'AWNIOGO': NEWCASTLE & HARTSHILL (A)*

Sunday, June 11

TALBOT CUP, QUARTER-FINAL

Having had a bye in the Second Round of this year’s Talbot Cup, our early season victory over Crewe Rolls-Royce was good enough to give us a place in the last eight, which meant a trip to promotion rivals Newcastle and Hartshill in search of progress to the semis for the first time in the club’s history. I felt quite tense on the journey there – not only because of Drew’s driving, but also due to the situation in England’s rugby World Cup quarter-final against Australia. The hyperactive butterflies in my stomach were soon quieted by Rob Andrew’s enormous injury time drop-goal and both Drew and I were hopeful that this would prove a good omen.

It’s fair to say that Newcastle’s ground has fallen into decline of late. Once upon a time it had enjoyed county ground status and was up there with the best tracks in North Staffs, but now it looked in pretty wretched condition. Anyone bowling from the Velodrome End (that’s cycle track to me and you) had a glaring ridge to exploit outside the right-hander’s off stump, so pronounced, in fact, that it was tempting to use it for a game of kerbie. Little wonder the pro’s name is Ridgway! Added to this inconvenience (or bonus, if you happened to be a seamer) was the fact that the strip was unevenly grassed – all in all, it looked disgraceful, not to mention dangerous, and Addo was convinced that he would have to report it as unfit. However, local knowledge said it usually played a lot better than it looked, and that is indeed how things panned out.

Graham Wood, the Newcastle skipper, won the toss and elected to bat, but some accurate early bowling and energetic fielding (including the near-miracle of a full-length diving stop from Agile) saw them slump to 57 for 3. At this point Wood joined Mo Chaundry to help construct an important 93-run partnership. Once Cokey – whose toe had recovered sufficiently to enable him to play – had completed his stint of 10 overs at the cost of just 22 runs we didn’t have a bowler able to support Andy Hawkins and Newcastle were allowed to break our stranglehold on the game. 

Mo Chaudry: "this time next year, Rodders..."

Having earlier been given the benefit of whatever scintilla of doubt there was over a catch I took off Seth, Chaudry was eventually dismissed in the 36th over for 53 with the score at a below-par 150. Wood, however, had paced his innings well and went on to plunder 44 runs from the last 4 overs, including 24 from the final over of the innings bowled by Iain Carr. If his unbeaten 72 from 77 balls was crucial in enabling Newcastle reach the respectability of 196, then it was strongly supported by a massive 44 extras, of which 15 were no-balls and 14 wides. We had gifted them 29 runs and bowled almost 5 extra overs at them. We certainly know how to make life difficult for ourselves!

At tea I felt fairly confident we could make the runs, but thought a lot would depend on how well, or badly, Pete Ridgway bowled. As it was, we began at a gallop with Addo pulling the first ball of the innings to the mid-wicket boundary and me following suit later in the over to bring up double figures. Having put on 31 in 6 overs I had an unnecessary rush of blood against Kessel (who I’d just dispatched onto the car park in his previous over) and tried to drive a good length ball over the top. Ridgway took a good running catch over his shoulder and the first of the wickets we needed to preserve had fallen. Dickie Harvey then fell cheaply to a somewhat dubious lbw decision and all of a sudden we were 37 for 2 a quarter of the way through our innings.

With John Myatt unavailable due to work commitments, Andy Hawkins was in at number 4. Seth enjoyed three highly successful seasons as Newcastle’s professional – during which time he helped them win the league twice – and he seemed especially keen to put one over his old club. Remarkably for Andy, he actually had his pads on when Harv’s wicket fell and as he strode to the crease with the banter of the crowd still ringing in his ears I reckoned he had to make a few runs if we were to win. He immediately reeled off a succession of glorious strokes, particularly cover drives, but unlike Moses (the Biblical one, not Chaudry) had managed with the Red Sea, he couldn’t split the field. The frustration seemed to get to him and he was duly bowled by Gollings, attempting to hit the ball into another solar system. In scoring 30 from 39 halls, however, he had dominated the third wicket partnership of 49 and although it was disappointing to lose him we were always in the game with Addo in the middle. 

Scoreboard: ticking over

Drew joined the pro and constructed a typically industrious knock (briefly interrupted by an axe-wielding maniac on the adjoining rugby pitch), until a calamitous mid-pitch mix-up meant him having to sacrifice himself for the greater good: i.e. keeping the in-form Addo out there and in control. Going into the final 10 overs, then, we needed a further 72 runs to win with six wickets in hand. Half of these overs would be bowled by Pete Ridgway who had been quite frugal during the early part of his spell. I felt that we had to begin the run for home early to allow ourselves some scope to overcome the possible loss of Addo. Fortunately the one chance that he had offered was grounded by Ruscoe at long-on. It seemed as though he had set himself to bat through the innings and take us home, yet at this stage we were still underdogs. 

It is always excruciating to watch a tense run chase from the pavilion, helpless; so, as is customary, we started to do circuits of the pitch. During our second or third perambulation there was a moment when I felt certain that we were going to lose, a fear borne not from anything happening out in the middle, but from Andy Hawkins mouthing those seven cursèd words that have supernaturally put the skids under many a promising run chase. “All we need is one good over”, he predicted. I thought Andy had stopped using this unfortunate phrase, but it had been revived during the exhilarating league match at Crewe Rolls-Royce (which we won), and he felt confident enough to use it again now. This was likely to be the definitive, all-important day in the existence of this maxim. Should we lose it would have to become forbidden, taboo, yet should it inspire us to victory it could enjoy a renaissance as the new team motto…

Apart from the fact that the “one good over” actually arrived, the strange thing was that it came not from one of Lovejoy’s various Crown bats, but from the blade of the town cryer himself: Barry Brian. With the Moddershall Mafia (messrs Lowe, Kennedy, Bagnall and Elton) cheering him on, Bazzer played an immeasurably important little cameo that swung the game our way and eased the mounting pressure upon the pro. His 22, made at a run a ball, included a purple patch of four boundaries in the space of seven deliveries during which time the asking rate dropped below a six an over. The game was now in our hands. 

Barry Brian: X-Ray

Barry fell with victory in sight but Cokey joined Addo and the target was overhauled when Jon spanked the dispirited Pete Ridgway back over his head for four. The resultant cheer was deafening and Agile raised his bat triumphantly before marching off to a well deserved standing ovation. His 88, made frcm exactly 100 balls, was, all things considered, his best innings for the club and Graham Wood graciously remarked that it was the best run chase he had seen on their ground in years. 

The atmosphere in the bar afterwards was one of unrestrained jubilation, and the beer was being quaffed at an appropriate rate. John Myatt, who had pitched up to watch the dramatic last 15 overs, could again be heard asking the question (with the words slightly modified): “Is there anybody here from Newcastle?” This time there were a few, but none of them felt inclined to answer. We were starting to file out towards home (except Heardy and I who would drink ourselves into oblivion in the Bonnie Gem) as news came through that our opponents in the semi-final would be Knypersley, at home. It had been a great victory, and a great day. Let’s hope that we can reach the final, for that would be one hell of a party. 

MODDERSHALL WON BY 5 WICKETS 

NEWCASTLE & HARTSHIILL 196 for 6 (40 overs) 
G Wood 72*, M Chaudry 53
MODDERSHALL 198 for 5 (39 overs) 
J Addison 88*, A Hawkins 30