When the Valley of Peace CC team list was written up it appears that our captain for the match George Ritchie somehow mistook the ‘C’ to mean ‘Cripple’ and went and broke a bone in his arm the week before the game! Luckily we had some local knowledge and managed to fill this 11th spot on the morning of the match, and George came down to show off his cast and enjoy a cold drink in the sun.

The Valley lost the toss and were asked to bat first – an ominous sign after batting first the last two years and not winning either match. Josh Blackmore (37*) and Callum Rhodes (12) did very well in the opening batting pair against some good line and length bowling from Aaron (0-41-7) getting us through to 50 before Josh retired on 30*. The wickets started tumbling when we went from 63/1 to 65/2, then 65/3 before Micheal Goldstein (44) and Jesse Tritschler (33*) steadied the middle order a little bit. Drinks were taken at 93/3 and before long into the second session both batsmen retired on 30* each. During the second 20 overs, we lost Jeremy Wilson (2) and Geoff Olson (14) before Ed Murray also retired with his 30*. Coming into the final overs we saw 3 of the 4 retirees recycled and the VOP ended 211/8 after 40 overs – about par according to the locals.

The run chase didn’t get off to a great start for the home team after G Olsen snared an early wicket in the 3rd over and Graham Aveyard worked hard from the other end, his first 5 overs going for just 16 runs. Geoff grabbed another in his 3rd over and we were well placed with Millbrook at 56/4 after 16 overs, and we were still ahead of the game at drinks with Millbrook on 74/4. Unfortunately for us, the catching in the field stuttered somewhat after a refreshment, and some good middle order batting meant that by the time we held a catch in the deep the batting team was on 199/8 and we were just a little too late. C Rhodes claimed another scalp to a catch at deep point and with Millbrook now at 208/9 it came down to Mike to come back from his retirement and hit the winning runs safely….a very close finish as it transpired.

The local rules at Millbrook Cricket Club make it a tough day out for the bowlers – no LBW’s effectively also means no one gets bowled out either – of the 17 wickets taken on the day 15 were catches, there was 1 runout and Geoff Olson was the only bowler to achieve hitting the stumps – so well done to Geoff on sticking with it on a hot day in the field.

Having covered all of this, on the day we had 22 people have a bat and 18 have a bowl so I don’t think there can be too many complaints about not getting a go. And to have it come down the last wicket certainly made it a match that could’ve gone either way – a really good finish.

Thanks to Frazer Skinner for not only his long umpiring spell but also for running off and cooking the BBQ lunch – very much appreciated and a good showing of that classic Southern Hospitality we all enjoyed while in Otago. And thanks to Rob, Glen, and all the Millbrook guys for hosting us and continuing the great relationship we have between our clubs – we look forward to seeing you in Christchurch in December 2021.

Match Summary:

Valley of Peace CC (211/8) lost to Millbrook CC (213/9) by 1 wicket

VOP, 211/8 off 40.0 overs

M Goldstein 44

J Blackmore 37*

J Tritschler 33*

E Murray 30*

Bill (3-18-3)

Ross (2-22-5)

Millbrook CC, 213/9 off 37.0 overs

Jason 38

Mike 37*

Alan 33*

James 28

G Olsen (3-25-7)

J Kirk (3-50-7)

G Aveyard (1-22-7)

C Rhodes (1-26-3)

E Murray (1-21-3)

J Wilson (0-28-6)

M Kirk (0-22-3)

M Goldstein (0-18-2)

 

Jesse Tritschler, Valley of Peace Cricket Club

 

Millbrook CC pavilion – BBQ’s up

Millbrook CC pavilion and spectators

Millbrook CC the long boundary

Millbrook CC – an alpine backdrop

Millbrook CC pavilion and grounds

The Valley of Peace cricket team, Millbrook Feb 2021 (G Olsen)