20:20 Vision

....would have been a useful attribute for the Sutton Scorchers number 10 batsman as he faced Ollie Thilo in the 19th over in fading light in the T20 fixture between the Sutton Scorchers U19’s and Reigate Rapids U19’s at Sutton’s Cheam Road ground on Tuesday.

With the Llamas fielding 2 players (Ollie Thilo & Jacob McLoughlin) from last weekend’s 1st team and 3 players (Will Brewis, Seth McDowall and Advaith Bali) from last weekend’s 2nd team; the teams looked well matched as Sutton U19 Captain Connor Griffin opens the bowling for the Sutton 1st team and Jay Evemy, George Duckworth, Dylan Paskaran and Callum Noonan all played in last weekend’s Sutton 2nd team.

Sutton had got the pitch ready after a midday downpour had threatened the fixture and the game started in bright sunshine as Will Timmons won the toss and opened the batting alongside Will Hodgson. It was Will Hodgson (8) who was 1st out in the 4th over with the score on 18 caught at mid wicket by George Duckworth off Connor Griffin’s bowling (3-0-27-1). Will Timmons was joined by Adi Bali and the pair scored at about a run a ball before Sutton spinner Sahil Sheth won the battle of the U14’s as he enticed a caught and bowled to dismiss Advaith Bali (14) for 44-2 in the 8th over.

Next over (9th) Seth McDowall was dropped behind but the keeper made immediate amends next ball when Will Timmons departed for 21 getting a faint edge to be caught behind by Jay Evemy for U15 Callum Noonan’s 1st wicket and Reigate were 52-3. Seth (4) was then out to the Callums as he was caught at mid wicket by Callum Furmidge for Callum Noonan’s 2nd wicket at 59-3 after 11 overs.

The 12th over saw Jacob McLoughlin (4) caught at long on for U14 Sahil Sheth’s 2nd wicket in a fine spell 4-0-14-2 and in the 13th over it became 65-6 as Tyler Shoare (4) was bowled by Callum Noonan (4-0-17-3). Next ball Ollie Harris was run out attempting a 2nd run and at 66-7 in the 13th over the Llama innings was in need of repair.

It arrived in the form of Will Brewis (32 n.o.) and Matthew Wickham (14 n.o.) as the pair put on an unbroken 50 to take the Llama innings to 116-7 at the end of their 20 overs.

Will Brewis got the important wicket of Sutton Captain Connor Griffin who hit 3 fours in his score of 13 before being caught by Seth McDowall for 25-1 in the 4th over. Next over (5th) the 2nd wicket fell with the score at 27 as fellow opener Aarav Rajnikanth (10) was caught behind off Ollie Thilo (4-0-20-1).

Sutton’s Jay Evemy and Callum Furmidge started to score freely with good running between the wickets with the Llama infield set just a bit too deep. They took the score onto 53 in the 9th over when Jay (14) was caught by Ollie Thilo bowled by Ed Russ. Ed then took 2 wickets in the 11th over as he firstly bowled Callum Furmidge (24) and then combined with Ollie Thilo once again to have Dylan Paskaran caught for a duck as the Llamas were clawing their way back into the game with Sutton on 72-4 then 77-5. Ed Russ then got his 4th wicket when he caught and bowled George Duckworth (7) to finish a fine spell of aggressive fast bowling (4-0-20-4) and after 13 overs Sutton were 82-6.

With 35 needed from 7 overs with 4 wickets left the game was well balanced as Aiden Sheridan (10) and Callum Noonan (11) took Sutton closer to the target before with the score at 101 in the 18th over Ollie Harris got them both out and Ollie’s miserly spell of 4-0-13-2 had put the brakes on Sutton with the score now 106-8 with 2 overs left.

Now for the controversy as in fading light Ollie Thilo returned to bowl the 19th over and ....just before we get to that, a brief reference to the Laws of Cricket -
2.7 Fitness for play
2.7.1 It is solely for the umpires together to decide whether ...conditions of .... light....mean that it would be dangerous or unreasonable for play to take place. Conditions shall not be regarded as either dangerous or unreasonable merely because they are not ideal.
2.7.2 Conditions shall be regarded as dangerous if there is actual and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire.
2.8.2 The Umpires shall immediately suspend play, ......., if either umpire considers that the conditions of .... light....... are either dangerous or unreasonable.

The 3rd ball of the over saw the batsman fall to the ground in defending a short pitched delivery. It was not a bouncer but it was short and with the batsman falling down in defending the ball it made the situation look worse and this brought the Sutton Skipper onto the pitch to protest. I think if the shoe had been on the other foot we too would not have been happy; but that said the Sutton Umpire took control and the expectation for the remaining 10 or so balls was that the ball should be pitched up....in fairness it should have been anyway as the best way to get the tail out.

It would not have been fair to ask the Llamas to bowl spinners (even though Ollie Harris had done it successfully) and in hindsight perhaps another option would have been to take the players off the field and rely on run rate to decide and after 18.3 overs Sutton would have won as their 108 from 111 deliveries would have pipped our 116 from 120 deliveries. It didn’t help that with 4 quick bowlers the Llamas took a long time to bowl our overs and with multiple field changes the light was fading fast.

With one over left 8 runs were required by Sutton and 2 wickets were remaining. Two runs came from the 1st 2 balls before Will Brewis took the 1st of the 2 wickets needed when Seth McDowall caught Dylan Waldon-Ferguson (8) from the 3rd ball for 111-9. Six required from 3 balls as Will bowls a wide which goes for a run as Sutton are on 113-9 with 4 runs needed and 2 balls left. Will only needs one of those as Ed Russ takes the catch (his 3rd to go with his 4 wickets) at long on to dismiss Aneesh Jhalla (0) to finish with figures of 3.5-0-25-3 with Sutton all out 3 runs short on 113 with one ball remaining. Nine of the wickets were out to catches.

We need to start these games at 5.30 so that light is less of an issue.