Page 193 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

Shaken and stirred
by urgent emails echoing through all
Drill Halls a healthy
squad of amateurs
was revealed to
be led by 2Lt
Tom Howe and
with the ‘social’
team in place – CSjt
Street on BBQ and a healthily-stocked bar provided by the Haber- dashers - the day was looking set to be a friendly, Downton-esque runout.
However, this bucolic nature of
this T20 match was shattered the moment
the XO was out for a duck; the opposition evidently had a well-practiced team! With the Battalion’s last wicket falling at 65, the offer to bat again was declined and a defensive game adopted thereby clawing back points.
Aided by the smell of an excellent BBQ , the improvement in the eld by ‘team Fiji’ manning the slips and the Padre’s divine provenance in taking the nal two wickets, it was not enough to stop the Haberdashers’ No 4 (who may have been a former England player before he found the City. I guess we won’t know.) from launching Rfn Smith’s mortar-like trajectory bowling for a number of sixes and sneaking past the total to end on 68 for 10.
The result became inconsequential as the sunshine, good company led to a local pub where the Battalion’s allegiance to the Livery Company was properly reinforced and... there is always next year!
The second game at Burton’s Court and nal match of the 2017 season was that against the Guards CC. Invited to bat rst this year, the opening partnership of Major James Edwards and LCpl Scott Roberts set about their task briskly, aided by a very short boundary on one side effectively turned any shot into a boundary though, elsewhere, unchar- acteristically long grass made running 4 a very real possibility. However, the Guards bowling used to the inconsistencies of the pitch soon induced wickets from half trackers and wides that consecutive batsmen scooped to cover and extra cover. Simon Child and Harry Thomson tried to steady the ship with some defensive batting but poor shots again and some unlucky bounce left the Ri es at 50 for 6 when the rain and the thunder struck. An early lunch did nothing to repair the damage as wickets continued to fall; the nal total of 81 was always going to be short.
De ant determination was to prove not enough for though Oli Jennings swung the ball wonderfully and the prodigious leg spin of Ben Howe saw pressure mount and wickets fall aided by smart glove work from Simon Childs that saw Nos 3 and 4 depart. Harry Thompson now began to bend his back but defending 81 was always an ‘ask’ and heroic defence from one Guardsman and some cheeky reverse sweeping from the other led the Guards CC home slowly beating by minutes the second storm of the day – sadly – but the early nish did allow both teams to sample the local fare with great gusto. A disappointing result but a great day enjoyed by all.
THE RIFLES
Inter Battalion T20 – Kenya Trophy 2017
Winners: Exiles (3rd, 4th and 7th Bns)
Runners Up: 1RIFLES
On a beautiful (and not to mention red hot) summers day, four teams came together from across the regiment to contend for the Kenya Cup in a 10 over a side round robin. Although deployed on operations, both 5 RIFLES and 2 RIFLES provided full XIs, which speaks volumes for the depth of cricketing enthusiasm, perhaps not talent, across the regiment. The other teams were 1 RIFLES (themselves hugely busy with members of the Battalion in both Belize and Uganda) and an Exiles team made up of players from 3, 4 and 6 RIFLES.
The Exiles were early favourites, and con rmed this after being put in to bat against 5 RIFLES, racking up a comfortable 94-1 off their 16 overs, Capt Alex Perry 3 RIFLES being stranded on 44* at the end of the innings. In reply, 5 RIFLES got off to the worst possible start , nding themselves four wickets down with only one run on the board at the end of the third over. They did rally but could only limp to 45 all out. On the other pitch, 1 RIFLES elected to bat against 2 RIFLES and with Maj Jono Mills (66*) leading the charge taking 1 RIFLES to 99-2. 2 RIFLES’ smart new limited overs kit did little to faze the opposition as they lost wickets at regular intervals and concluded on 63-6.
In the second round of matches, 5 RIFLES chose to bat against 1 RIFLES, who put in a very disciplined performance in the eld, restricting the Fifth to 53-5, with LCpl Ollerenshaw taking 2-15 off his three overs. It was never going to be enough, and the First battalion reached their target from the rst ball of the seventh over, led by some big hitting from Cpl Egerton (42*). Simultane- ously, the Exiles chose to bat against 2 RIFLES, making 126-4. The decision to retire his batsmen on 30 from the Exiles captain started to look like a bad one when LCpl Wes Hurn began to tee off in return for 2 RIFLES. Having tweaked his back bowling in the rst game, he showed real power hitting all around the wicket. The result was in no way decided until the penultimate over when he couldn’t quite clear long on, departing for 95. The innings concluded on 102-6, giving the Exiles a 24 run win.
Due to the nature of the results, with two teams having won both their games and the others having lost both, it was decided to make the nal round of games a 16 over-a-side decider for rst and third place. This would also reduce the 2 RIFLES team’s stress levels as on their dash to the airport to return to Northern Ireland.
IN the ‘Loser’s Final’, 2RIFLES, well nourished by the 1 RIFLES catering team’s epic BBQ, wisely chose to let 5 RIFLES run off their lunch rst. 2 RIFLES started well, with team captain Lt Ben Bishop struck in front on the second ball of the innings, but this brought Cpl Jones to the crease, who went on to share a 105-run partnership with Rfn Pidsley. Jones made 75 as the innings closed on 134-4. 2 RIFLES started brightly, and Cpl Ryan Changte supported LCpl Hurn ably before falling for 51 in the 13th over. In a thrilling nish, Maj Jules Kilpatrick hit the winning run with an over to spare, and 20 minutes in which to shower before having to leave for their ight to Northern Ireland!
The Kenya Trophy Final was contested between the Exiles and 1 RIFLES, the latter batting rst. They lost wickets at regular intervals but nished with a par score of 119-8 from their 16 overs, with the Exiles proving very much that holding your catches sets you up for success. In return, the Exiles cruised to the target quite comfortably, but only after having seen off the dangerous LCpl Ollerenshaw. The pick of the batsmen were LCpl Will Langford 3 RIFLES and Capt Matt O’Connor 4 RIFLES, with an entertaining cameo from Capt James Eaves 3 RIFLES.
All in all the day was a great success and an advert for the depth of cricket in the Regiment. Although the Exiles won for a third year, the return of full strength teams next year should be assured, and another highly competitive tournament will be the result. LCpl Wes Hurn was rightly named the player of the tournament for his 180 runs across three innings – clearly a talent for the future!
ALL IN ALL THE DAY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AND AN ADVERT FOR THE DEPTH OF CRICKET IN THE REGIMENT
RIFLES SPORTS 191