Fjord B vs Aliens, SL (Div 1) Match 6

When: 9th August 2025

Where: Ekeberg 2

Fjord B 166 all out in 32.2 overs (35)

Aliens 84 all out in 25.3 overs (35)

Fjord B won by 82 Runs

See the scorecard at CricClubs

Pleasant conditions greeted the players before the 9am start time of this relegation ‘6 pointer’. Of particular note was an unusually well trimmed outfield in the wake of the Norway Cup.

Upon winning the toss Fjord elected to bat in encouraging conditions. Despite some unusual flotsam on the square in the form of several tons of goose droppings and two halves of a discarded condom several meters apart (a mystery to us all) the scene was set to profit from the relatively rapid outfield.

Regardless, the Aliens made early inroads into the Fjord top order through disciplined swing bowling and an electric fielding display. Special attention should be given to a remarkable catch by Benan at gully, profiting from Avra tipping one up in the air at third slip. In spite of an LBW appeal being turned down that even Joel Wilson would have been able to idenfity was knocking middle out the Aliens continued to assert dominance, with Tom taking two early wickets.

After the introduction of the slower bowlers the trend persisted, with Gareth picking up two scalps and wickets falling at regular intervals until the 9th wicket partnership. The introduction of a number 10 who could hold a bat (Pankaj Kumar) seemed to galvanise his partner (Jaldeepsinh Chauhan) who had offered little to that point. His wristy yet crisp ball striking reaper 48 runs, almost all entirely behind point on the off side. From 95/8, Aliens somehow contrived to concede 166 all out, the innings only ending when Tom returned to take two more wickets with his first two balls of a new spell and finish with figures of 4/15 off 5.2 overs.

Notwithstanding the slip in performance towards the back end, a spirited and energetic fielding performance had given a chaseable target. Alas that was not to be. The batting performance that followed has all the hallmarks of a village batting collapse. Starting with the loss of wickets to an innocuous new ball pair, progressing to a building of scoreboard pressure against medium pacers and spinners deploying a ring field. That pressure led to the series of self-inflicted wounds in the form of hari kari runouts and wickets falling to out of character shot selection. Tom in particular appeared to malfunction, bowled by a slow flighted delivery and then being unable to extricate himself from the crease for several seconds leading to most onlookers thinking he had decided to dispute the validity of being bowled by a delivery that had only hit two of his stumps.

If you want to see how a scenario like the one pictured unfolds, with both batsmen at the strikers end, the ball at first slip and the bowler contorted in agony we recommend visiting the full match stream on Youtube. But warning, not for the faint of heart. (3 hours 38 mins, 4 hours 22 mins and 4 hours 41 mins for the run outs, which is what you really came for).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y57MpcyTmoo