2015 Nudeballers Goldfield Ashes
Game 1 (Match 19) v Laidback X1
The One with five sixes in an over
24 January 2015 at Laidback XI Field 60
Batting first, Laidback XI 9/190; 27 overs. Nudeballers 9/297; 32.2 overs.
Nudeballers win by 5 wickets in 23 overs
Laidback provided a typical outback setting. A dry gully forming one boundary; bush another. The pitch would be better described as exposed aggregate rather than concrete. The opposition name was an apt descriptor.
The Chief King/#pooinsink partnership (let’s call it the CK#p) began in the 4th over when Chief King took a catch for #pooinsink’s first wicket; 1/25. It was 2/25, an over later, when Wondergai took one off The Soiler. From there, Laidback’s Harry and Cliff partnered for 77 from 68 balls (The highest partnership recorded by an opposition team). Harry and Cliff both went on to record 50s, making Laidback only the second opposition team, in seven years, to score two 50s in an innings.
The CK#p was in action again in the 19th over, when #p took the catch off CK’s bowling to make it 3fa. Three balls later, Chief King rattled the stumps and it was 4fa. Then, from the first ball of the next over, by 3 Questions, it was Chief King again; taking a screamer in close (without spilling his 🍺) to make it 5fa. 2/129 had become 5/133 in the space of 4 balls and Laidback were wondering if they were seeing double as Chief King seemed to be everywhere.
A 37-run, 6th wicket partnership reset Laidback’s course for a 250 run total, but, a Stinky catch off Flash (that’s a catch by Stinky; not a “stinky” catch 😳), then a wicket to Anal an over later, made the projected 250 look a long way away. A couple of overs later, the CK#p “nightmare” struck again as CK grabbed two catches in a double-wicket-maiden #p over to bring the innings to a close on 9/190 from 27 overs; a capitulation of 7/61 in 8.3 overs.
The 191 target seemed formidable enough, but it was a smallish ground as evidenced by Laidback’s 26 fours (a record v the Nudeballers) and 9 sixes. The Nudeballers response was 29 fours and a record 17 sixes!
After a good start by Uncle Bob and Trust Me, a 29-ball 53 by Matt Tav propelled the Nudeballers to 109 from 12.3 overs. The next 7 overs were only slightly slower with 159 on the board by the end of the 20th. Then, a stupefying 94 run blitz in the next 6 overs (😳). Once again it was the CK#p phenomenon in a devastating 20-ball, 63-run partnership. The 25th over was particularly memorable. After Chief King smashed the last ball of the previous over for six, #pooinsink bunted a single for Chief King to take the strike. The next five balls all cleared the boundary; 31 from the over - the most ever off one over for the Nudies. After the third six, the bowler resorted to pirouettes and other “circus tricks” in an unsuccessful attempt to distract Chief King. #pooinsink was out for a fine 49 from 32 balls from the first ball of the 26th over; Chief King retiring at the end of the same over for the fastest Nudies 50 (13 balls; the last 9 balls: 8 sixes and one dot 😮). With nine overs to go, Nudeballers needed 47 to crack 300, but fell 3 runs short on 297; the highest score to date for the Nudies.
An amazing day for CK#p. Five catches, 5/28 off 5 overs and 103 runs (7 fours and 10 sixes)!
Game 2 (Match 20) v Dollar Dazzlers
The One with the unlikely ending
25 January 2015 at Richmond Hill State School Field 20
Batting first, Dollar Dazzlers 6/146; 20 overs. Nudeballers 7/156; 20 overs
Nudeballers win by 3 wickets in 18.5 overs
From the ridiculous to the sublime. A fully-grassed field; trees to sit under. 😳
This was a very close game. Half-A-Night grabbed wickets in the 1st and 3rd overs to reduce DDs to 2/15; Chief King taking his 5th catch for the weekend. 3 Questions pouched one off Uncle Bob, three overs later to make it 3fa, then Matt Tav held one of Trust Me in the 10th to make it 4/68 at the half-way mark. With Chook undefeated on 28, the DDs were well poised. A partnership of 51 from 38 between Chook and Yoghurt consolidated the DD position before Chief King struck at the end of the 15th, via a Stinky catch (you know what I mean!), to remove Yoghurt. Anal and 3 Questions were able to restrict Dazzlers to just three boundaries and 28 runs in the last five overs. Chook recorded an important 50 for the Dazzlers.
With 147 to get against strong opposition, The Nudies did not need to be 3/15 after just 25 balls. Matt Tav was essentially a spectator (as most batsmen are) in a 37-ball partnership with Chief King, then added 16 with #pooinsink and 43 with Half-A-Night before reaching 50 off 32 balls and retiring with the score on 111. 36 to get from 37 balls. Wondergai summed up the situation and took charge: 8 off 7 with Half-A-Night; 17 off 13 with 3 Questions. 11 to get off 17. The Soiler comes in: Dot - dot - 2 - 1. Eight off 13. six to Wondergai. 😮💨. Two off 12. A sigh of relief in the tent. The Soiler on strike 😬 dot - dot - dot - dot. Two off eight.Jeez! Way to drag it out. boundary 😀 to put us all out of our misery. A win to the Nudies; The Soiler hitting the winning runs!
Game 3 (Match 21) v Jacob and Son Beef
The one with a hat-trick of two-wicket overs.
26 January 2015 at Mosman Park Junior Cricket Field 15
Batting first, Jacob and Son Beef 9/104; 16.3 overs. Nudeballers 7/278; 34.4 overs.
Nudeballers win by 8 wickets in 15 overs
As Jacob and Son Beef emerged from their camp site and trudged through the scrub onto the Mosman Park ground, the Nudies thanked their lucky stars for their accommodation. Irish Molly’s had been a good home while it lasted, but management had got a little greedy and crammed in another team. Luckily, alternative accommodation had been uncovered by Matt Tav; the Royal Private Hotel. So the Nudies would have a new home base for the 2016 tournament.
Some fine bowling at the top of the order by Anal saw three of the “Sons” back in the dugout in the first three overs with just eight runs on the board. A couple of 30-run partnerships followed; both brought to heel by 3 Questions catches off #pooinsink and Stinky. A 22-run blitz in Chief King’s first over took the score to 5/99, but was followed by a collapse of 4/5 from The next four overs as Uncle Bob and #pooinsink each picked up two wickets in an over to scuttle the “Sons”.
The Nudies needed just 15 overs to overhaul the total. Uncle Bob and The Soiler got half of target in a 52-run opening partnership from 8 overs. The Soiler went on to record his maiden Nudeballers 50, but is he remembered for this? No. He also has Nudeballers best figures of 4/19, but is he remembered for this? No. But, you poo your pants just once…..🤭 Wondergai and Stinky also recorded 50s As the Nudeballers piled on 278 runs from 34.4 overs.
Retrospective Weekend Awards
A best ever 5th place finish for the Nudies on the back of the two biggest totals to date, 297 and 278, i4n the 35 over games
Pink Cap: Chief King; Five catches.
Purple Cap: #pooinsink; 7-1-6-32
Orange Cap: Matt Tav; 103; 2 x 50s
