Tag: Mark Blackledge

Awards Night, 2014 season

Comrades!

comrade commissar Yankheroff 2014 Comrades' comrade
comrade commissar Yankheroff
2014 Comrades’ comrade

One million apologies for the terribly late post of this blog. I shall publicly flog myself with a damp sardine. But nothing will stop me from admiring the splendid comrades who attended our end of season awards night at The Union Club on 12th November 2014.

Firstly, let us commence with our most deserving of award winners, winner of the comrades’ comrade award 2014 went to Yankheroff, aka John Hirst. Receiving a significant voting majority in the secret poll, Yankheroff rightly took home the extremely heavy trophy! His exploits on the field and especially behind, meant that he is a worthy winner. The extensive fixture list and negotiation required was down to him and he undertook this task manfully. Congratulations.

Other winners were:

 

 

Captaincy Merits:

  • Brandonovski (Peter Brandon)
  • Cobramovich (Tim Graham)
  • Jontin (Jon Savitt)
  • Marx (Mark Blackledge)
  • Yankheroff (John Hirst)
  • Yuri (Philip Richardson)

Most Improved:

  • Chipmunkski (Tim Richardson)

Most Catches: Joint winners

  • Cobramovich (Tim Graham)
  • Soldya (Dan March)

Most Wicket Catches:

  • Robski (Rob Dixon)

Most Wickets Bowled: 11

  • Yuri (Philip Richardson)

Most Runs Scored: 225

  • Dagleyev (Neil Dagley)

We in the commissariat and all comrades, strong in heart and true in spirit, salute you all, comrades! Great work and may you act as inspiration for all present and future comrades to fight, drink and play harder.

Semper Sodales, Fors et Victores!

MATCH REPORT – SCC v VCC 21st June 2104

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Scoreboard

VCC won by 33 Runs with 219 for 7
SCC at 186 runs for 9
40 over match

Comrades!

Blue skies and sunshine marked our journey over to Essex and Halstead CC. A lovely day and the longest too. Such fine weather and cricket too is enough to make a person very smug indeed. And Yuri here, was quite chuffed to couple that with a night off the twins and a stay at a local pub, The White Hart – so smug and happy! The VCC are old foes and of course, mostly old friends so it’s always nice to wheel out against them and enjoy a game of cricket.

They were into bat first and their hope was two sweat us down to the remnants of a team for our innings. But did they manage? did they indeed! Our commy steel is more weathered than that and with decades of booze behind us, we are picked enough to not feel the effects of the heat. Their opening bats, however, were quite hard to pin down. Our openers of Hodderoff and myself, Yuri, were being hit about a bit. The pitch was bouncy and anything short was being attacked and sent to the boundaries. Now, I would like to avail you with lots of details from their innings, but their score book was less than well kept, so I will rely on a few splendid memories.

Jontin (Now on the VCC side) was caught by Vlad from bowling by Busteroff. Marx-B caught and later bowled out Bee, Stocko and Shelley. A great bowling performance by the skipper and great leadership shown. Ripper and Atif both retired with 54 and 53 each, bravo! These scores set up the VCC for a most respectable end total. The other wickets were less expensive for us, Madders run out for 26 and Kankanamge caught and bowled by me! A series of flash frames is all I remember. But apparently, after the middle drive came back at me, I tipped left and secured the bowl – I myself am still somewhat impressed, eve though i have almost no memory of pocketing the ball at all!

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Matt barbecues his daughter on spatula

Other great actions in the field? Top marks to Sewelski for the enigmatic and balletic stop, roll, recover, roll and throw we have ever seen. We wondered when it may end but as ever with Sewelski, it aint over till the fat lady sings and she was in the pavilion guzzling egg mayo sandwiches. Standing beside Robski whilst he wicket kept impressed me! Robski now has hands like leather as he was stopping very fast balls from Busteroff. And the rest of us kept Robski guessing! Great work.

Top thanks and congrats to Matt (Marx-B’s brother in law). A man who is more accustomed to the rugby field than a wicket. He was kept very busy for us in the field – Thank you, comrade! And finally, great throwing in the field all around and especially from Busteroff and the Hodders.

Finally we got to tea and escaped the heat. A little about Halstead CC? Twizzleoff, son #2 of Captain Marx-b, is a regular player at Halstead. We can imagine him cutting a fine presence there, amongst the hedgerows and sheep of Essex. Poor sheep. Our roving fixture with the VCC has regularly been arranged by Marx and today’s was no exception. A lovely pitch and surroundings.

Our innings and we had a goodly total to reach. I remember several conversations throughout the match that had us predicting 130/140 score. We would have been proud still but little did we imagine scaling the heights we did. And how did we? Well, from the start it felt a little like an SCC match. We sadly lost Vladimir Boringski, Brandonovski and Sewelski for 8, 4 and 1. Although of course, fine dotting! Then the brothers’ Hodder, Sam and Tom were out there together. However, with Sam nursing an injury and Tom injuring a nurse, the expected double century came out to 12 and 4. But great boundaries.

Father and Son, Marx and Busteroff to the crease, please. What followed was a partnership of an hour and a quarter and and an addition to the tally of over eighty runs. Marx, careful and protective with spurts of adrenalin laced vigor. Busteroff, youthful, vigorous and moments of nail biting risk. But smashing. Busteroff taking 81 with twelve 4s and a 6. Marx on 42 with seven 4s to boot. Top work comrades.

New blood Matt survived eight balls brilliantly well. Congrats on a fine debut. Then Robski came in with the bit between his teeth. Jeepers, in a few balls he had take four 4s and created 21 runs for us before being bowled by Jontin. Good addition, Robski, thank you! The last two in were myself for 6 n/o and then Ilyeva. He had to survive three balls for us to be not all out. And guess what, he did! Beautiful work comrade commissar treasurer!

Comrades, we had a great game and achieved our highest score. We shall have a win one day, but what we did win was a moral victory in challenging our old foes to play up and not down, for if we had taken perhaps four stronger overs, we would have beaten them. The glory of the game is in the playing of it, the comradery of the teams and players and in the knowledge that sportsmanship was upheld.

Yuri

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SCC v VCC 2014 SCC Innings

 

 

 

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SCC v VCC 2014 VCC Innings

Match Report: SCC v VCC 24th June 2012

VCC win by six wickets scoring 95
SCC all out scoring 93… again
Timed game

The sun in 2012
Brockley Green 2012

Comrades, after much delay I bring you the match report for our annual home game in Suffolk versus The VCC. Suffolk as we all know, is the sporting hub of Soho’s cricketers since 2011. Time before which, little was known of the glorious game beyond Romilly Street. Moor Street is of course recognised as the home of all cricket second only to Belsize Village, although it is believed the game originating from there was first played with the severed testicle of the Hampstead mountain Goat. Soho of course, developed the modern ball, derived from a fossilised turd of King Henry XIII.

And so to our annual VCC battle. A toss was given and Captain Marx B, otherwise known as Mark Blackledge, stepped onto his home field and brought Mark Bennett with him. We oshall SCC Him to Bennettov because I feel happier that way. Our captain, who is slowly getting us into shape, was home and happy but The VCC brought with them their own shade of luck and skill. Marx struck on to a depleted four. But before he could gallantly partner up with Bennettov, the latter was LBW off VCC Captain Flew for two. Clearly devastated by his partners sudden demise, Marx gave an edge to Wicky Roberts for a total of four.

Brandonovski facing
Brandonovski facing

A shame as youngest Blackledge, Tristan was looking forward to running his Dad up and down a lot but all he could do was watch our beloved captain walked in and plump down on a sofa dreaming of the innings that wasn’t. Next time Comrade commissar captain.

special note here for Young Marx Tristan. Facing over fifty balls he patted away a happy and deserved sixty runs. With eight boundaries and some chippy little runs, he gave the collective some hope and provided partners to several following bats despite finally being stumped by a delighted VCC’s Yorke.

Returning from some absence, Charlie Richards, British ambassador to the city of Lemongrade, stepped up, but after scoring two, stepped down LBW to Deano Scott. It’s hard thing to berate a freelancer who has helped the SCC recently, but blast you, Deano! But a great spell. Why so, I hear some say? Because despite Brandonovski’s stoical facing nine balls to accompany Tristan, Deano snapped his stumps from reality for two.

Buster Marx in. Then out for one from Bee. We had all dreamed of a Blackledge slog-a-thon as these two young impskis smacked the capitalists balls into the village church. But it wasn’t to be. At this point the dreaded cloud of “do you think we can make a draw?” reared its sneering, nasty, rainy and cloudy head.

Chipmonk Delivers
Chipmonk Delivers

Andropov Sewelski steps up, brogues shining and urged to block and stall. Four balls faced and five scored. the second highest score. It is his height that enables him to pick his holes… If you know what I mean? But he sadly picked a hole for a slog where Roberts picked up a catch off Bee. good go, comrade. Good go.

Soldya Nipskin, The mad hatter of the SCC… Ducky wuck to Yorke. Ilyeva Lunchhour… Duck sucky doodar to Yorke. A draw was looking more like a defeat. Can the Richardson brothers do anything? Chipmonkski the elder stepped up and after Ilyeva departed was joined by yours truly, Yuri Pedeez. It was short though. Yuri got a dazzling single off one delivery but Chipmonksi was snuffed for none off Baldwin.

We hit a total of 93.

Sorry Cobra
Sorry Cobra

First up…despite a battery of attack from Yuri, Chipmonkski, Tristan Marx, Bennetov, Buster and Soldya, nothing could budge Bam Bam of the VCC and so he knocked a healthy 54. Yuri had five overs no wickets and a maiden. My excuse for a lack lustre performance is jet lag… But no comrade can use excuses! Just exlax.

Chipmonkski nibbled six overs for fifteen runs with a tasty maiden. But the first wicket didn’t arrive until Tristan Marx snaffled VCC cobra for eleven. Next Tristan victim was with the kind assistance of his father and our great captain, Marx! A Wicky catch to applaud, taking Scott for nine. Bennetov snatched a handy Savitt and Baldwin for four and none respectively but by this point they had fourteen overs to score two runs. Let us be honest, it was not looking fab. Soldya snatched LBW against Yorke but four from Bam Bam ended the match.

Well done, chaps
Well done, chaps

IN CONCLUSION comrades, we lost again. but on the good side… I think our field work is much improved. Good stops in the field, catching improving, some nice comradery and we are developing that team feeling. I like the way we park. When we saunter about the pitch I sense great knowledge in casually holding the bat. Padding ups quick we have nailed. Let us just make sure that comrades and guests remember our motto and keep the fun.

Till next time, comrades!

Yuri

 

SCORECARDS:

SCC Scorecard

SCC innings 24th june 2012
SCC innings 24th june 2012

VCC Scorecard

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VCC innings 24th june 2012