole were brought into the attack.
Coulman managed to land consecutive balls in the same area and induced a
dolly up to Capaldi in the covers... unfortunately Max didn’t even get a hand
on it, the ball flicking his trousers on the way to 2 more runs. Max then began
to contemplate his own mortality until Bancroft caught a full toss chipped to
him from the bowling of O'Toole.

One wicket needed, 32 runs required and 7 overs left.

Coulman and O’Toole feeling the pressure. Both managed to build dots until
Mude enacted a brilliant stumping and sprinted off towards the tennis courts
launching his gloves into the air – clearly wanting to show the shirtless tennis
player who was the fittest athlete in Clarence Park that day.

Finally, the monkey was off the 1s back - Redbourn beaten in what was a real
thriller for the neutrals. Consolidation at the top of the table position and St
Albans in a rich vein of form.

• Tavah Player of The Match – Tom O’Toole by some margin
• Abbey Aquatics Shot of the day – TOTs reverse sweep (much to Capaldi’s
annoyance after his gub into the tennis courts)
• St Columba’s Holy Moment of the Match – Mude’s stumping to win the
game
• DOTD – Perrin for the frankly outrageous addition to his hair

St Albans Cricket Club 1XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 7w 1b 1lb 
for 6 wickets
12
191		        
Jamie Regan ct C Mack b C Moyle 23 32 4 71.88 3
Joe Regan ct E Hales b D Darvell 13 43 2 30.23 1
Will Bancroft ct T Patrick b J Arnold 8 26 1 30.77 2
Oliver Coulman ct G Naismith b D Darvell 13 25 2 52.00
Tom O'Toole lbw C Moyle 78 86 9 90.70
Max Capaldi Not Out  40 85 1 1 47.06
Joshua Mulvaney lbw C Moyle 0 1 0
Steven Perrin Not Out  4 5 80.0
Sammy Kumar  
Chris Mude   1 1
Dan Baylis  

Redbourn Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Callum Moyle10.0335311.673.50
Henry Piggott10.003700.003.70
Daniel Darvell10.0029214.502.90
Joshua Arnold10.0524124.002.40
Dan Roe5.003700.007.40

Redbourn Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
21w 4b 5lb 
for 10 wickets
30
169 (46.1 overs)		     
Ed Hales ct J Regan b M Capaldi 22 14 5 157.14
Wiliam Hales ct J Regan b S Kumar 24 44 4 54.55
George Naismith lbw J Mulvaney 6 19 1 31.58
Charlie Mack ct J Regan b J Mulvaney 11 19 1 57.89
Dan Roe ct J Regan b S Kumar 4 8 1 50.0
Joshua Arnold ct W Bancroft b O Coulman 21 56 3 37.50
Henry Piggott ct C Mude b J Mulvaney 5 17 29.41
Toby Patrick b M Capaldi 7 25 28.00
Callum Moyle ct W Bancroft b T O'Toole 25 44 2 56.82
William Comfort st C Mude b T O'Toole 9 18 50.0
Daniel Darvell Not Out  5 12 41.67

St Albans Cricket Club 1XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Tom O'Toole2.10623.002.77
Max Capaldi10.0241220.504.10
Jamie Regan10.024200.004.20
Sammy Kumar10.0026213.002.60
Joshua Mulvaney10.012939.672.90
Oliver Coulman4.0016116.004.00