What a difference a Week makes!

Marshfield 3rd’s vs Chippenham 4ths, 13th July 2019

Marshfield won by 51 runs

It’s been a trying season in the thirds. Whereas last year the issues at selection were keeping non-selected players happy, and considerations of running a 4th team, 2019 has been characterised by a distinct dearth of players and often has seen the 3rds turning out sides far weaker than would be ideal, and certainly well below the standard most weeks in 2018. So it was something of a surprise to find on Monday night that some actual selection might need to take place. Emerging from the meeting the team sheet for the thirds had two stand out picks – Charlie Chivers, making his first 3rds appearance since 2015 and Gary Hodder, freed from Devon for a guest appearance at his old stomping ground. Throw in stalwarts Creed, Christie, Pullin and Tanner and things certainly looked brighter than for many a week.

On winning the toss, the Chippenham skipper had no hesitation in inserting the home side, perhaps influenced by the easy win in the first fixture. Jim turned to the returning Guy and your correspondent to open up. Most unusually the game started some 15 minutes early, and so it was that Woodman was out before the scheduled start of the match, getting the faintest scratch on a wide one in the second over. Having spent a week at the University of Bath Graduations, with the Vice-Chancellor’s words about personal integrity hammered in during every ceremony there was never a doubt about walking, even though neither the umpire nor bowler had heard the edge. Woodman departed, thanked by the Chippenham players for honesty, integrity intact.

Pullin was bowled by a decent Yorker, and Christie top-edged to Hussey, running round behind the keeper from slip, and things were not looking too clever at 29-3. Enter Chris Ruddell, not known for extravagant strokes, but possessed of calm temperament and solid defence. Following instructions from the skipper he now played sensibly and kept Guy company as slowly runs were accumulated. When Ruddell was eventually dismissed the score had moved to 64 and the opening bowlers had been replaced. Hodder now joined Guy, and he too calmly took stock of the situation. With Richard now starting to find some fluency the runs were coming, and eventually, the first two batting points were in the bag. Guy perished for a fine 60, toughed out at the start and more freely scoring towards the end. The onus was now on Hodder, and he did not disappoint. Supported by Creed, Dixon and Tanner, he opened up, crashing three sixes to end on 50 not out, and the team on 167 for 7. With the outfield at Tormarton unusually swift, this was probably 20-30 below par but was at least something to defend.

Tea, as ever at home, was provided by everyone, with a slight preponderance of cake, including one whopper from Jane Christie that would have been more at home on the Great British Bake Off.

In response, Chippenham started carefully against some high-quality swing from Charlie Chivers, at a good pace too. Indeed he was unlucky not to claim the first wicket, with Pullin uncharacteristically dropping a reasonably straightforward chance at first slip. Instead, the first wicket came from a most unlikely route. With the runs being squeezed by Chivers, ably backed up by Will Christie, the Chippenham openers were forced into taking quick singles. Looking for one off first change Dixon, the ball went to Charles Harris at mid-on. Both batsmen were at the striker's end, and Charles had an age to calmly pick up and throw to Dixon, who removed the bails to run out Hussey. Dixon then removed Parkes, bowled off his pads, and Chapple, who somehow played on (in extreme slow motion). With a Dixon long hop despatched straight to Creed at square leg, Dixon suddenly had three wickets and Chippenham were tottering at 56-4. Graham Tanner now struck to bowl Ara, Dixon claimed his fourth inducing Clark to hit his own wicket, just after Guy had dropped a dolly looping catch to gulley off him. At 73-6 the target looked a long way off, at least until Tompsett (W) hit his first two deliveries for four, and carried on playing big shots to everything. With Milton, a crucial 25 runs were added, but just after Milton was bowled by Creed, Tompsett was also dismissed, a calmly taken catch at long-on by Christie off the skipper. The end came swiftly – Garton was out LBW first ball leaving Creed on a hat-trick (not completed). The last wicket should have been taken at second slip by Tanner off the bowling of Chivers, brought back to close the game out. Alas, like Pullin before him, the chance was missed. It did not prove costly, and Guy this time clung on to a skier at mid on shortly after and the game was done.

While this was great to return to winning ways, much work remains to be done, and when all the results were added to the league, the 3rds still found themselves in the last place, although three sides above are within 11 points.

Some great performances on the day – the batting of Guy and Hodder giving enough runs to play with, and some tidy bowling all round, including Dixon’s 9-3-23-4. However, for this correspondent, the MoM must be Charlie Chivers for his excellent bowling which set the tone for the Chippenham innings and deserved far greater rewards than 8.4-3-29-1 suggests.

 "Tumble" Tim Wooman

Some images from the game, click on a thumbnail to see a larger version.