LOSCC vs Tower Ravens.

Leyton Orient won by 26 runs

Match Report
Date - 29/04/07 
Oppo – Tower Raven (h)
Type – 40 Overs

So a new season begins and the LOSCC old school put away their walking sticks, drag their kit out of the attic and brush the cobwebs off their bats. 
With guts sucked in they turn up at the ground pretending they are ready and eager for the upcoming weeks of pain and depression, wishing they had made use of the nets, but at the same time knowing it wouldn’t really help them.

But wait! on turning up at the ground there are a number of new, fresh faced youngsters in the changing room all listening intently to one of the old guys regaling stories of times, 
before they were born, when the LOSCC put fear into the opposition, with batsmen scoring runs for fun and bowlers putting the fear of god into seasoned veterans quaking at the crease. 
Thanks to the excellent new website set up by Dave Revell which has brought in a new crop of O’s supporters willing to put their lives on the line, Liam Mulholland, much to his delight, 
now has a new set of ears on which he can tell stories of old, with very little exaggeration of course!

And so to the match (about time I hear you cry!)
With the toss lost and the O’s batting in a stifling muggy heat it is only appropriate that a couple of the youngsters walk to the crease (James 55, Evans 45). 
A slow start sees James falling for just 2 in the 4th over with just 4 on the board, being trapped LBW, 
which brings in Tooth, who promptly goes on the rampage significantly helping to up the run rate, bringing the score to 25 at the 10 over stage! Evans is unlucky being superbly caught on the boundary (ok-the edge of the square) in the 14th over for 15, with 60 on the board. 
Now it is the chance to see one of the newcomers as Adam Parkes comes in.
With Eddie Tooth scoring steadily at the other end Adam holds his end up until being caught in the 26th over for 8, with a total of 105 at this stage. In comes the veteran Liam Mulholland (top run scorer in the clubs history with 11823 runs to his name). 
One over later he comes trudging dejectedly back to the pavilion, now with 11824 runs to his name. Next in is the skipper Ian Richardson, veteran of 361 games for the club, mostly by virtue of being skipper of the club - and head of the selection committee! (Only joking Ritz). 
With Eddie reaching his 50 (the first of many I suspect) Ritzy hangs around until being given LBW by a glum looking Liam who on raising his finger at the stifled appeal finally cracks a smile (it looked plumb from my end). 
With 33.5 overs down and 130 on the board it is now time for our youngest new member to come in, and Jack Hughes (17 + 4ft 6) strolls to the crease. With the skippers sweaty helmet slipping over his eyes and without taking any sort of guard looks up to see a 6ft tall man mountain bearing down on him. Both umpires close their eyes and start praying…….
PING!
A cracking shot through covers opens Young Jack’s account with 2 runs (It should have been 3 but Eddie couldn’t keep up between the wickets –‘tiredness’ he claimed later that evening). 
Obviously styling himself on Eddies game and with just 7 overs to go young Jack set about smashing the ball all over the ground, just his lack of power at such a tender age, preventing a lot more boundaries being hit. 
Then in the 37th over Eddie falls just 7 short of a magnificent century – 93 in a total of 167. Next to the crease is Mike Randall.
Young Jack, after surviving the infamous ‘Randall Runout’, purely due to his whippet like speed, eventually succumbs in the final over for 17, and with the last ball of the innings an unlucky James Walker is ‘Randalled’ for 0. 
With Richard Carter having to wait for another day to show us his batting skills and Mike Redman not getting a chance to remind us of his Caribbean style of play the innings closes on 186 for 8.

With the tea ladies, once again, surpassing themselves with a spread worthy of a Royal visit, Richard gets in first and, having a Weightwatchers meeting that evening, gorges himself on all the lettuce, tomato and other salad stuff that he can get on his plate. 
The rest of the players disconsolately fill their plates with the remaining samples of samosa’s, spring rolls, pizza, sarnies, cake and chocolate bars. A sorry looking Liam Mulholland was heard to mutter “I really fancied some of that spring onion but the new skinny geezer took the lot”. 
With belly’s full to overflowing (apart from Richard obviously!) the old boys take to the pitch behind the enthusiastic youngsters and the opposition innings begins.


Captain Richardson, with a ‘lets see what they are made of’ attitude decides to open with 2 of the new boys, Richard Carter (getting thinner by the minute) and James Walker. 
Unfortunately for Richard the No.1 bat is not exactly a Sunday player and clearly believes every ball that is bowled to him should be hit for 6! Richard is, however, unlucky with his third ball when it is hit straight to Eddie, waist high, in the covers. 
Eddie, not being so lucky, sees a ball coming at him at 200mph, and trying desperately to get out of the way, inadvertently gets a hand to it - but does stop a certain six. 50p for the drop box, but would it turn out to be a crucial drop? 
In the 5th over of the innings when all the oppo on the sidelines clap the No.1 bats 50 it was decided it may have been! 
However, wickets were falling at the other end, James picking up the No.2 bat with his first ball, with young Jack taking a simple catch at square leg, and Mike Randall catching the No.3 bat cheaply (3), again off James’ bowling, just 35 on the board at this stage.

In an effort to try and stop the No1 bat finishing the match in 20 overs our spin king is brought into the action. 
Mike Randall is relatively successful, with the No.1 bat now being content with just trying to hit every ball for 4 and Mike is rewarded with the No4 bats wicket, Mike ‘Knotty’ Redman stumping him for 18. (The ‘Knotty’ being what he usually ties himself up in as opposed to being likened to the famous wicketkeeper).
With 16 overs gone and 111 on the scorecard, Adam Parkes is brought into the battle and gets his 1st wicket for the club, the No.5 bat putting one straight down James throat in the covers for 3. 

Then the breakthrough everyone was looking for. After a number of excellent LBW appeals are turned down on the No.1 bat, he finally leaves an inch of his leg stump on view and Adam Parkes bowls the perfect ball and takes it out of the ground, ending one of the hardest hitting innings ever on the tantalising score of 99 from a total of 130.

With just 1 more run added, the 6th wicket falls, Liam Mulholland showing why he is the all time top catcher in the club (including wicketkeepers) taking a skyer that came down with snow on it from the bowling of Eddie Tooth. 
Then with a chancy single being attempted, and the batman vainly trying to scramble back to his crease, Young Jack shows his speed and hand-eye co-ordination with an excellent runout hitting from 15yds with just the one stump to aim at. 
This brings about unprecedented celebrations, with hi-fiving and whoops of joy from all and sundry – something that even turns the heads of spectators from the other pitch, not used to such noise from a usually calm and collected team.
Another run out brings up the 8th wicket with the skipper getting in on the action whipping the ball in from the boundary for ‘Knotty’ to take the bails, stumps, top surface and hardcore out of the ground with the batsman still 10 yds from his crease.
After a short delay to re-lay the pitch, with the score on 133 for 8 a Leyton Orient side, who after 5 overs thought the first game of the season was going to end very quickly, were now looking at an unexpected victory if they could get the last 2 wickets. 
The first of those wickets came with the score on 146 – Richard Carter, back for a deserved second spell, finally gets his first wicket for the club trapping the No.7 bat LBW for 2. 
Then with a spirited 10th wicket stand that was starting to get a few people nervous the Skipper Richardson decides it time to bring himself into the frame, and with 160 on the board, just 27 runs short of victory, brings the innings, and the match, to a close bowling the No.11 rabbit for 2. (about time I hear you cry!)

Man of the Match
A special mention for Eddie Tooth for his 93
All the new boys played well, and contributed significantly to the game,
Adam Parkes – 8 with the bat and 2 wickets with the ball (inc. the No.1 bat)
James Walker – unfortunately ‘Randall’d’ but 2 wickets opening the bowling
Richard Carter – DNB and his 1st wicket to get him off the mark. But Liam says “go easy on the salad son – leave some for the rest of us”!!

The award, however , goes to young Jack Hughes who showed style and promise with the bat scoring an impressive 17 whilst supporting Eddie and was a whippet in the field with good hands, culminating an impressive debut with an excellent runout.

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