Beavers dreams of a win turn to Ashes at sweltering Swinbrook

Stuffed Beavers CC

Back (l-r) Danny Fitzgerald, Rob Watkins, Amit Popat, Dom Hogan, Paul Simpson

Middle (ends): Phil Burgess and Kevin Antonio

Front: Neil Morton, Ian Brookes, Jamie Atkinson, Bob Gall

Laying at the front: Nige Gurney

SpecialEffect Tigers CC

(l-r) Tom Juszczak, Jack Frowde, George Fagg, Paul Fagg, Stuart Mason, Tim Lowe, Chris Ellis, Ben McPherson, Cam Newton-Grain, Chris Grain, Ed Juszczak and Baz Floyd

Prior to the match report for Sunday’s friendly 20/20 against Stuffed Beavers, let me tell you a little about our opponents. The Beavers are a long established cricket team made up mainly of a group of friends who met at University. Their skipper, Nige Gurney tells me that the unusual name that many of the Tigers found a tad amusing, comes from their old mascot at Uni which was … a stuffed beaver.

The Beavers love their cricket and even travel to the other side of the world every year to play in the Chiang Mai Sixes Tournament in Thailand.

So, there you go. Its always nice to know a little about the teams that travel from far and wide to glorious West Oxfordshire and this year we’ve managed to root about to learn a little about the Beavers.

Okay, so Swinbrook Cricket Club kindly stepped in to host this year’s fixture between the Tigers and the Beavers and what a belter of a day it was. Beautiful sunshine, thirty degrees heat and the potential to Cook quite easily, a church Bell off in the distance and the celebratory noise from a radio as England struggled home to beat the Aussie’s in the first test at Trent Bridge. A perfect day for a game of cricket.

Chris Grain, fresh back from being mozzie food in Sardinia, returned to lead the Ambush for this one and was keen to carry on the Tigers’ winning streak. Winning the toss was a good start. The Tigers would bat first.

George Fagg, one of three Tigers debutants today, opened the batting with the well-established and gifted Tim Lowe. But the Beavers’ bowlers were celebrating early on as Fagg lofted one to the safe hands of Bob Gall off the bowling of Neil Morton. Fagg took the walk back to the pavilion with just the single to his name.

Debutant George Fagg

Only one to his name but a fantastic fielding performance

With the in-form Chris Grain and Tim Lowe in the middle, the Tigers might have been forgiven for sitting back and watch the runs stack up. As is so often the way with the Tigers, things just didn’t pan out the way one would expect. Beavers’ Rob Watkins lured Tim Lowe down the wicket for a big shot and when the ball rapped the opener on the pad let the umpire know he thought he was a gonner. To Tim’s dismay the umpire agreed and, for the second time this season, the big man grudgingly strode away from the square lamenting an lbw decision. The wicket left the Tigers in trouble at 13-2.

Chris Grain on his way to another captain's innings of 37

Our debutant overseas player, Kiwi Stuart Mason joined Chris Grain at the crease, supporting the Tigers’ skipper as he once again steadied the ship. In his first game on English soil, Stuart chipped in with 8 before being removed by the guileful Kevin Antonio. Attempting to drive back past the bowler, it was Kevin himself who snapped up the catch to send Stuart back.

Debutant Kiwi, Stuart Mason chipped in with 8 and another excellent fielding performance. Good arm Stu'!

Chris Grain was next to go for an excellent 37 as he tried to play across the line to Phil Burgess. The ball kept straight and went through bat and pad to bowl the Tigers skipper middle and off. Supported by Chris Ellis however, the two had moved the score on to a more respectable 69-4.

As the afternoon grew hotter, so did the bowling. The wickets starting to tumble again as the game began to swing back the Beavers’ way. Ellis caught at fine leg for eight as he tried to pull off the bowling of Dom Hogan. And he was followed quickly by his partner in crime, Ben McPherson who departed for 5 after being bowled by Rob Watkins. The Tigers 70-5 and reeling again.

But Paul Fagg and third debutant Jack Frowde were ready to take up the fight again as the pair staged an aggressive comeback. As the pair set off at a quick Trott, Paul Fagg cracked two fours before being bowled by Neil Morton for 12. And Jack Frowde smashed two big sixes on his way to 13. Frowde became Rob Watkins’ third Tiger skin of the day, bowled as he attempted another boundary beater. The two had eased some of the pressure, moving the score along to 94-7.

 Debutant Jack Frowde. Two huge sixes and a brilliant fielding performance

Baz Floyd’s dismissal for one after being bowled by Kevin Antonio evoked an amusing note in the scorebook by Geoff Lowe. ‘Inside edge onto foot then onto stumps. Of all sad words of thought and pen, the saddest are these, it might have been’. Another farcical dismissal for Floyd. He could write the Darwin Awards book of ridiculous cricket dismissals as a follow up to his bestseller 'My tragic life trying to play cricket'.

Ed Juszczak and Cam Newton-Grain made the last stand for the Ambush. That was until Cam became Kev Antonio’s third wicket of the day, dollying back to the bowler with a brace of runs to his name. Ed had added a useful seven and the Tigers were all out for a competitive 117.

To the sound of someone singing Richie Valens’ La Bamba, really badly from the nearby Swann pub, Bob Gall and Rob Watkins strode out to start the Beavers’ run chase. And a good start they made too. The Broad shoulders of Gall being put to good use as he hoisted a couple of big sixes, one a piece off the Tigers’ strike bowlers.

It was when Tigers’ nerves were beginning to jangle that Newton-Grain drew first Beaver blood, bowling Watkins for 8 with an absolute jaffa. But the Beavers had made a good start with 29-1 on the scoreboard.

Gall continued his onslaught on the bowling but finally fell to the crafty Ben McPherson. Bowled for 22, Gall’s dismissal came at 37-2. This was going to be tight.

However, within a few balls, the game moved back in favour of the Tigers as Tim Lowe took a superb two-handed catch at first slip to dismiss the dangerous Neil Morton off the bowling of Ben McPherson for just one. 39-3.

Dom Hogan gets that one away down mid wicket

Dom Hogan was joined by Phil Burgess in the middle and the partnership was beginning to look like a threat to the Tigers as the opening bowlers finished their spell. However, the pendulum would swing Tigers’ way again with Ed Juszczak’s first ball. Hogan trapped leg before wicket for ten. 56-4.

With Ian Brookes playing a useful support role to Phil Burgess, the pair added another 13 before Brookes was bowled by Chris Ellis for 5. 69-5.

Beavers' Phil Burgess driving his way to a superb 29

And now the wickets really started to tumble as Ed Juszczak spearheaded a Tigers onslaught on the Beavers’ batting. Jack Frowde took an excellent catch off the bowling of Juszczak to dismiss Kev Antonio for one. Juszczak was in the action again ten runs later when he bowled Danny Fitzgerald for six. The Beavers were starting to teeter but the big-hitting Burgess was still at the crease.

With the score on 87 and the game still in the balance, Juszczak struck again for his fourth wicket of the day. And it was the wicket that might have ended Beavers’ hopes of the win as Phil Burgess was bowled for 29. Great that Ed's wife Karen was at the game to see the four wicket haul, And'erson Ross of course.     

  Ed Juszczak, Tigers top bowler today with 3-0-19-4

Chris Ellis would take out Ramos, bowled by a slow, short pitched ball that kept low and then used himself as a battering ram to knock his own fielder out the way to catch Paul Simpson off his own bowling. Finn pickings for the tailender as he walked for a duck.

The Stuffed Beavers all out for 90 and the Tigers grab their third win on the bounce by 27 runs. Now I know it’s a cliché but cricket was the winner in this game. That and spending a beautiful summers afternoon in the field with a great bunch of blokes. Thanks to every Tiger and Beaver who turned out for this fixture and made it a thoroughly enjoyable day.

And while we’re on the subject of thanks, I’ve got loads more of thanks to say. To the brilliant Geoff Lowe (Tim’s dad) for scoring and to my dad for manning the bar. Massive thanks also to Claire Newton (John Grain’s wife), Chris Grain and Franca, Chris’ mum and my sister Dons for helping provide the tea.

Lastly, thank you to Nigel White and Swinbrook CC for hosting us for the afternoon and to Stuffed Beavers for a fantastic donation to our wonderful charity, SpecialEffect. Cheers guys.

Click the image above for Tigers batting and Beavers bowling

And click here for Stuffed Beavers CC batting and Tigers bowling

And if anyone can tell me how I can work into the text the remaining two players of England's victorious 1st test winning side (Pietersen and Bairstow) I'm all ears ;-)