Matching Green CC.

Report vs Matching Green CC

Match Report
Date 29/06/2025 
Oppo Matching Green (a)
Type 35 Overs
Report by Felix 'Aussie Lover' Daji


On a glorious day in central Essex, the O's returned to action hoping to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Chigwell CC the previous week. With spirits high, the 
team arrived at the idyllic Matching Green ground where, to much delight, the coin stayed firmly in the skipper’s pocket as the hosts kindly offered the O’s the 
chance to bat first. An offer graciously accepted by Skipper Richardson.

ABM and the O's only Knight, Sir Jack took guard to open the innings, bickering all the way to the middle about who was the senior player. The banter between them 
that drew chuckles from the O’s camp. ABM fell cheaply after a brief stint, and Andy Hudson’s day didn’t improve much either, succumbing to a ten-ball duck. A 
painful back-to-back duck weekend for him after a similar showing for ICCC 4’s.

Sir Jack, however, dazzled briefly, launching a magnificent six into the pond beyond deep mid-wicket. He eventually perished for a well-played 28. A middle-order 
wobble saw the O’s slide to a precarious 99/6 after just 16 overs.

Stepping back into the XI after a couple weeks layoff, veteran Liam “Mullers” Mulholland showed all his class with a fluent and gritty 55, anchoring the innings 
just when it seemed to be slipping away. He found steady support in JR (25) and skipper Richardson (12), whose contributions helped push the total to a competitive 
208 all out.

The players tucked into a delightful tea during the break and rumour has it Mullers’ return may have had something to do with the spread. The O’s reflected on a 
fighting recovery and readied themselves to defend the total.

With the ball, Daji and JR took the new cherry, and while the opposition openers started well, JR broke through with two crucial wickets. One was aided by Sir Jack,
who took a tidy catch at long-on with his “senior cricket experience”.

The skipper chipped in with a sharp spell of 2/32, including a standout stumping by Danny 'Dano' Whittam who channeled his inner Josh Kelley to remove the bails 
with style and poise.

Alan 'The Wall of Silence' Syrett chipped in with two wickets of his own, bowling economically and breaking partnerships. Despite these efforts, the hosts’ skipper 
produced a commanding 54* (retired), spraying the ball to all corners of the ground with class and control. The lower order kept the tempo up, and Matching Green 
ultimately chased down the target with 1.5 overs to spare.

While it marked the second defeat in two weeks, the O’s again pushed their opponents close and walked off with their heads held high. The camaraderie remained strong 
as the team returned to the Changing Room Sauna, where the drinks were cold, the room was sweltering, and the banter was boiling over.

As stories began to fly, many courtesy of Mullers, it appears the duties of beer-pouring may now lie with Felix Daji, though no official club statement has yet 
confirmed the handover.

Wrote on part by Chat GPT due to the circumstances of the youth of New Zealand unable to speak in what is described as “incorrect English”. 

Next stop: Essendon. Then, the much-anticipated Salisbury tour.

Come on LEYTON! :)

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© Dave Revell