Bass Rock Cricket Club vs Dollar Cricket Club. 

Date: 14/08/22 | Location: North Berwick | Conditions: Warm and overcast with some sunny intervals | Overs: 30

DCC returned to Bass Rock CC in North Berwick, the scene of last year’s epic victory and even more epic drinking session, looking for a repeat performance.  It was a 10-aside game due to some very late on the morning hangover-related call offs (not mentioning any names Smart or Kirby).

Our hosts asked us to bat first, so that they could fire up the BBQ during their innings ensuring immediate post-match burgers and beers.  Buchanan-Smith (captain for the day) and Hadley took a measured, steady approach, calmly building a solid start to the innings with no loss of wicket until the sixth over.  Hadley, who had been looking assured, had his shot plucked out of the air at mid-wicket off the bowling of the younger Milne for 8.  Hall entered the fray and played a superb innings in partnership with Buchanan-Smith, keeping the captain on strike with a run of singles.  Buchanan-Smith was next to fall, cutting a ball from Laing back onto his stumps, for 16. 

Smith joined Hall and the pair quickly moved the scoreboard forward, with Hall reaching 20 before he was bowled by the Bass Rock skipper Armstrong.  Tindsley was next in and wasted no time in joining Smith in a run frenzy.  Smith was eventually caught off the bowling of the elder Milne, for 39, having scored six 4s along the way.  Harper was dropped in the deep of his first ball and made the most of it to score a rapid 11 before again being caught off Milne. 

With plenty of overs to go, Fensom joined Tindsley and set about playing a supportive role to allow the former skipper to build his innings, avoiding playing the rash shots that typified the first half of his season.  Tindsley continued in good form until he was bowled, by Milne, for 20 leaving the DCC tail exposed.  Turner went quickly for a duck attempting a slog, bowled by Milne, before Fensom, who by then had hit three fours, mistimed a slower ball from Gray straight into the waiting arms of mid-on.  Wilton was bowled by Lyle for a duck and Matthews ended unbeaten on 0 having not faced a ball.   A special mention to the young Moeden boys, Charlie and George, who bowled four overs between them.

Final Score: 143-9 inside 26 overs. 

Smith 39, Hall 20, Tindsley 20, Buchanan-Smith 16, Fensom 14. 

Milne D 4-27

The departure at the interval of the young boys allowed Bass Rock to make a tactical switch replacing them with the more experienced Verma and Salmond!  Undaunted, DCC set about with a great intensity, with Smith picking up a wicket on just the fifth ball of the innings when Gray hit straight into the safe hands of Harper for a duck. 

Hall continued from the other end, with Lyall out for 10 from a quite incredulous one-handed catch plucked out of the air by Fensom.  Laing was dangerous hitting four 4s and a 6 before he was brilliantly removed, caught and bowled by Tindsley diving low to his right, for 29.  Verma displayed his experience with a number of boundaries before being bowled by Buchanan-Smith for 13. 

Milne D, confident from his four-for bowling figures, led a display of power hitting, including multiple boundaries off Buchanan-Smith in one over.  The DCC skipper had has revenge however, with a brilliant pick up in the deep thrown to Smith at the stumps for a run out by the keeper, Milne D gone for 30. 

Sensing the game slipping away from them, Bass Rock sent Salmond into the fray and his experience steadied the ship and kept the scoreboard ticking along with six boundaries.  Coupe went quickly for a single, bowled for 1 by Tindsley, before Fensom picked up a controversial wicket of Murden, his suspiciously high ball deemed valid by Umpire Verma and caught by a diving Buchanan-Smith at square leg. 

A tense finale was set up, with Bass Rock needing just a handful of runs but only having 1 wicket in hand.  The penultimate ball by Fensom could have won DCC the game, Armstrong hitting it just past the diving Tindsley and scampering to the other end, making it just in time before an attempted run out by Turner.  Salmond then calmly hit the next ball for 4, literally taking Bass Rock across the line. 

Final Score: 146-8 inside 24 overs.

Salmond 36*, Milne D 30, Laing 29.

Tindsley 3-22

MotM:

Milne D for Bass Rock, with 4-27 and 30 runs.

Tindsley for DCC with strong batting, great bowling and athleticism, a stint behind the stumps as well as marshalling the team ably with Buchanan-Smith. 

Tindsley commented “it was great to play in every position today and I think I would have taken even more wickets had I played in my blue-suede ten-pin bowling shoes.“

Post-match, Bass Rock hosted a fine BBQ before Buchanan-Smith led an impressive team drinking session, Chairman Donaldson displaying a fine range of movement in the game of ‘11’.  Tim Dillon can rest easy that he is no longer the worst ‘21’ player in DCC history, Wilton taking on that mantle with aplomb, more stacked than the air traffic control tower at Heathrow! 

A special mention to Harper for organising our executive travel and Buchanan-Smith for the golden arches breakfast feast.  We look forward to the 2023 edition of this fine fixture with relish.