Pavey Helps 2nd XI to 188-9 Against OE's Before the Deluge...

While factually accurate, this did not convey the true state of affairs. The English summer had put paid to Hertford Second XI’s game shortly before 4 o’clock, which meant that much of the squad returned to the club to watch Alan Jones suffer at the hands of a force of nature even more potent that that the weather: peer pressure. It would be no exaggeration to say that the socially distanced and responsible drinking which went on for many hours under the cover of a large gazebo was the highlight of an otherwise drab July day which, for the Second XI, had begun at Old Elizabethans CC.

Despite countless hours of scholarship, historians have yet to agree on the location for the Garden of Eden. One place we can be absolutely sure they need not examine is Old Elizabethans CC. In fact, the backdrop to Saturday’s cricket was so bleak that the rainstorm that arrived shortly after the close of Hertford’s innings actually brightened the place up.

A brief rain shower before the start of play meant that the covers had remained on right until the toss. Captain Pavey was once again deputising for Gus Joyce and was hoping to bowl should he win the toss. Alas, he called incorrectly, and the Old Elizabethans captain elected to field. Hertford’s batting order had two returning faces in its ranks, with Ashan Abeywickrema replacing Faiyaz Homyoon at 4 and Craig Lyte picking up the mantle at 7 from Brad Dawson.

Captain Pavey played and missed at two early deliveries, perhaps seeking to assert himself after missing out on a full toss early in the previous week’s match. Again, extras were plentiful as the bowlers struggled to find their line. Chandler’s coiled spring approach returned after the poise he had demonstrated the previous week, and he was visibly frustrated to feather behind in the 3rd over. Hugh Cavener replaced Chandler at the crease and played with soft hands, working the ball to leg and to third man with supple wrists. Rotation of the strike was the aim of the game, although one wondered from a distance whether Cavener’s soft hands were preventing him from truly punishing the bad balls outside off-stump.

Scoring therefore ticked over at a pedestrian rate, which was not too disappointing in the unfriendly conditions. Pavey loosened the shackles to some extent, flashing hard at wide deliveries and finding the boundary at backward point. A change in the bowling saw leg spin introduced into the attack. It would perhaps be unfair to describe this bowling as buffet: “takeaway” is more appropriate as it was being delivered by a man wearing a cap. A succession of half-trackers and floaty full tosses were punished by Pavey as the scoring rate increased. Cavener, unusually, failed to capitalise on such a veritable feast, and could only hit a full toss to the fielder at deep square leg where a very good catch was taken.

Ashan joined Pavey at the crease and the pair ran hard before the former was caught behind off the impressive Old Elizabethans off-spinner, who bowled with control and variety. Pavey had begun to take the game to the host’s left arm seamer with some swashbuckling blows over and through mid-on and reached his second-successive half-century shortly after. Hertford looked poised to charge and Pavey, pushing his case for selection in the run shy First XI, looked set to lead that charge.

The regular reader will know what happened next. Pavey played round a straight one and was adjudged leg-before. Rob McCarroll, our hero from last week’s saga, was then bowled by a ball which seamed back sharply at him, and Tom Orchard was similarly dismissed by a genuine googly delivered uncharacteristically by our capped protagonist. Suddenly, Hertford looked in trouble. Osborn could only muster 9 runs alongside Lyte before finding a fielder’s grateful hands and Hertford were 140-7. Captain Pavey asked the next batsman, Ben Orchard, to help get the side as close to 190 as possible, a sizeable ask given the situation. When Lyte, the last recognised batsman, was dismissed leg-before soon after, that task seemed even greater.

Orchard’s first scoring shot was a punched drive through extra-cover: “shot of the day” according to Old Elizabethans’ clearly very knowledgeable wicket keeper. Some loose bowling allowed Orchard to find two more boundaries before his brother Dan was deceived by a flighted delivery and bowled. The final wicket pairing of Ben Orchard and his very own Mr Miyagi, Tony Rhodes, were now all that was left for Hertford. Sensible running and customarily loud calling from Rhodes saw the Hertford innings reach the 45th and final over in the drizzle. The hosts’ left arm seamer bowled a leg side wide as Orchard advanced down the track before four successive boundaries ended the Hertford innings at 188-9.

Then the rain came, and all the excitement ended. The Hertford players dashed for their cars, where they would stay until the game was called off at 15:50 amidst a deluge. The hosts manfully and optimistically put the covers on before retreating to the pavilion.

Not much can be taken from this game in truth, as both teams likely had an eye on the impending weather. However, Pavey’s second half-century and Orchard’s first meaningful contribution with the bat for Hertford were two positives to be taken and built upon in the coming weeks, when hopefully we can all return to watching Rob McCarroll meet leather with willow in his imitable style.

Written by Ben Orchard.