The 2011 Elstow Club Day saw a reprisal of the 6-A-Side tournament from last year. Six teams of six players, playing 10 over matches in two groups made for a very enjoyable afternoon’s cricket. The guest list was widened this year and the increase in numbers certainly added to the atmosphere and freshened up the feel of the format. 1st XI skipper Matt Stevens’ Bedford All-stars team were placed in the same group as Dan Wisson’s Paggers & District and Ed Wisson’s Farmers. In the other pool, Chris Richards led an injury ravaged The Real Elstow in a tough looking group along with Hani Thiarra’s Wilstead & Houghton Conquest and Phil Johnson’s Friends of Elstow.
What followed contained enough champagne moments to fill an interval’s worth of Test Match Special. Patrick King’s huge six over deep midwicket in the third place play off, Steve Johnson’s sublime doosra that did for a dumb-founded Michael Dickson (think Shane Warne versus Mike Gatting in a parallel universe), Dan Wisson’s second coming as a go-to bowler after all these years masquerading as a batsman (3-0-30-4 impressive stuff in slog-athon cricket), Matt Kennedy’s glorious cover drives evocative of Royal Show rather than YFC Rally, Matt Stevens’ captain’s innings in the final or the unadulterated joy of watching the spectacular talents of young tyro Hikmat Waqar in action at The Warren for the last time. In one innings, Hikmat made a mockery of the retiring on 20 rule, smiting 4,4,6,6 with the last blow ending up on top of the score hut.
Bedford Allstars won their group with one win and a tie and went on to meet an equally formidable looking Wilstead and Houghton Conquest, who scraped home by one run past Friends of Elstow in the group decider. The two would eventually meet in the final after the day’s order of merit had been worked out, the other standings matches were reduced to 3 overs per side to take into account the early autumn gloom. The lack of first teamers through injury really cost the Real Elstow and this was compounded by their loss to Farmers in the wooden spoon match. Comedy fielding by Paggers & District gifted Friends of Elstow a decent score, the office boys cruised home by 5 runs.
Stevens’ team of all the talents dominated the final, their big game experience counted when it mattered most. Tom Wisson hit 18 and Stevens 22* as Bedford Allstars posted a credible 56-3 from their five overs. In reply, despite a determined yet fluent 20* from Geoff Couling, Hani Thiarra’s side fell eight runs short which meant for the second year running the club captain walked triumphantly away with the bragging rights. Critics take note. Maybe he does know a thing or two about running a winning cricket team after all?
