T20 Oslo 2021 Match 2: Nord B vs Aliens
After having to wade to the stands at Stubberudmyra the previous week just to the umpires could call a wash-out, round 2 was effectively our season opener. And the forecast could not have been much more different to round 1, with the forecast being for one of Oslo’s warmest days of the summer. The call was sent out earlier in the week for any party-tents that could be donated to the cause of preventing heat-stroked Aliens. None were offered but shade was nonetheless brought to the ground in the form of lean-to tarps and beach umbrellas.
As another measure against the heat a 12-man squad was fielded for the match (down from 13 after one Alien was roped into a family beach day instead). The squad included four Aliens debutants: Ankush, Anshul, Jarred and Pete Ward. Welcome fellas! This match also saw the reuniting of the Hinchcliffe brothers on the cricket field, for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Aliens were to bat first in on the treacle-slow outfield. Marcus (2) and Anshul (3) opened. Both lost their wickets early: Anshul lofting a ball to a fielder and Marcus running himself out. These two wickets brough Dennis (52*) and Dave K (58*) to the middle. And in the middle they would stay. A solid batting performance (albeit aided by dropped catches and missed run-out chances) saw both batters score 50’s in their season opening knocks. The hours spent working on his pull shots certainly paid dividends for Dave in this innings. These perfomances and a healthy number of extras (30) guided the Aliens to a respectable 135/2 off 20 ov. A score seen as quite defendable on the large, slow ground.
With Damon away sunning himself somewhere on his norgesferie the new ball was tossed to Dennis (13/0 off 3 ov.) from the Ekebegrg Camping end. Benan (13/1 off 2 ov.) took up the mantel from the other, EKT, end. He picked up our first scalp of the innings in his second over, with Khawaja holeing out to Dennis for 15. A bowling changed saw Arif (11/0 off 2 ov.) replace Benan from the EKT end and Ankush (20/2 off 4 ov.) took over from Dennis at the Camping end an over later. Ankush’s inaugral spell for the Aliens yielded two key partnership-breaking wickets, taking R. Khan (13) caught at gully by Christopher and Khalid (16) clean bowled. He was, in addition, denied a third wicket when Christopher decided catching with his hands was too pedestrian and tried, unsuccessfully, the “by the skin of-his-teeth“ approach.
Pete Ward (12/0 off 2 ov.) was tossed the ball following Arif’s tidy two over spell. No wickets were on offer for Pete’s debut spell but he was the only Alien not to bowl a sundry. With plenty of runs in hand cpt. Dave felt safe in handing the ball the Christopher (23/2 off 4 ov.) who took over from Pete at the EKT end. Dave (10/1 off 2) himself replaced Ankush at the Camping end and quickly struck with the wicket of his counterpart T. Khan (18) stumped by Shahabaz. This wicket broke a 6 over drought of wickets an opened the door for a flurry of wickets in the closing overs. After several near misses, Christopher finally caught a break with Mian (0) attempting some heroic dance moves but only resulting in his stumping at the hands of Baz.
Following his two over spell, Dave bought on Hinchcliffe Jnr. (Gadget) (7/1 off 1 ov.) and with his second ball for Aliens knocked over Nord B’s top scorer, Moghees (22), clean bowled. Needing a highly unlikely 36 runs off the final over, Nord B batsmen lost a further two wickets: the first, Sheik (2) runout at the non-striker’s end by a tight piece of fielding by Pete W; the second Ahmad (9) attemping a reckless swat at the final delivery resulting a ball skied towards mid-wicket with Baz running over and securing the catch.
All in all a well executed cricketing display all-round. First a solid partnership during our innings and reasonably tight and consistent bowling and fielding performance, especially for our first proper trundle in 10? months.
