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Match Reports for Saturday 4th X1Versus Bexley on 17th June in the South Thames League Result: DULWICH win (16 points) It was the best-prepared Dulwich 4th XI of the season; some said of all time: they were ready, they were hungry (and Alistair Sykes had gone up to the 3rds so there was every chance of getting some tea), and skipper Ian Marshall had a plan. He’d analysed the videos of Bexley’s previous games and noted some key things. Their bowlers, he discovered, took most of their wickets either with straight balls that hit the stumps, or when they persuaded the batsmen to hit the ball in the air to a fielder. His strategy to counteract this was radical: he would tell the batsmen to try to hit the ball before it hit the stumps, and that they should not hit the ball in the air to a fielder. If they did hit it in the air it must be away from a fielder. Bexley’s batsmen, he spotted, hit most of their runs off long hops, full tosses and wide half volleys – all bad balls. Dulwich’s bowlers clearly must avoid falling into the trap of bowling these balls, and bowl only good balls. Yes, he thought, I have learned from the Svenmeister (‘Well, er, we get the ball then, yes, we give it to Wayne Rooney, and we hope he does something with it, and then we win the World Cup.’) His team had put in their training too. Peter Rice and Danny Durham took inspiration from the heroes of their boyhood, Don Bradman and Denis Compton in one case, and Nasser Hussain, Freddie Flintoff and James Anderson in the other. David Begg was watching constant reruns of the first 80 minutes of England v Trinidad and Tobago to fire himself up. David Woods, returning to the side after a long absence, went for a very pleasurable massage in an obscure part of Croydon to ensure full flexibility and to bring a smile to his face. Even Deb Biswas had picked out just the right jacket for the game that said he meant business. The team was ready. Skipper Marshall saw the clear skies, phoned the Met Office to check that the sun would linger all day, just in case cloud cover should help the ball swing at any stage. No stone was unturned. Then came the devastating news: Bexley had failed to get a team together. All Dulwich’s preparations had scared them rigid; they forfeited. Champagne moment: None Pickled egg moment: Bexley’s forfeit at 10.45
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