Ripley Away

A trip to Ripley was the order of the day for the last game in the first half of the season and Sherman losing the toss meant a long day in the field for Blubbs on a warm but over cast day which always looked like yielding some rain.

It was Winton who opened up the attack for the visitors from the castle end and after last week the team expected, Laves took over number two from the Harrogate end and Ripley got off to a flyer, the ball finding its way to the boundary from a string of edges.

Twenty six runs on the board and Winton hit the target cleaning up Grafton for eleven and the homeside were one down, one ball later it was two down when the stumps were uprooted again and Winton claimed victim number two.

Despite claims of players missing Ripley put up some resistance, more edges and more runs left Sherman scratching his head and eventually Mad Frankie came into the attack replacing Winton and Sherman replaced Laves who was struggling in the warm English sun.

Ninety six in the on the board and finally Brown managed to find a fielder, Bupa Boy clinging onto a skier at third man and Ripley were three down with still plenty of overs remaining.

Sherman got in on the act two runs later when a wobbling pie found the outside edge blobbing up a simple catch to Winton at mid on and Ripley were ninety eight for four and still a long way off the batting point.

Frankie struck again two overs later adding to Ripleys pain, knocking middle stump out of the ground when Cutts missed a straight one and Ripley were ninety nine for five.

A quick change in the attack and Frankie was off, Winton was on, Sherman was off and Frankie was back on doing the okie cokey. The change did the trick and Robinson was back in the hut, Bubba snapping up a catch from a short delivery from Winton and Ripley were struggling on one twenty eight for six.

Atkinson was next to depart when Winton smashed the stumps over again and the bowling point moved within Shermans grasp and Winton had claimed number four for the day.

Frankie made way for Splinter and Winton finished off another dazzling spell with four for twenty four and the runs started to dry up, another catch going to hand and Piewalker gave Splinter his first wicket of the day removing Snape for nought and Ripley were one forty for eight with ten overs still to play.

Laves was back on at the Castle End and happy with the wind behind him, so happy he snapped up icket number nine when Butch clung onto a thin outside edge from Sutcliffe and Blubbs had six overs to demolish the final pair.

It was looking like stalemate with the batting point, more runs adding to the Ripley total and the overs ebbing away, Sherman finally deciding to remove Splinter from the attack and calling on Bubba for the last two overs from the Harrogate End, it did the trick, prompting a decent ball from Laves full and

straight knocking over the stumps once again and Ripley were all out for one sixty seven and Bubba once again failing to turn his arm over on a Saturday.

Winton and Angry once again took to the field to start t off the Blubberhouses run chase as the second half got underway, the opening pair quickly got the score to thirty two when disaster struck, Angry trying to turn one round the corner to fine leg totally missed the full length delivery, wrapping him on the pads and up went the fielders. Tense moments followed as the umpire deliberated on the true course of the ball and in what direction it would have travelled had it not hit Angrys pad. The decision wasn't a good one for Angry as slowly up went the finger and Angry was on his way or was he, light a rabbit startled in the headlights of an oncoming car Angry froze, up went the finger again this time shaking like a man possessed and Angry finally started the long walk back the hut and Blubbs had lost their first wicket.

Winton continued his onslaught, smashing the ball round the park, notching up another half century for the season. The partnership of twenty nine between Bubba and Winton finally came to an end when Bubba scooped one straight back to the bowler and it was sixty one for two.

Arnie was the new man in and wasn't hanging around, sadly it was the runs he scored it was the balls faced and five runs later Blubbs were three down when Arnie's off stump to a beating from the ball.

Bupa Boy joined Winton and the partnership flourished, consecutive boundaries from Bupa and the game looked in the bag, unfortunately Bupa became victim number two when a bat pad was given as bat ball and Blubbs had four back in the shed with still another eighty three needed for victory.

Piewalker joined Winton in the middle to try stop the middle order falling over, things went from bad to worse with the score on ninety nine, a big swing from Winton and up went the ball, straight to extra cover and Blubbs were still sixty nine runs short of the target.

Laves was at the crease and Sherman was not starting to panic, a rash shot from Piewalker and it was six down for one hundred and ten and Splinter was making his way to the middle.

Good solid batting from Laves and Splinter saw the score slowly move past the one fifty and the game swayed back into the visitor hands, Laves finally chucked his wicket away with an attempted oik, toally missing the ball and over went middle stump.

The stumps took a hit again in the next over, Mad Frankie missing a straight one and the tension once again started to mount, Blubbs one fifty one for eight and Butch was in to save the day with only Sherman left to bat.

Confident batting by Butch and Splinter was enough to save the day, a pull to leg flying to the boundary off Butch's bat secured the win and Blubbs picked up all six for the third week running.

Points: Ripley 0, Blubberhouses 6

Fielding Points: Bubba (x2)

Fact of the Day:  Under the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct, it is considered unsportsmanlike to:

• appeal excessively;
• appeal in an intimidating manner towards an umpire; or
• appeal under the knowledge that the batsman is not out.

Any other you can think of?  

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