MRG Edge Home In Game Of Twists, Turns And Flying Pigs

Pigs aren’t seen flying over West London too often, but yesterday they were regularly buzzing the Old Actonians cricket ground as an MRG XI pipped BMRB in a match of several twists and turns.

Champagne moments included Nick Hiddleston’s balletic attempt to take an early catch as the ball passed by many yards away; Rob Laurence’s all run four off the MRG’s main strike bowler; the first hatrick in the four year history of these games; a bizarre dismissal for “hit the ball twice”; and a mildly controversial run out decision that sealed the match. Cricket lovers, this game had the lot!

Both sides were missing some leading lights, so it was a good chance for others to take centre stage. BMRB elected to bat, made a sensible start, but then threw away their top four wickets against some tight bowling (three catches and a run out featuring Richard “Boycs” Poustie). At 32-4, North had 3-11, and the Ealing boys were in the mire.

But they fought back impressively, with Charalambous who top scored with 33, Wicken and Clarke leading the way. Inman’s first wicket for 24 years (surely an England call-up beckons now) was key as it dismissed the dangerous but flummoxed Clarke, who had made a quickfire 31.

Then MRG skipper, Jones, whose first over had disappeared to many parts of Acton, astonished all with a hatrick – a steepling (“P45”) catch by Guppy; a direct hit with a (very) full toss; and a caught and bowled each bringing greater degrees of celebration. With the last ball of his spell Jones at last bowled a decent ball, which of course didn’t take a wicket!

Laurence then proceeded to smite Guppy for an all-run four before his stumps were skittled in the last over, leaving a respectable but gettable 120 all out on the board.

The MRG openers were in a hurry, and 49 was posted by the eighth over, before Binnington was smartly caught on the boundary by Charalambous, and Maniar was dismissed for a double hit as he tried to stop the ball rolling on to his stumps. It looked a decisive opening stand, but for the second time BMRB showed their mettle, and – after Tiffen went for 23 and Weston was run out for 16 – the MRGers got bogged down, and the run rate rose.

With 21 needed from the last three overs, Hiddleston and North scampered between the wickets but couldn’t find the boundary and when North departed there were still 10 needed from eight balls. But Guppy proved the man for the challenge, and a boundary and some smart running brought the scores level with three balls to go.

In a final twist, the game ended in mild controversy as a diving Guppy appeared to be run out after reacting to a suicidal call by Hiddleston, but a short-sighted umpire, who also happened to be the MRG skipper’s brother, ruled he had just slid in – and MRG got home by four wickets.

Of course even if he hadn’t made it Hiddleston would have grabbed the winning run from one of the last two balls – or would he….?

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