The IBP Cricket Trophy remains in the collective embrace of the PRs, following an 18-run victory over a strong journalists team in a high scoring game at Thames Ditton Cricket Club on 5 June 2008.
The PR’s were victorious and the Alan Hughes memorial trophy for ‘man of the match’ went to Nick Gill on the PRs side who played the game in a great spirit and encouraged everyone throughout.
The match, generously sponsored by stone specialists Szerelmey, was the tenth anniversary of this annual tussle and the omens were good for the journalists as their captain David Rogers won the toss and inserted the PRs. The hot sun seemed to becalm the PRs openers for a while as they got off to a slowish start.
However, with Mike Dixon (30) in slug hitting mode, ably backed up by John Howland of sponsors Szerelmey (30), the PRs accelerated their way to a towering 202 off their allotted 30 overs, one of the highest ever totals in these matches.
Nick Gill cracked an assured 32 and PRs captain Andy Walker weighed in with 33 to help build the total. Andy Cassie, a veteran of these clashes, weighed in with 17 while debutant Ian Mills (19) kept the score ticking along.
Chasing a high target, the journalists started well, taking advantage of a weaker than usual PR bowling attack. Solid knocks from Chris Hart (32), Russ Lynch (21) and a powerful display by journo veteran Ben Roskrow (37) kept the scribes up with the required rate as Walker tried to shuffle the pack, bowling eight of his team, to keep the opposition guessing.
Andy Geldard behind the stumps played very well indeed, taking a stumping and administering a couple of run outs as the journalists tried to chase down the PRs total. Nick Jones (11), David Rogers (Building) (17) and especially Chris Windle with a strident 31 kept the journalists in the hunt. Taking wickets at the right time enabled the PRs to stop the batsmen running riot and with three overs to go the journalists needed around 12 an over. In the end that was a target too far and the journalists were bowled out for 184, 18 runs short of their target.
As ever, the day was lovely – sunny all day and everyone had a great time. It was good to see a number of debutants on both sides, including two players from Building on the journalists’ team.
The Alan Hughes memorial trophy for ‘man of the match’ went to Nick Gill on the PRs side who played the game in a great spirit and encouraged everyone throughout.
Thanks go to David Helsen and all at Thames Ditton Cricket Club for hosting the game and to the Umpires and scorers for their tremendous input. Speaking of tremendous input, grateful thanks to our sponsor Szerelmey for their generous and enthusiastic support.
Here’s hoping that next year, an Ashes season, will inspire journalist and PR cricketers to even greater heights with bat and ball as they do battle once more for the 11th playing of the IBP Cricket Trophy.
The annual Journalists versus PRs cricket match, sponsored by Clancy Consultants Ltd., did not begin with a flourish. But by the end of the afternoon at Thames Ditton Cricket Club’s ground in Surrey it had turned into what more than one of the participants called ‘a classic’.
There were good, solid starts to each innings. Grieff and Cassie, opening for the PRs against some distinctly sharp medium fast bowling by Gaved and Lynch, seemed well in control and as the innings progressed useful contributions from Dixon, skipper Andy Walker and Chris Helsen pushed the total well into what looked like being the comfort zone.
And then came Helsen senior! I never saw David Helsen in his ‘pomp’ but these days his batting is uncompromisingly simple. He plants his front foot down the wicket and whacks whatever is bowled to him. So it was this time. He blasted his way to 29 and indeed carried his bat so that the PRs set a challenging total of 153.
The buzz went round the fielding PRs. “That should be enough.” So it should have been. After his usual poised start, Chris Hart fell victim to an unnecessary run out but then Dawson, Windle, Rogers and Lynch chipped away at their target – and suddenly it was in reach.
Walker, Dixon, Cassie and Chris Helsen had produced excellent bowling performances but they couldn’t quite get the final break through and the Journos finished at a dash.
It was all genuinely exciting stuff and the feel good factor that comes with a game of cricket keenly fought out between two well-matched sides was clearly evident in the bar afterwards.
Andrew Moffatt of Clancy Consultants Ltd. did the presentational honours and David Helsen, fresh from his batting triumph of the afternoon, was once again the genial host, dispensing drinks with the same skill with which he had wielded the willow. It had been a great match and was declared by a very large majority as ‘the best so far’.
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Andy Geldard behind the stumps played very well indeed, taking a stumping and administering a couple of run outs as the journalists tried to chase down the PRs total. Nick Jones (11), David Rogers (Building) (17) and especially Chris Windle with a strident 31 kept the journalists in the hunt. Taking wickets at the right time enabled the PRs to stop the batsmen running riot and with three overs to go the journalists needed around 12 an over. In the end that was a target too far and the journalists were bowled out for 184, 18 runs short of their target.