Scorecard

Old Victorians CC Jersey v Incogniti Cricket Club Incogniti CC on Mon 06 May 2019 at 12.00 TBC
Incogniti Cricket Club Lost by 3 wickets

Match report Incogniti tour to Jersey, 5 – 7 May 2019
A vanguard comprised mainly of Wakefords arrived in St Helier on Saturday 4 May for Incogniti CC’s first tour to the Channel Islands in over a decade. They were joined the next day by the remainder of the touring party; a mix of established members, candidates and guests with a range of cricketing skills almost as broad as their list of ailments.

After a systematic and detailed breakfast briefing of exactly how many different bars there were at the hotel, we journeyed to the picturesque Farmers Ground to play Farmers CC, bathed in glorious, near-French sunshine. It is difficult to believe that this idyllic setting was a couple of potato fields just 15 years ago. However, after spending some time talking to club chairman, landlord and groundsman James Perchard, you can begin to see how the transformation was possible. With passion and expertise (and forgiving personal tax rates), anything is possible.

Captain Bardon performed his first job admirably, calling correctly (heads) and opting to bat on what looked like an excellent wicket. Candidates Will Lake and Orban Holdgate opened the batting and set about building a solid platform against some enthusiastic seam bowling from the hosts. When Holdgate departed for 14, it brought Jack Atchinson to the wicket, fresh from three hotel room changes that morning. Jack played a collection of delightful late cuts and later cuts on his way to 16 before falling to an off-spinner, making the mistake of trying to hit the ball in front of square on the off side. There followed the defining partnership of the match, between Lake, who cruised to a classy 94, and captain Bardon, who clung on to his coattails for 55. When Bardon and Wakeford Jnr were dismissed in consecutive balls, Incogs’ momentum could have slowed, but first Peter Monar and then guest Alistair Hart manoeuvred the field expertly, as befits cricketers of their vast experience, to shepherd us to 251 for 5 declared from 49 overs.
After the traditional port-enhanced tea break, Incogs took to the field, a spring in their collective step (or was that a limp?). If there is one thing more traditionally Incogniti than port at tea, it is a Wakeford opening the bowling from each end. Snr took the first over and bowled with great control, sometimes going as long as four or five balls without a bouncer. As ever, Jnr wheeled away manfully up the hill into the breeze, and while their opening burst of 14 overs only yielded one wicket (more uprooted stumps for Ben), the control they gave limited Farmers to less than 50. That allowed candidate Patrick Bennett to bowl some attacking lines in search of extra wickets, and he produced the ball of the day to disturb Farmers’ number 3’s off stump. A spell of tight bowling through to the drinks break had Farmers well behind the rate, at which stage the Incogs captain sportingly agreed to ensure that Farmers received the same number of overs that we had received, even though it ensured his charges a long evening in the field. It was a move that arch-sportsman Tom Wakeford would have been proud of, in spite of his pained comments to the contrary at the time.

Further tight bowling from spin twins Nav Mailk and Peter Monar meant the game was effectively over as a contest after 40 overs. Peter in particular did not let a few reverse sweeps get under his skin (too much) and bowled leg spin with control that belied the length of time between his appearances. Farmers ended on 215-8, with the loudest cheer of the day coming from their players as their opener holed out for 95 in the final over. With friends like these…

There followed an enjoyable BBQ and another conversation with Don-Perchard, who informed us that our proposed venue for the next day really wasn’t befitting of the Incogniti, so he had arranged for the fixture to be moved to Farmers. How’s that for hosting?

We duly returned to Farmers the next day for our fixture against Old Victorians Cricket Club, this time a 40 over game. The arrival was a little closer to the start time than the previous day, with many of the team having sampled some (but by no means all) of our hotel’s bars. By this time our numbers had been boosted by the arrival of bearded duo Neil Gill and Jim Green, who duly slotted into the top three. They and Nav Malik dug in against an aggressive new ball pairing, which peppered the batsmen, uncaring of their experience or exploits the night before. Incogniti were three down before long and scrambling for pads and painkillers alike. Tom Wakeford and Jack Atchinson steadied the ship, with Tom looking particularly controlled for his 42. However, Jack’s dismissal for 14 precipitated another mini collapse and it was suddenly 100-6. Spirited lower order resistance from Bardon, Lake and Patrick Bennett ensured Incogs reached 180, but we were disappointed to be dismissed inside our full allocation of overs.

Old Victorians set about their target with gusto early on and, despite two early wickets for Lake, it was only the introduction of spin that halted their scoring. Nav Malik first restricted and then dismissed the opposition captain, smartly stumped by candidate Tom Bennett behind the wickets. This was an excellent scalp for Nav, of the “best batsman on the island”, who would have been playing for Jersey against Hampshire Seconds that day, had he not retired earlier in the year. At drinks the game was in the balance, but despite excellent supporting hands from occasional bowlers Gill and Atchinson, some fearless batting from Old Victorians’ inexperienced lower-middle order powered them over the line with an over to spare. In the end a defeat by three wickets, but a very competitive game.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable return to the Channel Islands for The Incogniti. Great facilities, accommodating opposition and plenty of activities for families visiting with the players. A special thank you to Jim Green and Peter Monar for playing through knee injuries, and to Alistair Hart for leaving the Botanical Gardens to be a sub fielder on the second day. Over curry on the final evening all agreed that we wouldn’t hesitate to return. I would encourage you to join us next year.

Incogniti Cricket Club Incogniti CC Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
33b  
for 10 wickets
33
181		        
Jim Green ct ct. D Burrell, b. H Brooks 13
Naveed Malik ct ct. and b. C Carnegie 1
Neil Gill b C Carnegie 8
Tom Wakeford ct ct. W Jenner, b: R Forrest 42
Jack Atchinson ct ct. P Gough, b: E Giles 14
Candidate Two b O Holdgate: b. E Giles 4
Tom Bennett ct ct. P Gough, b: E Giles 0
Samuel Bardon ct ct. E Giles, b: H Brooks 28
Candidate One ct Will Lake: ct. J Carnegie, b: C Breeze 25
Guest One not out P Bennett 12
Peter Monar st st. P Gough, b: H Brooks 1

Old Victorians CC Jersey Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Old Victorians CC Jersey Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
17b  
for 7 wickets
17
184 (39.0 overs)		     
D Kotedia lbw W Lake 10
P Gough st N Malik 39
W Jenner ct ct. T Bennett, b. W Lake 1
R Carnegie Run out  36
J Carnegie ct ct. W Lake, b. N Malik 1
E Giles ct ct. O Holdgate, b. N Gill 15
R Forrest Not Out  25
D Burrell ct ct. A Hart, b: W Lake 35
C Carnegie Not Out  5
H Brooks  
C Breeze  

Incogniti Cricket Club Incogniti CC Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Candidate Two8.002739.003.38
Guest One7.003400.004.86
Naveed Malik8.0229214.503.63
Tom Wakeford8.004700.005.88
Neil Gill4.0020120.005.00
Jack Atchinson4.002000.005.00