The Cricket Match

Rain stopped play in the annual Grand Challenge Cricket Match in 2019, covid in 2020 and 2021. It would have been cruel if anything had prevented it from happening in 2022. Nothing did. The gods smiled, the sun shone brightly, spectators sought shade under the saplings, ex-Sec Dylan bobbed up to take his bow, and more than ever we enjoyed a Midsummer’s Day’s Dream.

As usual, some of us were docked for wides, others bowled for ducks and there were dodgy umpiring decisions. None of these individual set-backs mattered for long, subsumed in the atmosphere of good fellowship. So many students had turned out this year to make it an annus mirabilis for Clare Hall cricket that several had to pad out and pad up for the President’s XII (XVI if you count the ad lib subbing in the field).

Was it the heat or did the match at times seem more like a festival to celebrate the Fall of Troy, at others a midsummer ritual to assure a bumper Corn harvest? All afternoon

long, echoing through the glades of Leckhampton were the shouts that scoped all within hearing: Come on, Clare Hall, come on! And Clare Hall, for we were all Clare Hall, came on. None more so than the claquer himself.

As for the Titanic contest, the oracles had foretold that e’er the day was done one President was destined to lay down his shield and concede this prized trophy to the other. Truth is, before play ever began, the tins were on the scoreboard. Not merely President and President went head to head this epic day but Shah and Shah. Here was one crossing all boundaries with the bat, then veering across the pitch to take a prize catch. There was the other, bamboozling his opponents with the ball no less than bat. Let these imperious figures stand for a whole court of Invrinchibles who commanded the field this unnique Holi day.

And not by Eastern windows only. England had its matchless King, he no rani, look not to kneel or pray deeply. There were home runs a-plenty too from the ballgame rookies – no gully-boy required with them in the catbird seat. Cavaliers from Europe earned their spurs, a Swiss on a roll, a real killer, and so too his neighbour, no martinet, taking a fine catch at Fine Leg, disallowed by some mundane bye-law, but immortalised by the gods.

And then, beyond reason, a moment of magic. Our own Titania. Sure, she had already hit a run before dancing down the

pitch regardless of her own safety - oh, wicked keeper. Sure, she had already proved how unsisterly she could be by clean bowling a rival claimant – no season, this, for holly to wear the crown. But the best was yet to come. When a high twisting ball tried to elude her at cover, she plucked it from the air as if from her hat. Ram, Ram. Man of the Match had become a misnomer.

The College President, looking harrowed in the pavilion, had sent out not one but two Senior Tutors and a Bursar (innit?) to do battle on his behalf. To no avail. The air was rent with appeals louder than any appeal over rent. Was all lost? One last Presidential champion was called upon to settle accounts. A fine cut could have put paid to his fiercest opponent but… IT was a cut too late.

If the Students’ innings had finished with a definitive hit straight down the ground, the President’s, intended to end as boldly, finished instead with a nick and a deafening appeal for caught behind. Wicked.

Big Ben’s hour had struck. Students: 146-9. President’s 116-7.

The traditional Feast that followed saw the College President hand over the trophy like a lamb, had a ray of light shed on the events of the day and the years building up to it and, grand finale, heard the Player of the Match lauded and applauded as she received her award, a miniature cricket bat signed in obeisance by all in the club present. Solemn vows were made to return in a year less a day: 21 June 2023. First, Trinity High Table had to be overturned on Monday.

Battle Honours: Nick Skopal 31 n.o.; Veer Shah 30 n.o.; Pradip Adhikari 25 n.o.; Darshil Shah 25 n.o.; Andrew Corn 22 n.o.; Ram Rawat 14; Virinchi Rallabhandi 13; Matthijs King 12; Ian Strachan 11. Darshil Shah 19-3; Unnikrishnan V.B. 22-3; M. King 22-2; Sam Martensz 28-2. Player of the Match: Nadiah Thanthawi-Jauhari.

The Big Match was the high point of a season that has been exceptional in every way, monthly indoor nets in winter at Fenners followed by weekly nets on Mondays at Leckhampton, on Tuesdays at Caius, with matches scheduled for most Wednesdays. May began with a victory, albeit narrow, rain-affected and DuckworthLewised, over old rivals, the Cavendish Lab. Unfortunately, a scheduled return fixture was cancelled when we were bumped off our ground by the Varsity team. Another fixture, against Chemistry, was lost as narrowly as the first match was won, one peculiar feature of it being the opponent captain’s illegal bowling action. Two intramural matches were played, one oversubscribed, the other a five-man match, both equally happy evenings in the sun. The familiarity and fellowship fostered by so many Nets has been a boon. Tip of the floppy to President Ben Rae and his Vices, Pradip Adhikari and Nadiah ThanthawiJauhari, who did the work to make it happen.

#Twelve

Editor’s note: all unusual spelling in this piece is deliberate.