Things started well at Knox Grammar School. We arrived early, even ventured into the nets where our batsmen actually looked the part, won the toss, and for 90 minutes we held our own. Then a combination of heat, overconfidence and some rank bad cricket took over. Pete Hobbs and Nick Read opened up with pace and a tight line. Hobbs, considered a gamble as an opening bowler, showed real venom while Read relied more on short-of-a-length stuff. It still needed the old warhorse Chetwode, rarely off a full run, to rattle the top order. Umpire John McDermott was also rattled by some of the appealing and twice had cause to speak to Eds Copleston. At the 20-over drinks interval Knox Old Boys were struggling at 48 for 3. Then Copleston decided to open the game up, a concept rather unfamiliar to the Australians, but they certainly made the most of it. McGlee and Hutchinson cut loose, and by the time Copleston reintroduced the strike bowlers the momentum was completely against us.

Lunch, a veritable feast which resulted in Rick Johnson slipping back into his ways of old, proved to be our downfall. Our innings got off to a poor start when Copleston contrived to run himself out and went downhill from there. None of the frontline batsmen looked at all settled on a pitch was was not fantastic but certainly held no danger. At 18 for 4 we still had some batting to come, but Johnson looked for a tight two off a no-ball and was run out at the non-striker’s end by a yard. The Bailey suffered the over from hell. The first ball had him plumb leg-before, but the umpire, sympathetic to our plight, ruled in his favour. The second ball removed his off stump … but was called a no-ball. He edged the third ball, agonizingly short of second slip, and then played and missed at three more. Mercifully, his suffering was ended the following over when he was bowled for a duck (“0 for 3 as Johnson told him). The innings continued to slide, and at 36 for 9 we faced our lowest post-war score (42) and our lowest overseas total (70). But some gutsy hitting from Tom Hufton and obdurate dullness from Martin Williamson saw us past both (although Hufton was dropped before he had scored) before the innings ended, fittingly, in a chaotic run out.

Knox Old Boys v Old Cranleighan CC Knox Grammar School, New South Wales January 19, 2003 Knox Old Boys won by 96 runs Knox Old Boys r b 4s 6s Drake lbw b Chetwode 15 Gragaram c Hood b Read 4 Kelynack lbw b Chetwode 19 Myle c Johnson b Chetwode 1 Banks c Goulstone b Williamson 7 McGlee c Goulstone b Read 44 Hutchison not out 32 Woodhouse not out 19 Extras b 10 lb 4 w 8 nb 4 26 Total 40 overs 167-6 Marlow, Grose and Lucock did not bat Fall of wickets 11, 20, 41, 62, 80, 130 Bowling o m r w Hobbs 10 0 35 0 Read 10 0 46 2 Hufton 5 0 15 0 Williamson 3 0 17 1 Chase 2 0 20 0 Old Cranleighans r b 4s 6s E Copleston run out 0 F Hood c Drake b Grose 3 P Goulstone c Woodhouse b Lucock 9 M Chase c Drake b Grose 5 R Johnson+ run out 0 S Bailey* b Grose 0 N Read st McGlee b Marlow 5 T Hufton run out 23 P Hobbs c Bangs b Marlow 2 Chetwode c Banks b Hutchison 0 M Williamson not out 3 Extras b 4 lb 4 w 5 nb 8 21 Total 29 overs 71 Fall of wickets 0, 5, 7, 18, 19, 22, 26, 31, 36, 71 Bowling o m r w Grose 9 0 11 3 Lucock 7 0 20 1 Marlow 7 0 17 1 Hutchison 4 0 4 1 Gragaram 1 0 9 0 Banks 1 0 3 0 Toss Knox Old Boys Match Facts Freddi Hood and Phil Goulstone, both non OCs, were making their debuts for the club This avoided our lowest score abroad by one run (70 v Kongonis in 2001) Match referee CH Lloyd (WI) Man of the Match SK Warne