Old Lyonian Cricket Club: 1st XI Report 2007 PDF Print E-mail
Having survived a last match relegation battle last year, our first year in the first division, the team was optimistic for better performances this season. With the inclusion of some new players, mainly to strengthen our batting, we had good reason for optimism.

The first game of the season, at home to Edmonton, was nearly a disaster and could have easily ended in defeat. Just as we were getting ready to bat, a prolonged heavy shower left an already wet wicket soaking. Despite the Umpires wanting to abandon the game, I took the decision to play. Some accurate bowling on a very wet wicket and field made scoring very difficult indeed and after 30 overs we were struggling at 55 for 5. However a brilliant counter attack by Shoeb and Junaid, who decided to overcome the wet outfield by taking the aerial route, took us to a total of 195 all out. We had secured the maximum batting points and with only 20 overs available to the opposition, we ended up with a winning draw. All other games in the league were abandoned so what seemed like a very bad move at one point ended by giving us some very useful bonus points.

Our next two games against Harrow St Mary’s and Southall highlighted problems within our batting as we failed to capitalise on excellent performances by our bowlers. In each match the opposition was dismissed for under 150 but we failed to reach such moderate targets, recording a loss and a draw. In a strong performance against Glaxo, the newly promoted team, we fell just short of victory with the opposition’s last pair managing to survive three overs.

The next few games also saw us wasting very strong bowling performances by some weak and inept batting. We were failing to beat scores of less than 150 and losing games which we should have won easily. No wonder there was an air of frustration and resignation within the team: fears of relegation seemed to gain strength with each passing game. Despite some high quality batsmen in the team our batting lacked method and application. It was so frustrating to see mediocre opposition, with no more than average batsmen, giving gutsy performances against our bowling attack – one of the best in the league - and then our clearly more gifted batsmen surrendering their wickets under the slightest pressure. Of course, we did not have the overseas professional player that most other teams had in their ranks and who frequently proved to be the difference between the two teams, yet we believed we had one of the most balanced and strongest teams in the league.

The first signs of a change of fortunes came up in a game that we lost to Southall. This was strange, for there was another poor batting performance. We were all out for 135, but still managed to get the opposition down to their last wicket and, but for a dropped catch, should have won the game. This ray of hope strangely came in the form a bowler, one that had not been used so far: Dawood, a leg spinner who was having a lean time as an opening batsman. This year there was a significant change in Dawood’s bowling: his accuracy and the speed and trajectory of his deliveries seemed perfect.

The following week, the game against Glaxo.was a game we had to win. They started very well and were 85 for 2 in 20 overs. I could sense a few heads dropping. After the drinks break, spin was introduced from both ends and Dawood produced some magic to claim 4 wickets and bowl out the opposition for 135. For once, chasing a target did not seem to present any problems and we won by 7 wickets — our first win of the season.
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In the next game at Calthorpe, our bowlers were dominated as the opposition scored 235. The plan was to play for a draw but then the seemingly impossible happened: in a remarkable recovery of form, our batsmen scored the required runs with loss of only 4 wickets in 38 overs, led by a much needed century from the skipper. Suddenly there was an air of optimism and expectancy within the team. We knew we were capable of putting up such performances regularly. And our next game was against Osterley, the run away league champions for the last three years, a team that has not lost a single league game for three years. But Old Lyonians had a newly found confidence and, against all odds and the weather, chased down a total of 215.

The team was now playing like a unit and in the last three games, there were two more victories against Birkbeck College and Old Actonians. Thanks largely to the spin duo Dawood and Aamir, backed up by some confident batting displays, we finished in fourth position in the league.

We always knew we were one of the better teams in the league and we are glad we eventually managed to produce performances to reflect our abilities. This season has been a steep learning curve. We hope to return next year with a better squad and hopefully utilise the experience of the past two years to challenge for the title. If there are any accomplished or promising cricketers reading this, please join us to contribute to the success of this club.