Tigers outsized and outmuscled by Witney RFC ... but not outgunned

The combined Witney RFC and SpecialEffect Tigers after the game 

A warm Friday evening on the leafy outskirts of Witney and the sound of children shouting as they play outside the West Witney CC pavilion is suddenly broken up by raucous laughter. That’s right, Witney Rugby Club have arrived to play their annual 20/20 thrash against the Tigers.

Tigers team v Witney RFC

Back (l-r) Ed Juszczak, James Hayes, Paul Fagg, John Grain, James Ellwood, Baz Floyd, Stu Duff

Middle (l-r): Ben McPherson, Robbie Mills, Cam Newton-Grain

Front: Tom Juszczak

Witney RFC v SpecialEffect Tigers

Back (l-r) Robbie Richardson, Henry Lamb, Owen Fowler, Simon Copperwheat, Charlie Bennett, ?

Front (l-r): Dan Godfrey, ?, Ben La Costa, Dave Gardner, Simon Chatterton

Under darkening skies Witney RFC skipper, Owen Fowler, won the toss and with a quick glance at the heavens elected to bat. Game on!

Some early realisation that the Tigers’ wicket keeping gloves had been swiped meant that Ambush joint-skipper for the night, Floyd, was forced to bowl his spinners from the off as we waited for gloves to be driven in from Finstock (our thanks go out to Karen Juszczak for the ‘mercy dash’).

But, as Dave ‘Scottie’ Gardner and Dan Godfrey opened the batting it looked like the decision to bowl the slower bowlers first had paid dividends. Dan Godfrey totally misjudged one of James Hayes’ off-breaks and was cleanly bowled with just two to his name. First blood to the Ambush!

Charlie Bennett tormented Tigers bowlers with an excellent 28

However, two bloody noses off the rugby lads last season with new batsman Bennett being chief tormentor, caused a ripple of trepidation through the Ambush as the number three took to the crease. And, from early on, Bennett picked up where he left off last season as immediately took the fight to the Tigers.

With Gardner and Bennett looking comfortable, seeing off the first two Tigers bowling attacks, young Tom Juszczak struck a blow for the Ambush in bizarre fashion. Juszczak bowled, Bennett drove straightish, and the youngest Tiger in the field got his hand to the ball to divert it onto the non-facer’s stumps leaving Gardner stranded as he backed-up. A good knock from Scottie though and a valuable 20 added to the Witney RFC total.

And it was young Juszczak who struck again as new batsman Tom Buckingham looked to get aggressive from the outset. A drive for four and then a lofted drive to long-on and the hands of James Ellwood. Buckingham gone for four.

Next up for Witney RFC was big Simon Copperwheat. His shadow fell over the square before he’d got halfway to the crease and the bails rattled on the stumps as he strode out. Well, actually they didn’t but he is a bloody big bloke.

Simon Copperwheat blasted his way to a quick-fire 37 

And Big Si used that strength to full advantage as, grim faced, he set about the Tigers’ bowlers. As Charlie Bennett was, at last caught behind for 28 by Paul Fagg off Ben McPherson, Simon was still plundering the bowling with a series of fours and sixes.

Just as it looked as though Copperwheat would cruise to a half century, John Grain lured him into a big lofted drive to long on and Ellwood was under it to take his second catch of the night. The big man despatched eventually for 37.

Ben ‘Biscuit’ La Costa was next out to the wicket but, with his target now firmly set, Grain despatched back to the pavilion without troubling the scorer. Clean bowled and quacking all the way back to his teammates.

Carl Campbell joined Henry Lamb at the wicket as the overs dwindled. However, Lamb was retired before he even reached double figures for reasons best known to Witney RFC skipper, Owen Fowler.

Henry Lamb scrambles home as Ben McPherson scores a direct hit

And so into the Witney RFC tail-end. Strutty, like his mates Buckingham and Copperwheat, found Ellwood at long-on for Twiggy’s third catch of the night. The tail-ender gone for 3. And Carl Campbell would join him soon after as the ever-reliable Stuart Duff clean bowled him for 7.

At this point, the scoring became confused … as did I when trying to work it out. But as Chatterton nudged his way to a respectable 13, the Witney RFC tail end came to a close. But not before Tigers conceded 13 off the last over. Five of those from Stu Duff’s overthrows he tried to hurl his way to glory by running Chatterton out. The look on bowler, Newton-Grain’s face was a picture as Stu turned to apologise.

So, the Tigers would chase a pretty respectable 132 from their 20 overs.

It’s worth saying at the outset of the Tigers’ innings that triple-catching James Ellwood is actually a Witney RFC player. He defected to the Tigers for this game because Tigers joint-skipper for this one, Robbie Mills, asked him to.

The unfortunate Ben La Costa went for 2-0-21-0

And the Ambush was glad he did. Opening with Ben McPherson (yet another Tiger-Witney RFC player) Ellwood immediately set about trying to win the game on his own. Opening bowlers, La Costa and Lamb, had their bowling figures wrecked as Ellwood crashed four 4’s and four 6’s in the first four overs before Robbie Mills advised Floyd to retire him on the grounds of good sportsmanship.

James Ellwood, Tigers match-winning performance against his own rugby club 

Ellwood had got the Ambush off to a flyer with his quick-fire 50 not out. Normal service would be resumed as skipper Floyd took to the crease. Just for once, Floyd would outlast his batting partner as McPherson was clean bowled by the extremely useful Chatterton for 10.

Charlie Bennett & co take a rest as their team mates search for the ball

Floyd would be next to get despatched back to his usual batting place however (i.e. sat by the scorer). After uncharacteristically playing himself in against a mean Simon Copperwheat, Floyd chased big Si’s one wayward ball on his legs and was promptly caught behind by Lamb as he top-edged it. The skipper gone for 3.

Baz Floyd fends one off from Simon Copperwheat

The skipper is out, long live the skipper … time for tonight’s joint Ambush leader to replace his fallen team-mate. Cue catcalls, extreme sledging, hoots of derision and an immediate tightening of the fielding circle as Witney RFC favourite Mills took guard.

Simon Copperwheat turned in bowling figures of 2-0-6-1

But it would be Paul Fagg who would walk first. After hanging around and looking solid for his 7, the Tigers keeper fell foul of a jaffa from ‘Scottie’ Gardner. Clean bowled and heading for the pavilion.

The Robbie Mills fielding circle

Young Cam Newton-Grain joined Robbie at the crease and the two started to add some runs. Robbie, demonstrating he wouldn’t be intimidated by an ever-decreasing fielding circle, helped himself to a big six before being snapped up between mid-wicket and mid on by Copperwheat off the bowling of Dan Godfrey. The Tigers’ front-man might have gone but he’d added a valuable 13 as the overs dwindled and the target became ever smaller.

Simon Chatterton on his way to 2-1-7-1

Next to the crease came John Grain. And here, I think we have the first father/son batting partnership in Tigers’ history. Less than 20 needed now, would the Grain/Newton-Grain family combo steer the Tigers over the finish line.

Well, no has it happened but for all the world, it looked at one point as if they would. Both batting with measure and controlled aggression, the boys helped themselves to 10 apiece before Cam held one up off Campbell and into the grateful hands of Tom Buckingham and then John stepped across the line to be trapped leg before by Owen Fowler.

Stuart Duff would add another 7 to tie the scores before being bowled by Carl Campbell, leaving Badger-turned-Tiger James Hayes to grab the glory with the winning run. Except that didn’t work out either. The usually solid Hayes played around a peach of a ball by Fowler and was promptly bowled all over the place.

No, it was the second father/son combination of the night, who would help the Tigers stumble to victory. With three balls left, Ed nudged the required single and the speedy Tom Juszczak scampered down the wicket to see us home.

Good game lads!

Great evening, great game, great bunch of lads. Thanks very much to Witney RFC for being such good sports and providing much of the evenings’ mirth and merriment. Thanks too to Robbie and James for turning Tiger for the evening.

And, lastly, thanks to everyone from both sides for supporting our fantastic charity, SpecialEffect. Cheers fellas!

  

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