Purleigh go berserk
It's not often that division 7 of the T Rippon Mid-Essex Cricket League grasps the attention of the national media (nor indeed the premier division of the league) but the following interesting scoreline from Saturday's matches was pointed out to me by a colleague on the racing desk who plays in the league:
Purleigh (499 for five, 45 ovs) beat Herongate Seconds (247 for nine, 45 ovs) by 252 runs.
The destroyers-in-chief were the openers, Christian Freeguard and Steve Rynn, who made 180 and 108 apiece, with Nigel Hinton at No 3 making 93, Josh Taylor 59 and the rest chipping in. There were also quite a few extras.
Ironically Mark Rynn, the Purleigh captain, says that it was only an act of kindness that stopped his side reaching 500. "I was umpiring and we had 380 on the board after 20-odd overs, so I tried to be kind to the opposition by signalling that Nigel had run one short," he said. "It was only at the end of the innings I found out we were one short of making 500. We had three people check the scores but it only added up to 499."
Purleigh surpassed the league record of 478, made on the same tiny ground, but no one tried a Pietersen-style switch hit for six. "There were a few mis-hits for six and Christian cleared the houses at the far end," Rynn said. "Oddly, we were put in and if I'd won the toss we'd have bowled first."
Rynn, a middle order batsman who describes himself as "a nurdler, not a big hitter", felt that the total was defendable enough to risk giving himself a first bowl in six years. "I took two wickets in one over and decided to take myself off after that," he said.
He might be kicking himself after his side failed to bowl out Herongate and so missed out on full bonus points. Under the league rules, he could have declared Purleigh's innings and used any unwanted overs to bowl at the opposition.
Anyone else have good club record-beating stories? If so, send them in.
About 25 years ago in Mirboo North 3rd team, racked up a score of 78, 77 going to the opening bat, the other run being a leg-bye off his pad. 10 ducks.
Posted by: ben parer | 1 Jul 2008 09:54:30
Nic, I quite happily offered to get a jug in bu half the team had to leave early and the rest were dirty ale drinkers. Rest assured, if few people come out it will be Pimms o'clock this weekend!!!!
Posted by: Josh Taylor | 26 Jun 2008 18:35:26
I'm sure Graham Napier has one eye on scoring 499 in a 20/20 game...
Also, Nic, if you are playing on Saturday, I will have a jug of Stella... I will enjoy that after watching you bowl 12 overs on the bounce, up the hill and into the wind...
Posted by: Andy Bowles | 26 Jun 2008 15:15:55
When I was playing for my school, aged about 12, we played a local school in the Saturday morning league. They had a reputation as a big hitting team, and had posted some formidable totals. The games were 11 overs a side, so everyone got a bowl, and we got 126 batting first. I opened the batting, so I was last on to bowl. I finished off their innings with 2 wickets in my over, as we skittelled them out for 6!
More recently, In one of those freakish match ups, playing for the local side in the Norfolk League, we fielded our strongest possible team for the first time that season, against the divisional whipping boys. We won the toss, and sadly had to put them in, with rain possibly only minutes away. Opening the bowling, and with figures of 4-2-5-4, the skipper felt it best to take me off..... We bowled them out for 24, and scored the winning runs in 3 overs, just as the rain descended. One of our openers reckoned we would have gotten over 400 easily had we had the full 45 overs.
Posted by: Darren | 26 Jun 2008 14:48:27
I remeber playing in a high school match for Ashburton High School(Now Ashburton Community school) in the early 90's where we batting first on our home ground and were bowled out for 43. The amazing thing is that we managed to win, bowling out the oppostion for 18!
Posted by: Ben | 26 Jun 2008 12:28:32
Wow, we're in Division 8 (St John's Billericay) and thought that was a miss-print on the website!
Well done!
Posted by: Andy Harris | 26 Jun 2008 10:27:55
Even more remarkable was the absence of any jugs at the end of the match!
Posted by: Nic Oliver | 25 Jun 2008 14:29:12
it was just lucky i didn't open...
Posted by: Nick Timmis | 25 Jun 2008 07:12:36
It was a travesty that Rynn brought himself onto bowl... And to get 2 wickets... Just think, if he had opened the bowling we would have had the game wrapped up inside 10 overs...
Posted by: Andy Bowles | 24 Jun 2008 09:08:24
I once witnessed a high-school match in which a team cruised to no wicket for 45, in pursuit of 51.
They then lost 10 for 4 in 20 balls, including two separate hat-tricks (separated by one delivery) and a 'handled ball'.
Why they didn't shut-up shop and wait for the weather to close in at the fall of the first wicket remains a mystery.
Clearly, they no-one had read the ECB's 'Strategic Directives' handbook.
Posted by: Peter McGuinness | 24 Jun 2008 05:06:21
According to the cric-info website, that is the highest score in this country, bettered only in 45 over matches worldwide by the score Andrew mentions and a team from Barcelona. And having been playing in the game, how Mark Rynn took 2 overs with the pies he bowled I will never know - they were barely fast enough to reach the other end!!!!
Posted by: Josh Taylor | 23 Jun 2008 17:05:44
Thanks Andrew. Purleigh will have to content themselves with just having the county record. Until next year...
Posted by: Patrick Kidd | 23 Jun 2008 13:41:16
I believe the world record in club cricket is the 630/5 from 45 overs scored by United CC v Bay Area CC in the Northern California Cricket Association B League in August 2006.
Amongst the runs was an phenomenal 353 not out from 156 balls (38 fours, 25 sixes) from wicket-keeper and opening batsman Shabbir Mohammad. United won by 448 runs.
Posted by: Andrew Nixon | 23 Jun 2008 13:18:39