Match 54 NOMADS v Roydon CC The Playing Fields Occupation Lane Roydon Essex CM195HL Sunday September 11th 1.00pm-time game,20 overs from 5.30pm

Result:Roydon won by7 wickets
Toss:Nomads CC
Umpires:No Show
Scorer:John Callo
Debut(s):None

NOMADS CC Innings
C Peerless      bowled   Oram    6
S Callo         bowled   Mann   89
T Brockton      c ?    b Mann   18
A Smith         bowled   Mann   21
M Callo         c ?    b Mann    0
K Alexander     c ?    b Hakimi 18
H Morris        c ?    b Hakimi  0
D Curtis        run out          1
O Croom-Johnson bowled   Hitch   3
ME Blumberg     not out          0
AN Other Missing
Extras         (b3,lb14,w3,nb2) 14
TOTAL (All out,39.5 overs) 181/180

Fow:1-7,2-61,3-106,4-116,5-171,6-173,7-176,8-178,9-180(181).

Bowling-Oram-7 0 17 1,Hitch 7.5 0 29 1,Mann 12 0 57 4,Wood 7 0 45 0,Hakimi 6 0 15 2.

ROYDON CC Innings
J Pond   bowled      S Callo   7
J Sealey not out              50
C Gooch  bowled      Brockton 79
M Brooks c M Callo b Brockton  6
Z Hakimi not out              10
Extras   (b19,lb10,w0,nb0)    29
TOTAL (3 wickets,32.3 overs) 181
Dnb: O Oram,H Hitch,M Mann,W Wood,A Roydon,B Roydon.

Fow:1-7,2-140,3-162.

Bowling-Brockton 11 3 50 2,S Callo 6.3 1 29 1,Smith 5 0 30 0,O Croom-Johnson 3 0 20 0,M Callo 6 1 23 0.

Tom Brockton reports

Nomads made the journey to the pretty village of Roydon on the Hertfordshire/Essex border to play their first match against Roydon CC who had been highly recommended to Michael Blumberg by the Gaieties. Much was expected therefore, as slowly but surely our XI (well 10 in this case) arrived at their village ground. Sporting a heavily sloping pitch, wonky looking wicket and odd shaped boundaries this was indeed cricket of the rural nature….. Uxbridge CC this was not, but it had its own quirky charm.

Skipper for the day Blummers joyfully won the toss and elected to bat on a breezy afternoon with the odd squally shower predicted. Charlie Peerless and Steven Callo opened for the visitors, with Callo looking to knock in his new bat in preparation for playing against James Foster’s XI the following day as part of the Essex wicket-keepers testimonial. Peerless had his middle and off poles pegged back in the 3rdover and Tom Brockton joined Callo. Batting was tricky due to the swirling winds and the two-paced nature of thepitch so the pair were restricted to pushing singles and putting away the occasional bad ball. Their stand had reached 65 when Brockers carelessly pulled a short ball that popped up at himto mid-wicket for 18.

Callo was joined by Andy Smith who looked in supreme touch, clipping the 2ndball he faced to the square leg boundary for 4, and with Callo bringing up a half century Nomads looked well placed at 105-2. However Smith was bowled off the inside edge playing backfor 21, and Micky Callo soon followed, chipping the ball tamely to cover. Hugo Morris was out for a 2ndball duck on his return to the side after a 6 week lay off due to surgery (the consultant said he was quite mad to be back on the cricket field so soon, good on you Hugo!). It was left to Keith Alexander (18) and Callo who made a well crafted 89that was the bed-rock of the innings, to nurse Nomads back up to a something reaching a defendable score. Once both departed the tail subsided with Debbie Curtis and Oliver Croom-Johnson out cheaply. Skipper Blumberg was left 0 not out, another red-inker for his tally this season.

Nomads, slightly disappointed to be 180 all out, but on that track it was a score to defend if they bowled and fielded well.

After a lovely D.I.Y tea with lots of fresh crusty bread and sumptuous fillings Nomads took the field with Steven Callo and Brockers taking the new cherry for the visitors. Callo’s extra pace quickly accounted for Roydon’s captain (and groundsman / chief protagonist / fixture secretary / local drunkard / chair of the parish committee) but then for the next 90 mins there was nothing but frustration, missed opportunities and the occasional good stroke from the home side. A number of deliveries went through the slips, amazingly evading the close catchers, balls were spooned up in the air but not taken with the swirling winds playing their part and in the midst of this Roydon’s star batsmen and current 1stXI league cricketer for Herts side Cheshunt reached 50 with a spanking drive off the bowling of Andy Smith. Roydon had cantered to 123-1 and Smith’s spell had ultimately proved fruitless.

To make matters worse for the Nomads experienced seamer Oliver Croom-Johnson had to leave the field after only 3 (very tight/accurate) overs(and a dropped catch behind the wicket-Gooch!)with a reoccurrence of an old hip injury and he was replaced by Micky Callo. Brockers came back on for a 2ndspell and he gave Nomads a glimmer of hope by clean bowling the well set Roydon batsmen for 79 and then deceiving the no4 with a slower ball that was chipped up to Micky Callo at mid-on for just 9. Nomads were in with a sniff, but some controversial umpiring decisions (Nomads were ruing their panel umpire being a no-show) robbed them of any possible initiative. Roydon’s stone-wall opening bat nurdled and nudged his way to 50 (42 of those runs being on the on-side) and with that brought Roydon a victory by 7 wickets and with around 5 overs to spare.

A frustrating result, and a case of “what could have been” if catches had gone to hand, another 20 or so on the board or just a piece of inspirational cricket from one of the Nomads side. We found the Roydon players to be a very sociable bunch, and a good number of beers were consumed in friendly fashion in the local village pub and plenty of hot food generously supplied courtesy of the land-lady.

Cricket is indeed a funny old game, Nomads had comfortably beaten the Gaieties earlier on this season, who had in turn thrashed Roydon, who had now beaten Nomads by the seemingly comfortable margin of 7 wickets !